Okay, I do not think I have ever been compelled to do a review of anything in my entire life, but this needs to have something said about it. Here is my Hero RGBA+ Monarch. I placed my order on 01/08/16 and received it on 04/13/16. So, was the wait worth it? Let's review:
It is worth mentioning this is my first Saberforge saber. Being new, I really had no frame of reference to know what to expect, so I'm going to conduct this review from that perspective since I know there are a lot of people like me who have more questions than answers.
Prior to receiving my bundle of joy (oops, did I give away the end there), I had several worries. Will it live up to the cost? Will it be bright enough? Will it be comfortable? Will I be disappointed? Should I have gotten the RGBA option? Will it rattle? Will it work? What if it doesn't work? All stuff I have seen here on the board.
Then it arrives:
- Packaging -
Firstly, it was packaged well. Everything was securely packed and nothing was crushed or loose. It is clear they have this part down. I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement, but I am saying it got to me safety. I have been a Transformer collector for 30+ years, so I would liked to see more bubble wrap, ha.
- 1st Impression -
When I finally held it I was surprised. It was heavier than I expected, yet not too heavy. I expected with all of the greeblies it would feel more fragile. Well, I can safely say it is NOT fragile. AT ALL. This thing is WELL MADE. Not a single rattle, nothing loose. Just a big beefy metal stick of goodness!
- Appearance -
This looks like a museum piece. All the detail is amazing. All I could manage to do is sit and stare at it with my mouth open. And the funny thing is even though it looks like it would be fragile with all of the ornamentation on it, it is actually quite tough! Usually there is a trade off between appearance and performance. It either looks good or it's built like a tank. This is BOTH.
- Feel -
I mentioned it was heavy, but not too heavy and it feels of good quality. However, it's not too heavy to hold. Think of a titanium watch. It's heavy, but not too heavy (did I say that already). The grip is surprisingly comfortable. I thought that those 4 metal striations on the body would just cut my hands to shreds. They really don't. Now, would this be as comfortable as a saber without them? I doubt it, but they are not cumbersome like I would have imagined. It's fun to hold. The control box will catch your hand if you are not aware of it, but it's by no means frustrating or irritating.
- RGBA+ -
Oh yes, I was one of the folks who wondered: Is it bright enough? Will I be disappointed? Does the novelty wear off quickly? Let's start with some pictures:
So, the saber on the right is my ANH FX Luke Skywalker. The 3w colors easily keep up with it. It should be noted that the Monarch is just out of the box on its charge and the FX is on a fresh set of rechargeable batteries.
My wife walked in and saw it and said, "Wow, that is bright". For me, it is plenty bright and I am in no way disappointed. I'm thrilled. Now, when I get my 12W+ in, I may be singing a different tune, but for me, IMHO, this thing is definitely bright.
Where it wins big for me is the color customization. You can see I had already started playing with the colors. I got both a wicked orange and blood orange out of it. This hilt BEGS to be either a Jedi who doesn't follow of the rules or a Sith with a chip on their shoulder. It goes either way well, and not every hilt lends itself to that (I'm thinking of you Standard finish Exhalted and Juggernaut...both of which I have on order).
Ultimately, I cannot put it down because I keep changing fonts and colors and playing with the color editor. It's addictive. I made a bright pink color for my wife and it was great watching her run around the house with it...and then running around the house later with it myself (#realmenwearpink).
- Sound -
One word - LOUD. And with multiple awesome fonts, It's even more fun. I didn't think I would get such a big kick out of the different sounds...but I really ended up enjoying this feature! I still haven't figured out how to adjust the volume on the Spark Color 2.
- Any issues?
Maybe. In the color editor my blue changes the red value and my red changes the blue value. Sounds like it was possibly wired incorrectly. Also, I requested a Blue AV Activation Switch and Red Aux Button. I got the reverse. I have notified customer service of these issues and will see how resolution goes.
The 37" blade is a bit big for me at 5'9" (5'8" if you ask my doctor). I should have gone 32". Lesson learned.
I also wish the Spark Color 2 board would remember the color you have selected with each font. In other words, if I set Font 2 to my 2nd color, I wish it remained once the kill key was inserted, the saber settings menu is entered, or the saber is being recharged. Your color is not lost if you custom mixed it, but you do have to cycle back through to it. This has more to do with the board, but it's important to mention.
That darn control box will catch your knuckles if you're not carefully. This saber is tougher than my hands are, ha.
- Final thoughts -
This is ultimately a GORGEOUS display quality, FEATURE RICH saber that is a ball to play with, sexy in appearance, and very, very well built (that's right 2 "VERY's). Is this your go-to dueling saber? Probably not. But for me, it will be VERY, VERY hard to top.
For those of you in waiting, worrying about the queue, concerned about lead times...trust me...the positives FAR outweigh the negatives.
Was it worth the wait and money.....YES! How often do you take something out of box and get chills?
Bravo, Saberforge. Bravo!
05/07/16 - Update
I just wanted to give an update here. I was incorrect when I indicated that you cannot set the default color per font. You can in fact do this on the SD Card in the settings. It's really awesome! I apologize for the inaccuracy here. Just another point in this saber's favor.