TOPIC: Apprentice Line Comparison Gallery

Notes: The Disciple has an "older" pommel that was revised to the pommel that can be seen on the Acolyte. Interestingly the Oracle is not the shortest Apprentice hilt, that distinction belongs to the Consular.




Notes: Here you can see that the new Acolytes/Disciples are the longest hilts in the Apprentice line, being almost a foot in length.




Notes: The Chosen's neck is several mm thicker than the Elite thin neck's neck. Furthermore the emitter "well" that holds the blade in place is 1cm deeper on the Chosen:

Interestingly the metal tube that holds the blade in place and funnels the light from the LED appears to be longer on the Chosen:







Notes: In my opinion the Arbiter/Sentinel pair are probably the best general dueling/spinning hilts in the Apprentice line.





Notes: The Oracle is an interesting hilt in that while it's the third longest design it has as much "usable" hand space as the Consular which appears to limit its' versatility. That said it makes for an attractive option for a single handed "pocket" saber.





Notes: I feel the Bastion is a fairly static, while intriguing, design. It has a very regular body which, I feel, limits the dexterity of the hilt. That said I appreciate how "old" the design looks, like an etched weapon from a bygone age.

Notes: In my opinion the Consular is the smallest and most ergonomically comfortable Apprentice hilt.

Fast Facts:

Length from blade retention screw to emitter lip/LED screw to emitter lip/top switch to emitter lip
Acolyte/Disciple: 3cm/6cm/11cm
Arbiter/Sentinel: .5cm/8cm/13cm
Bastion: 5cm/7.5cm/10cm
Chosen: 3cm/NA/NA
Consular: 4.5cm/8cm/13.5cm
Oracle: 3cm/6cm/11cm

Why do these numbers matter?
The length between the emitter lip and the screws for the LED/blade determine how securely the blade rests in the hilt. There is a great deal of design diversity in the Apprentice line which means that both the length from the blade retention screw to the emitter lip and the length from the emitter lip to the LED retention screw are equally important depending on the hilt. For example, the Arbiter/Sentinel's blade retention screw is located .5cm from the emitter lip. However, the blade slides into the body of the hilt a good 6cm-7cm to rest on the top of the LED (8cm in). The Bastion, on the other hand, has a blade retention screw a good 5cm down the length of the hilt which is very close to the LED retention screw (7.5 cm in) where the end of a blade would rest on top of the LED. The Chosen, since it's a thin-neck is completely different from the rest. It's emitter supports the blade which is surround by 3 cm of the emitter.

Finally the length of space from the switch to the emitter lip gives DIY'ers an idea of how much space they have to work with for their cram/careful-fu. The interiors of the Apprentice's are stingy with space so this is important information to consider.

General Thoughts on the Apprentice Hilts: I firmly believe that the Apprentice line contains some of the most comfortable and versatile hilts that SF offers. While there may be a great deal variety of design in the Elite line you'd be hard pressed to find an Elite hilts (with some exceptions like the Gladius) that is as reliable and comfortable as an Acolyte, Arbiter, Consular Disciple, or Sentinel. The "new kids on the block," the Bastion, Chosen, and Oracle, are responses to customer feedback for a more durable thin neck and cues taken from popular ASP designs (ex. the Oracle's emitter closely resembles emitter 10). So whether you're considering an Apprentice hilt as your "starter" or looking to populate your saber stable with a workhorse the Apprentice line offers some very attractive, affordable, comfortable, and versatile options.

Nice write-up! I believe you are correct in every assertion you made about the Apprentice line, and I will have proof when my Consular arrives in about 3 weeks, or so.

Excellent Comparison Gallery h2soy. Will something similar be coming along shortly for Elite Line's too? Seriously though (unless all Elites is a likelihood in which case- a generous collection you have!) Do the Blade Holder Depths differ much between the 8?

Let me get to work on figuring that out... Nah. Once I get some orders that are still out, in, I'll be posting an updated pick of my saber cabinet and a "family portrait" of all my hilts. But that won't be for a month or two.

Great topic!!!

Do you have a link to the original Bastion design? Does it vary a lot from what we see here?

LOL, I meant it looks old, there is no older SF design.

Also: I've updated the post with various stats.

h2soy wrote:

Ha, oops, sorry about that. I think I misread that.

This is going to be our standard reference to read! Great thread!

So useful seeing comparisons like this with the sabers lined up next to each other. Really helps with deciding which one.

I may be crazy, but after looking at this thread I think the Oracle looks better without a wrap.

This thread should be stickied or whatever the proper term is!

I agree!

...and so it was.

I think it does too. Matter of fact I just finished sanding the black paint off the mid-body, I'll post some pics later.

Jaden Korr wrote:
I agree. The wrap covers such a tiny space, it's effect is diminished. Leaving it unbroken is more satisfying.

Brax wrote:
Brax be like:

I was gonna say that, but I did not want to seem TOO unoriginal.

Here we are:



This was VERY easy to do. I folded a sleeve out of 220 grit around the body, torqued it for a few seconds, repeated 3x w/fresh sandpaper, and voila.

Torqued on a machine? Looks great! Probably my favorite iteration of the Oracle.

h2soy wrote:
That turned out great! And it doesn't look scratchy or anything (which was my main concern with trying this myself).

Nope, by hand. As long as you stay with the grain and twist in the same direction (clockwise/counterclockwise) while making sure to apply pressure evenly across the body at regular intervals the end quality looks like the finish that SF has on the parts they machine.

Might as well start a new thread with a How-To: Sanding Hilts

h2soy, great of you to amend you Post with the Blade Holder Depths and very comprehensive of you, Thank You. Now this^^ is Some Cool News Coming if ever I read. A glorious day this day shall be with seeing your Cabinet Revisted with pieces collected so far. The timing may just be similarly synchronised to my Collection nearing completion. Several known additional Members joining the Family that haven't quite made it home yet.