My very first saber, a Mint Green Epoch (Champion edition)
Dual tone finish, 6W Mint Green, Viridium font, 32" blade. Heavenly.
The hilt itself is a bit heavy, but honestly not as much as I thought it would be. It's a very nice, balanced weight.
I got the 32" blade because of my small size (I'm only 4'11 and around 90lbs), but I feel that a 37" would be more practical for most people due to the depth of the emitter and that it would be balanced nicely.
The design itself, besides being extremely aesthetically pleasing, is comfortable. It can, however, be a bit slippery, and I actually have dropped it once or twice while trying to practice certain forms; but its size and width are perfect for Shii-Cho and Makashi which are my preferred 2 forms anyway. Just keep in mind that some of the faster or more aggressive styles may cause problems, because again, it is slippery.
I actually experienced a bit of blade wobble the first few times I used it, but this problem seems to have gone away. Perhaps I wasn't tightening the screw enough due to my fear of stripping it...Now, I find that it is easy to swap the blade and plug and nothing feels loose or anything. The hilt feels unbelievably sturdy and I'm no longer afraid of damaging it now that I've gotten a feel for how solid it is.
Some of the edges near the emitter can be sharp. I'm not usually touching there, though, so it's really no big deal.
The finish itself was nicked and scratched (very light and hard to notice, honestly) when it first came to me, and it has picked up more from use. I feel that it adds character and I actually quite like it, but others who like their blades pristine should be aware of that.
There is also the problem that, when the blade is in but the LED is not turned on, you can see through the emitter windows that the edge of the blade's reflective lining doesn't quite go all the way down against the bottom of the blade. I rarely have the blade in with the LED off though, so again, not a big deal to me.
Pros:
Beautiful design
Emitter windows add unique character
Solid and sturdy
Balanced well
Nice length, ideal for 2 handed OR 1 handed grip
Cons:
Scratches easily
Some rough edges
Slippery (or maybe I just have butterfingers
)
Blade itself looks weird through the emitter windows when not ignited
1-10, 10 being best, I give it a solid:
9/10
(here you can see the lovely blade lining problem I mentioned
)
Side note: if anyone else owns an epoch and wants to share their ideal settings, please do so down below!
I keep mine at:
Optical frequency: 1 or 4
Sound: Low
Motion sensitivity: 5
Impact sensitivity: 4
Side side note: I need a name for this lovely girl. Any suggestions would be great. I could just call it "Sunrider's Destiny", since that was what inspired it, but I kinda want something a bit more unique...