Just got my bane in a little while ago, and took some pictures, and posting up a quick overview and first impressions.
First off, tho, I'll start with my personal history with the Bane. When I first saw the renders, I was very unimpressed. I didn't get the lure or the draw of the curved hilt, having never personally handled or used one before, and thought it seemed like just too much over-hype over a rather simple design. it wasn't until the Bane saber was officially unveiled that I suddenly, and completely, fell head over heels for the design and aesthetics of the hilt. I made a purchase immediately after they were listed on Etsy, and waited impatiently for several long weeks...
Over the past few days I've seen others get their Banes in, and begin posting some pictures. They instantly made me a little nervous; in their pictures, the Bane looks huge! A thick, heavy pommel, a far-too-large curved grip section with over-sized... well. Everything. I got nervous that perhaps... I had jumped the gun on this one, and should have waited for some more reviews and the like to roll in before purchasing one. Perhaps I had made a mistake. My impatience, and anxiety over the saber, increased ten-fold...
Until today.
Today, I got in the package... (and co-incidentally, my mask for my cosplay made it in today too! HOORAY COSPLAY! Now I just need my robe back and my custom saber to come in, and that will be completely, 100% done. =D) and I slowly opened it, because I was very, very nervous about what I was going to find inside. I pulled out the blade... perfect condition, btw, tip is perfectly aligned and fully seated, a lovely sign... unwrapped the bubble wrap, and took the Bane in hand.
And all my anxiety disappeared. The hilt fits in hand perfectly. It is a little larger than some of the other models, but it FITS. There's the perfect amount of space on the grip section for two hands, but it's light enough that it can be easily used with one hand without a problem. The pommel is not threaded on, something I already knew, but instead actually bolted into the hilt, much the same way that the shroud/blade retention screw is... the blade retention screw, btw, is not the standard size as every other SF saber, but actually a bit larger, and is one of the two screws on either side of the shroud, which has been drilled through to be multi-functional. The shroud itself does have a few sharp points, especially along the emitter side, but they have filed off the worst points where you grip. I am still going to take my file to it and round off the edges just a little bit more; they're just a little uncomfortable in the un-protected palm. The grip section itself is solid, and offers a very solid, stable grip. The claw lines up perfectly against the blade without getting in the way, and looks pretty fantastic, I think. Overall the detail and level of design intricacy in the saber is nothing short of purely astonishing.
So, some pictures!!
Overall, I would rate this saber a solid 8 /10. 8, because I still don't quite get why the curved saber is so much better than the straight hilt (to me it feels pretty much exactly the same), and because of the few sharp edges around the shroud, but they're an easy fix. I love the fact that they added in-hilt recharging to the Warrior tier, it's pure awesome, and I love it. I can't imagine taking this pommel off every time the battery needed charged would be a fun endeavor, it's pretty much on there.... for good!