TOPIC: Hero Tier CR Exhalted Blue / Green

This is not so much an Exhalted review, but a review of the Exhalted with Crystal Reveal feature.

- Appearance and Brightness -

I chose this saber because I felt it is a beautiful balance of thin-neck awesomeness with an updated and more comfortable design over its thin-neck brethren. I already have an an Exhalted, and honestly, I wish I had gone straight to this one.








The crystal shines beautifully here, whether being lit with Green or Blue. I love having the option to either display or not display the crystal. But, I am a sucker for mechanics and gimmicks.

There may be some question as to the brightness since the LED is mounted further down in the hilt (and this being a thin-neck). However, I do not see enough of a difference to warrant any discouragement from selecting the Crystal Reveal option.

The following pictures are taken in daylight next to a window on a sunny day. The background cover is a darker red to my eyes versus the picture.






As you can see, the LED still shines brightly...and this is not on a full charge, but an out-of-the box charge (I know, shame on me for not charging first).


- Build Quality -

This is where I had the most concerns coming in. How does the mechanism feel and how sturdy does it feel being open?

The mechanism feels tight and sure. I do not have any doubts about the durability. The ONLY thing I could come up with to nitpick here is that when twisting the hilt open or closed, there exists the sound and feeling of a spring being coiled or uncoiled. Think of the sound and feel of over-winding a wind-up clock or spring toy. It doesn't feel bad, but it doesn't smooth either. To put this on a scale....if the mechanism is a 9 out of 10, this feeling drops it to an 8.7. It's not enough to make a big difference, but it is there.

As you can see below, there is little to no sagging on my hilt. I'm VERY pleased with this.





Now, I wouldn't duel this way, but I can hold it while it is open without feeling like it is fragile. This is really what I expected and was hoping for. You can see in the picture it is suspended off of the ground.

EDIT: My kill key was very tight and when I removed it the 3rd time, the recharge port came out with it. I glued it back into place and held it down with a vice grip. It's in there now. This is the first time I have had that happen. (OvrcAHst, that's what I get for saying it has never happened to me, ha).

- Final Thoughts -

This is my first real Crystal Reveal saber since my Monarch, which is more of a "Crystal 24-7" saber. I feel this adds to the hilt in both fun factor and display options and I wish I had gone straight for the Crystal Reveal feature from the start. Your mileage may vary depending on the hilt you get (I believe the Ares has some unique issues in its Crystal Reveal form, but that's another topic).

My only regret is that I did not go RGBA here. I only chose Green and Blue because those are Jedi colors. When you have the Crystal Reveal feature, you start wishing to see that crystal in Amber, Orange, and Red even though Red is not a color that suits this hilt in my humble opinion without changing to a darker finish.

Would I do the Crystal Reveal feature again? 100% yes! When I got through playing with this one, I had a smile on my face that was so big it made me realize that I had not had this much enjoyment from a Saber since my first Saberforge saber (my Monarch) or my first build (a Redeemer).

Looks great HotRod! I love the crystal reveal on the sabers, i just haven't been able to spring for one....yet. This is a fantastic addition to your collection! Congrats & Enjoy man!

Thanks for confirming what I suspected, which was that there was no longer any need to choose between a dueler, and a shelf queen with the crystal reveal models.

Brax wrote:
I would agree. I did not mention that there is a retention screw that locks the Crystal Reveal section from opening. I'm sure you already knew this, but just in case. I think this further enables it for dueling. I would go the Crystal Reveal route...and so much so that I may sell my standard Exhalted.

Murphy's Law. Great Hilt to own. The Crystal Fan Club grows in numbers.