First of all, thanks for all the info. This place really convinced me to get an fx saber and helped me choose. I just about read all the review topics before making my mind which settled on Obi Wan ROTS.
Now I have no frame of reference to compare this saber to the others as I have never really tried them aside from the shop. I don't know if this ones the best or the worst but I'll tell you what I think about it.
I bought it in a collectors star wars shop in Paris, yes i'm french, for 130euro. That's not cheap but xxx the guy over there showed me the dark sidious hilt, a huge yoda statue, explained some extened universe stuff and dueled me with a bunch of fx's. I spend an hour in there. Priceless.
Anyway, i got back home with my first saber, Obi Wan ROTS. Turned the thing on and was dissapointed. This saber's blade isn't a big deal in the sunlight. So I locked myself in the bathroom and gave it another chance. You get your money's worth in the dark. The light is so intense it still suprises me. The colour is a darker blue than the movies and there's no white core. Just a sky blue indigo neon looking thing. But that'a good enough. The dreaded dark spot is barely visible to me. Once I got it swinging all around it was of the coolest effect. Greater than my expectation.
I didn't pay much attention to the sound until i got around pulling the curtains of my room and battling shadows ( i'm 18 by the way). The "on sound" is perfect, synchronised with the progressive LED lighting and all. So is the "off sound". But I remain a bit dissapointed by the motion detectors and the associated sounds. Not that it's to sensitive, on the contrary sometimes the saber doesn't react and a full swipe is silent or a quick "zioon" opposed to a lond "ziiiiiiooooooonnn". Also the idle hum is too loud compared to swooshing sounds and I find muffles them. The clashing sounds on the other hand are crisp and loud. A slight hit is enough for them to go off and the urge to bash surroundings is irresistible.
I turned the saber off to rest my wrist. The weight isn't overwhelming it's just not light. Then again that feel of wielding something and not a "toy's r us" gadjet is quite rewarding. I have no idea what a well balanced sword is but to me this saber spins perfectly. And buttons don't get in the way like some imparactical looking fx's. The power switch is located lower than my hand(s) that wraps around the black metal grip and the gold and copper part. Some bits do tend to scratch my hands though.
The guys at master replica did neglect confort, wanting the lightsaber to ressemble the movies. The imitation work is good. Obi Wan's fx is like the real thing just a bit bulkier. Needless to say, it looks cool. The metal is cut smoothly, no dents or wierd bits. The whole hilt looks like it could take a few beatings. It really feels meaningful.
But now after a 5 days of wielding and no duels, the fx doesn't seem very durable. I read somwhere that the Obi Wan blade was firmly attached to the hilt, well mine already wobbles a bit ( a tiny bit) and i can hear when i curve a swing an occasional cracking sound which i guess is the glue tearing off. I haven't tried duelling, well once with my little broom wielding sister but that doesn't count. The polycarbonate blade seems up to the challenge, that is if your opponent is a 12 year old girl. I wouldn't try power cleaving myself through a grown mans block with this saber though. Also I don't know anything about LED ageing but I trust master replica did as good a job as most of the rest.
Overall I am satisfied. The general look of the saber is great and once you've turned it on in the dark it's awesome. The sounds are good, eventhough i was expecting more, having seen some footage on youtube. You can't go wrong buying one of these. There's a genuine jedi feel to it. I'm still saving up for a luxeon conversion in case the blade dies on me.
So true. Once you get own, you just want another....
The guy at the store told me a detachable blade vader fx was coming out in 2007, having never heard of it anywhere i'm not sure what to think.