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Author Topic: My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!  (Read 2443 times)

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Offline Darth Setay

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My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!
« on: December 13, 2005, 02:29:12 AM »
Greetings fellow Jedi, I now present to you my review on these two fantastic sabers as mentioned in my picture post.

Vader ESB

The hilt:
What can I say, the hilt on this saber is quite the masterpiece.  Every detail of the hilt seems to be constructed of the highest quality.  There are some plastic parts, but the most noticable material seems to be a highly polished chrome.  The chrome looks very nice but if you choose to use this saber without any gloves, plan to see plenty of fingerprints.  The base of the handle is made of rubber gripping strips with the chrome in between each grip.  Even the housing for the batteries seems to be convieniently placed at the very bottom of the hilt with the speaker for the sound directly attached.  Another thing I like is the little details they added on the handle like different colored wires coming out of the side, along with small buttons and knobs which all help to make the saber seem more realistic.  The metal ring for the belt clip seems to be tightly attached enough to where it doesn't come loose and knock against the hilt while using it.  The only real complaint I have about the hilt would be the power switch.  While it works just fine and still gives you that awesome feeling when activating it, the small slider design tends to slightly hang over the control box when in the on position.  This can lead to the saber turning off in the middle of use.  While this hasn't been a huge issue with me so far, its still a small concern.  Overall I would have to say I like this hilt more than my Luke.

The sound:
The sound for this saber is excellent.  I'll never get over how menacing and great the idle hum sounds on these sabers.  This particular saber seems to have gotten the least amount of different sounds of all the gen 3 sabers, but what is there is fantastic and you won't find similar sounds on any other saber.  I wish there would have been more than just one clash effect but from what I understand, thats all there ever was in the movie so I guess I can let it slide.  The sensitivity of the motion sensors seems to be just about right with little problems.

The blade:
Easily one of the coolest things I've witnessed in recent history(next to Episode III ;)).  The blade lights up a very solid and deep red.  This is enough to light up a dark room.  I'm also very impressed with the lack of LED dark spot problems in this blade with full power and good batteries.  While they are still there, you have to look close and hard to really notice them.  Overall really great in almost everyway.  I only have one issue and that is that my blade seems to be very very slightly loose, but this is barely even noticeable and not a real concern.

Luke ROTJ

The hilt:
Unlike the other sabers of the third generation, this saber has absolutely no chrome finish to it.  Instead they decided to go with a highly polished aluminum which lends it a very faithfull look compared to the movie it was modeled after.  While it might not be as flashy as the others, it seems to have a more durrable, no non-sense feel to it.  There are also barely any obstructing details on this saber.  This makes for an ideal saber if you plan to learn spins and fancy moves.  I also prefer the design of the power switch on this saber over my Vader.  It is placed on the side of the control box but is very small and doesn't get in the way at all while swinging or dueling.  The battery housing is once again on the very bottom of the hilt and is directly attached to the speaker.  Although I'm still not completely sure why they decided to go with the six battery design on this and the Mace sabers.  Even with the sixer design, this saber definitely feels lightweight, even lighter than my three battery Vader.  Overall very nice.

The sound:
I'm quite torn on the sound of this saber.  While the idle hum is something you have to hear to believe, it is also pretty loud overthrowing my Vader in terms of loudness.  When it comes to the clash effects, this one I believe is one of the best.  It has four or five different ones, with one of them sounding like a laser deflection possibly.  Now, possibly the most disappointing part of the saber.  That would be the swinging effects for this saber.  While I believe there are a few of them they all seem to be recorded with some kind of problem.  This might just be my saber, but they seem to have a large amount of static in them.  I'm not sure if thats how its supposed to sound, I just know its somewhat discouraging since my Vader has almost crystal clear swinging effects.  This is made worse by the fact that the motion sensors seem to be overly sensitive on this one, going off sometimes even when I'm holding the saber completely still.  Overall still impressive sound, and you can't miss that idle hum!

The blade:
When I first ignited this saber, I was quite amazed at the brightness.  I had heard around the forums that this was one of the brighter gen 3s.  That was made a fact as soon as I saw that fantastic green glow.  While I wouldn't say its the same hue of green as Luke's actual weapon of choice in ROTJ, it's still a very solid and deep green that can light up any room with ease.  I can also say with confidence that this saber is definitely brighter than my vader, but that could just be because of the color.  While it is quite bright, the LED dark spot problem seems to be more present in this saber.  Not only can you see the spots, but on one side, if you look closely, you can see a dark line that runs up the saber.  This isn't enough mind you to detract from the beutiful green of the blade, but it is more noticeable than my Vader.  Overall fantabulous job on this one as well.

Conclusion:
Well if I had to pick which one I liked more, I would probably say my Vader ESB but not by much.  They are both truly great and I am proud to say I own them.  Let me know if you have questions about either.  I would be more than happy to answer any that come my way.


Always respect your fellow Jedi, reguardless of what path they have chosen.




Offline Darth Setay

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Re: My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2005, 02:31:54 AM »
Also if you guys are looking for pics of these beauties, they are located in the gallery section under two different posts.

Sith Lord,
Darth Setay
Always respect your fellow Jedi, reguardless of what path they have chosen.




Offline jack3auer

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Re: My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2005, 08:34:06 AM »
hello and welcome to the site

they are both fantastic lightsabers, though i must ask if you have good batteries in them dont use cheap ones, you will suffer with the spotted blade problem.

the Luke ROTJ that i have is completely solid in colour there is no dark patching at all.  nor with my vader esb.

Be sure to check out the "dont skimp on batteries thread" its insanely long but is full of important information.






Offline Darth Setay

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Re: My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2005, 03:17:01 PM »
Hey, yeah I read up on the whole battery thing so now I don't use anything but the best.  I use Energizer E2 titaniums.  Don't get me wrong, the Luke is definitely very bright, it just seems that its easier to see the dark spots in this blade than my Vader.  And I had new batteries in both.  It might just be my blade although I've heard of other people having the same problem with this saber.
Always respect your fellow Jedi, reguardless of what path they have chosen.




Offline Hamill82

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Re: My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2005, 03:44:51 PM »
Great review Darth Setay, I always love these comparions between sabers...  ;)

Offline Knuckle01

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Re: My 2005 Vader ESB and 2005 Luke ROTJ Review!
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2005, 09:53:14 AM »
awesome in depth review!
The Force will be with you....always.

 

retrousse