i just bought my single bladed maul from borders, and the dark spots are very visible. "dark spots" are really the wrong word because, like many others have said, you can see every space between the leds. the vader is way better.
by the way, best deal ever for a light saber. 70 dollars at borders. id be way more pissed off if i had payed 120 dollars for the thing, but since i got it for such a good deal, i think im looking past the flaws alot more.