The Dark Ravager...
This thing is a monster. It was a custom build I did for my best friend. He liked my Exhalted, but wanted something in black. Thus, this saber was born.
It consists of:
- Redeemer Emitter in Black (From Indegogo Campaign with Prodigal Son Style Grenade Section)
- Fallen Switch Section
- Fury Body
- Fury Pommel
- Black Metal Kill Key
- NEC Spark 2
- Photo Red / Photo Red / Amber / Amber Quad Cree LED
- 2w Bass Speaker
- Black / Orange LED Lit AV Switch
This is a Monster hilt! It measures just over 15" in length due to the switch section. I was so concerned about the length that I talked to my buddy about it, but he kinda of liked the idea of it being longer and darker. Once I got it built, I was surprised by how good it felt. It feels almost like a long sword being VERY easy to grip with two hands. You can really get some leverage. Once I picked up my Exhalted, it all of a sudden felt short to me as I had grown accustomed to this. It is longer than my CR Exhalted even when open!
I really like how the Prodigal Son style grenade section feels here. It gives grip without biting into your hands. I prefer the look of the Redeemer grenade section, but this is FAR more comfortable to hold.
The one thing I did not photograph here is that the Emitter came from the Indigogo campaign and thus the female end of the grenade section is too short to cover all of the threads on the switch section (see my review of my Exhalted where I have the same issue). I think the new "Thin-Neck Adapters" don't have this issue, but this one does. However, in all black, you pretty much can't see it. We have been using o-rings to hide the issue, but if you look carefully in these pictures, you can see the exposed threads of the switch section. We were both reluctant to sand the threads down.
I placed the wrong AV Switch in the hilt. It was supposed to be Red, but ended up being Orange. This turned out to be a happy accident. I think the Orange turned out great here matching with the copper and brass thin-neck.
Let's talk about that Deep Red LED for a second. Wow! That Deep Red is GORGEOUS! Especially in this hilt. The custom Pr / Pr / A / A can also mixes for a deep Orange and Blood Orange. However, I was not able to get the same Orange or Blood orange that was from my Ro / Ro / A / A (which makes sense). I also have a Pr / G / Rb / A LED, and it too I found presented some limitations with color mixing.
My opinion is this. If Red is the primary color you want and you would like some other color for FoC, then Deep Red (Photo Red) is definitely the way to go. But if you are getting Deep Red to mix with another color...I'd go with a regular Red LED. I just did not like the way it color mixes. I did get Orange, Blood Orange, and Deep Red from this LED, but they were tough to get just right. Just my 2 cents.
Here is a picture my buddy sent after I left his place and had delivered his Saber. That Deep Red is so awesome!
I loaded it with a few dark fonts and made a custom Halo font for him since he's a big Halo fan. I will not claim to be good at creating my own fonts, but this was a fun project that I really enjoyed. The saber feels good and sounds great.
Final Thoughts:
This saber surprised me. I thought the length would be too long and the black would be too muted. Instead, the hilt feels great and powerful in hand and the black is gorgeous. I thought the Pr / Pr / A / A LED would be the best LED I had ever made. Well, the Deep Red is sublime! But the combination with Amber left me with mixed feelings. Maybe next time I would go Pr / Pr / Ro / Ro, but those two might be too close in color. I built in quick connects, so we have the option to change whenever we like.
As far as the hilt goes, neither myself or my best friend could be happier! If you're going do something, go BIG and go DARK!