Had seen something similar in another review, and had to have one like it when this hilt became available on etsy again a while back. Had to order it through the customs shop to get the finish I wanted, but was fine paying the extra fees to get to have it exactly as I wanted. Went with brass accents to contrast against the finish. Being that this was the first hilt from SF that I’ve bought with the capability to go with quick connects, I went ahead and did that. I got lime green and indigo LEDs to start, but likely to add some more options there in the future… if for nothing else, at least I can now see what the colors look like in person for a relatively low price before pulling the trigger on another thin neck, crystal, or curved hilt that can’t do the quick connects. Also with this hilt’s finish, I figured it could go either dark side or light side depending on the blade color.
The machining on this hilt is much more detailed than can really be seen in the pics from the etsy listing with the standard finish… a lot more depth to it than can be seen when all shiny. I absolutely love the grip of this thing, and the texture along the inset is perfect. The big diagonal groove of the inset section fits the ergonomics of my thumb metacarpal perfectly… just naturally sits right there. I can’t imagine a hilt feeling more comfortable in my hand than this one does. Of the 3 sabers I own, this one just blows the others out of the water in terms of grip comfort. I’m not sure if it was the original machining, or some touchup work from Justin, but there’s no sharpness along any of the edges on the cylindrical body of the hilt. I’ve gotten caught on the knuckles by the sharp corners of the little rectangular bit right at the emitter, so I may give those a little touch-up sanding.
Love the finish on the hilt, think it came out great. It’s definitely a different shade in person than in the pics, but I’m colorblind so I don’t really know to describe that well… although maybe it’s just more light shining/reflecting off of it than the shadowing it gets in ambient light. Seems to have significantly more contrast against the shiny brass in person.
The method Justin used to get this grey weathering leaves the feel of the metal somewhat tacky, and I mean that in the best possible sense. The feel in the hand is just great, doesn’t slide around… almost has a “warm” feel to it like you’re not actually holding metal, but something that conducts less heat away.
This hilt is noticeably lighter and has a center of gravity much closer to the pommel than my redeemer. Feels solid as a rock though. No wiggle in any of the components out of the box. Almost makes me wonder if there’s something loose within my redeemer as there’s a little rattle when swung/shaken in that one that this doesn’t have at all.
The quick connect LEDs are stupid easy and quick to swap out. Takes maybe 15 seconds to change between colors. Will definitely be getting this on any future hilts where it’s possible. Really dig the lime Green LED.
Now for my few things I’m not entirely thrilled about... and they’re all my own fault really.
I don’t really like the look of the Indigo LED. It’s much more pink than the deep royal purple I was hoping to achieve. I had set my other brand saber with multi color LEDS to full blue + 1/3 red (3 parts blue to one part red) to replicate what I thought the indigo would be, and LOVED the color that it created. Unfortunately the indigo looks much lighter, and pastel like almost. Definitely one of those times where it sucks being colorblind… doesn’t look anything like I had imagined it would, and I can’t tell much at all from the pics posted online. None of those look even close to what I see in person for any of the colors. Definitely glad I got the quick connects, and dig the lime green, and guess it's a good excuse to buy a couple other color LEDs to test out.
I didn’t realize that this hilt has an illuminated power button, and unfortunately, it’s also the same indigo color that I already don’t like for the blade. At some point, I’m going to either send this in to get swapped out, or wait until the warranty is done and do it myself. If there’s the possibility of a brass switch to match the other accents, I’m going to hop on it right away.
Well, enough blabbering… on to the pics.