TOPIC: Weathered Warrior 12w+ Red

Introduction

The Bane has probably been the most anticipated saber to come out of the Saber Forge workshops. It’s an original design by Thomas Snyder, Saber Forge’s main saber designer, and as the first curved saber hilt produced by Saber Forge it saw a long development and prototyping cycle. Phil Isherwood, Saber Forge’s owner, decided to call this saber (originally called the “Talon”) the “Bane” due to its’ similarities to a curved saber wielded by Darth Bane, one of the most infamous and important Sith Lords in EU (expanded universe) and canon Star Wars lore.

Lore

Centuries before the blockade of Naboo (the flashpoint that marked the return of the Sith to the galactic stage) the Sith were legion and engaged in an open and costly war with the Jedi. So crippled by infighting were the Sith that they were driven to the brink of destruction by the Jedi. The sole survivor of their dark ideology was the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Bane who recognized that for the Sith to survive he had to reform the way they conducted their war for control of the galaxy. Bane mandated a “Rule of Two” which stipulated that at any one time there should only be two Sith: a master and an apprentice. He desire for revenge against the Jedi fueled a centuries long vendetta that would pass in an unbroken chain from master to apprentice until the culmination of Sith ambitions in the snuffing out of the Jedi in Darth Sidious’ master stroke, the Clone Wars and Order 66, which winnowed the Jedi from thousands to a frightened and scattered handful. Those few Jedi survivors were hunted down by Darth Sidious’ apprentice Darth Vader and his dark side adepts, the Inquisitors. While Bane’s Sith order ultimately perished in the conflagration of the second Death Star with the redemption of the last Sith Lord, Darth Vader, to the light side of the Force Bane’s legacy haunts any attempt to reform the Jedi Order and inspires the adherents of the dark side of the Force to this day. Who is to say that Bane’s legacy will not be revived when the Force awakens in a new generation?

Dimensions

Linear Length: 14.5'
Actual Length: 15.5'
Diameter: 5'

Overall Impressions

In my opinion the Bane is a definitely dark side saber. The sides and tips of the emitter are sharp as a blunted razor and the pommel begs to be used as a bludgeon. I was expecting it to be a bit heavier and because the hilt is curved the center of gravity rests somewhere north of the emitter. Due to the curvature it’s nearly impossible to wield with two hands and it’s as a single handled dueler I feel it excels. Saber hilts which are straight are comfortably held with the blade nearly parallel with the wielder, the curvature of the Bane results in the blade being nearly perpendicular to the body of the wielder which means short surgical strikes and turns of the wrist are more dexterous than those of the Bane’s straight hilt brethren. I’m looking forward to owning a second Bane when the ASP Kickstarter rewards ship as handling two of these simultaneously will be a real treat. I did find that my hands don’t quite fit the beveled finger grips so I need to rest my fingers one bevel down from the top in order to be comfortable. I quite adore holding the Bane in a reverse grip, it looks cool and maneuvers well.






Aesthetics

Darth Bane’s saber is described as “hooked;” a concept echoed in the Bane’s curved body and the inward pointing pommel hand grip. The tri-clawed emitter expresses the viciousness of the hilt and the central bottom spike that extends from the tip of the emitter to the base of the pommel evokes an impression of a spine that supports the body of the saber. Below the emitter shroud the body of the hilt reminds me of the organic features found on the Giger aliens. The bottom of the body is ribbed and the top is pocked by small octagonal pits. At the base of the hilt is a brutal rounded pommel with squat and thorny protrusions. I opted for a weathered finish on my Bane which I feel reveals the finer details and sinister edges of the hilt. The blade plug rests slightly outside of the emitter region and the blade plug pattern is a smaller iteration of the elite blade plugs.








Mechanics

As much as I appreciate the Bane I feel like this is a first generation hilt and future iteration of the Bane will improve greatly on the initial design. I say this because this hilt contains a number of “firsts” for Saber Forge. The body is composed of halved parts which are kept together by screws at the bottom and top of the saber. Similarly the blade retention screws serve both to retain the blade and attach the emitter shroud to the body of the hilt. This makes swapping the blade plug and blade in and out a somewhat awkward affair when compared to the typical mechanism found on the rest of Saber Forge’s hilts. Due to the irregular shape of the hilt the hilt’s designers also decided to integrate in hilt charging for all tiers which feature a LED making this the first Champion tier saber to feature this as a stock option. I also opted to pay extra to get one of the 12w+ LEDs which Phil Isherwood, Saber Forge’s owner has stated as having a “LED array [that] uses four CREE XQ-E dies. The new dies are smaller and sit closer together under the focusing lens, this produces less base flair and a much brighter and more evenly lit blade.” I can confirm this to be an accurate statement as I felt stunned after turning on the Bane for the first time in the dark (I do not recommend doing this). For all these reasons I feel comfortable asserting that the Bane is truly a new branch in the Saber Forge phylogenetic tree and look forward to all future iterations (while appreciating this generation of Bane) and variations of the Saber Forge curved hilts.



uneven diffusion w/12w green, even diffusion w/12w+ red



Final Thoughts
The release of the Bane is a new chapter in Saber Forge’s company history and, arguably, the first truly successful original design curved saber that has been mass produced. Other curved sabers which aren’t replicas typically take an aluminum tube and bend it at an angle. The decision to utilize cast aluminum was a novel route to take and was successfully executed. The Bane is a credit to the designer and the craftsmen who assembled it and is excellent to both use as a single handed dueler and a cosplaying prop.

Nice back story! Way to whet their appetites!

you…tricky..bastard. laughed really hard at the "its a trap" meme though haha, you got me good sir.
can't wait for the review!

You slick sonofabith!! I'm still writhing in pain trying to pull my foot out of the damn TRAP!

H2soy I dont know if you have a 12w red already but if you do could we get a side by side with your new 12w+ red when it comes in. I am so excited for these new brighter led's!

looks like some Banes have started rolling in on face book.

I have seen 3 of the 4 color combinations available for this hilt. The only one that has yet to be pictured is the solid black. I still think I will like the Weathered Black better, but I want to see the solid black to make sure.

This one was photoshopped to all black, but I still think it gives a pretty accurate, general idea of what it will look like in the all-black finish.

Thanks man! That helps me confirm what I think I already knew. That the Weathered finish does a good job of highlighting the various textures of this saber. Dark enough to be satisfying, but light in all the right places that show off the intricate detail.

Yes...Weathered it will be for me when the time comes.

Full review is up.

Fantastic review man! Confirms my appreciation for this hilt in many ways.

Glad I ordered the weathered version and lucky enough to snag the 12w+. It looks beautiful man enjoy! Can't wait to get mine.

Nice review. Looks great. Still waiting for mine. I was lucky enough to grab a 12W+ in Red too, so I guess I can't complain too much about the wait!

Awesome post! This is the exact one I ordered yesterday, color and all with the one exception being that I went for the champion tier. Have you considered posting a vid?

I would if I had the gear, sadly I do not.

new to the scene, wondering if the 12w+ is the same as the 12w LED. recently ordered a bane with red 12w but i keeping seeing this 12w+ and its got me wondering

lets just say its bit brighter call it the new standard 12 watt if we will

this is just my thought on the subject as i quickly try to listen and figure out stuff as soon i can

darth kee wrote:
The 12W+ LEDs will officially launch with the ASP system around November. Basically, they made the dies smaller and closer together to produce a more evenly lit blade. As I understand it, the 12W+ is also more efficient, so it won't drain the battery as fast.

It's also bright as hell, a couple of reviewers said that it was bright enough that it hurts your eyes if you stare at it too long

If you're new, I would highly suggest checking out the FAQ, it's posted in the welcome and open topics section, and giving it a read-through. Has LOTS of great information... including information on the new 12W+ LEDs, what they are, and when they'll be available.