I Managed a Second Hand Prodigal Son (Formerly: Saberforge Questions)

[CT1138]

Did some digging, and I understand the issues with the guy that runs saberforge, but I still have a few questions before I decide to bite the bullet and buy from him.

-Now, I know he has crap customer service, but what are the specifics behind that? Other than being rude to people, does he not send out shipping notices? Does he ship at all, or does he take your money and then you never hear from him?

-I know he has QC issues, but if I were to buy a prodigal son, no electronics just hilt, are there any quality control issues with the hilt itself or just the electronics? I'll be getting a conversion kit later, so I'll just need the hilt for now and I don't want any problems with it. I know that there's something happening with sharp edges, but I can grind those down if I need to.

 

[Djblingbling1]

Re: Saberforge Questions

You will get your item, and they have gotten a lot better about lead times from what I hear.

Empties are good from them...the PS is cool, i like mine but it has a bad reputation for a dueling saber (breaking at the neck)

 

[canister]

Re: Saberforge Questions

"Trust your instincts luke"

You only have the track record of a company to go from (good and bad).

"The horses mouth" Call them and hit them up about any concerns and delivery times, document/record it. To be polite I would try all other sellers/avenues before taking SF route.

I would look in to Korbanths run on his LS6, similar product and has some awesome features. Its opening for orders in Feb. Hes almost finished his current run here http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=270552

1 Korbanth supplies a great product a at a similar price, good after sales and a good guy.

2 RPF I don't think there are any Hero runs going on here at the moment you could check that in the project runs, there are V3's and V2 though.

3 Im guessing you know about the forums of Imperialroyalarms.com and fx-sabers they are the main ones depending on your point of view. check them out.

Pic is Korbanths LS6 render with reveal sections (from FX sabers)

You will have to wait for Korbanths hilt.

4 There are plenty of posts/videos all over the show about saberforge you may have found them (good and bad), really you know what your choosing.

5 If your hearts set on saberforge they may deliver you a decent hilt, Yes there is a chance it could have machining flaws or errors or it could be perfect! if there is a problem, it could be very hard to rectify, is it worth your time and effort? You say you have done your research and if you are willing to give them the opportunity to supply, try them.

6 Delivery - if its in stock they should send it if its not you will have to wait, how long I don't know, its very unlikely they won't deliver.

Again Best give them a call and ask them directly about any concerns you have.

there is a V1 in the junkyard at the moment!

 

[Gphalen]

Re: Saberforge Questions

Having purchased from this shop, the majority of complaints that are directed at this shop are haters, most have never even bought a saber from Saberforge. I have the Redeemer very similar to the one your looking at.... Zero issues with it Zero issues with the control box. The BIGGEST issue is Patience. there not Ultra Sabers these are not a 1 piece saber with a pommel added to the bottom like say a Dark Apprentice. these are mutli-piece sabers. I own both UltraSabers and Saberforge If you want speed US if you want Quality SF as a owner of Both that is my honest Opinion.

 

[Gphalen]

Re: Saberforge Questions

"Trust your instincts luke"

You only have the track record of a company to go from (good and bad).

"The horses mouth" Call them and hit them up about any concerns and delivery times, document/record it. To be polite I would try all other sellers/avenues before taking SF route.

I would look in to Korbanths run on his LS6, similar product and has some awesome features. Its opening for orders in Feb. Hes almost finished his current run here http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=270552

1 Korbanth supplies a great product a at a similar price, good after sales and a good guy.

2 RPF I don't think there are any Hero runs going on here at the moment you could check that in the project runs, there are V3's and V2 though.

3 Im guessing you know about the forums of Imperialroyalarms.com and fx-sabers they are the main ones depending on your point of view. check them out.

Pic is Korbanths LS6 render with reveal sections (from FX sabers)
https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/pro...Kio.jpg&hash=f1009c8452593b2715c0dc74a93bef15

You will have to wait for Korbanths hilt.

4 There are plenty of posts/videos all over the show about saberforge you may have found them (good and bad), really you know what your choosing.

5 If your hearts set on saberforge they may deliver you a decent hilt, Yes there is a chance it could have machining flaws or errors or it could be perfect! if there is a problem, it could be very hard to rectify, is it worth your time and effort? You say you have done your research and if you are willing to give them the opportunity to supply, try them.

6 Delivery - if its in stock they should send it if its not you will have to wait, how long I don't know, its very unlikely they won't deliver.

Again Best give them a call and ask them directly about any concerns you have.

Any custom Saber "Could" have Machine flaws... lol wow

 

[Kevin Gossett]

Re: Saberforge Questions

People who have issues with SF are not "haters" as you say... There are very real issues that are well-documented here regarding Phillip and the way he treats his customers.

View attachment 702400Having purchased from this shop, the majority of complaints that are directed at this shop are haters, most have never even bought a saber from Saberforge. I have the Redeemer very similar to the one your looking at.... Zero issues with it Zero issues with the control box. The BIGGEST issue is Patience. there not Ultra Sabers these are not a 1 piece saber with a pommel added to the bottom like say a Dark Apprentice. these are mutli-piece sabers. I own both UltraSabers and Saberforge If you want speed US if you want Quality SF as a owner of Both that is my honest Opinion.

 

[canister]

Re: Saberforge Questions

well done! You are correct. The issues arising from QC are one of the problems. . . thus the debate of the good and the bad.

Any custom Saber "Could" have Machine flaws... lol wow

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: Saberforge Questions

Did some digging, and I understand the issues with the guy that runs saberforge, but I still have a few questions before I decide to bite the bullet and buy from him.

-Now, I know he has crap customer service, but what are the specifics behind that? Other than being rude to people, does he not send out shipping notices? Does he ship at all, or does he take your money and then you never hear from him?

-I know he has QC issues, but if I were to buy a prodigal son, no electronics just hilt, are there any quality control issues with the hilt itself or just the electronics? I'll be getting a conversion kit later, so I'll just need the hilt for now and I don't want any problems with it. I know that there's something happening with sharp edges, but I can grind those down if I need to.

Search for the thread about this guy to see his attitude. Then reread your post and ask whether you'd buy a car from someone you described. And no I've never bought anything from him because his attitude to any complaints (even 100% legit complaints) puts me off ever buying anything from him.

 

[jcroscigno]

Re: Saberforge Questions

I've got a Prodigal Son hilt that I bought a few years ago; I waited 6 months for a stunt saber, and the solder on the switch broke within a day of receiving the saber.
That being said, I have no issues with the quality of the machining, it still looks great on my shelf.

All that being said, with the controversy and evidence provided about the way they conduct business in general, I would personally avoid them in favor of any of the other options for similar or the same hilts.

 

[Halliwax]

Re: Saberforge Questions

saber forge proudly admits to being a recaster and doesnt support the united states men and women who put their lives on the line protecting us every single day, so we can sit back on our computers and enjoy this lightsaber hobby... because of this i wont give him a penny of mine...

 

[CT1138]

Re: Saberforge Questions

Don't think I'll be giving him a penny of mine either. Found the aforementioned thread, and spent the last hour reading through it. I stopped after page 7, I read everything I needed to. I think I'll try and find one second hand, or just go with somebody else's work.

 

[canister]

Re: Saberforge Questions

there is a Luke Skywalker Hero (V1) Hilt Kit (One Replicas) Petite Crouton V4.0, Tri-CREE Led for an awesome price in the junkyard too. http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=272643

 

[CT1138]

Re: Saberforge Questions

I would, but it's out of my price budget. I'm looking for something under $250, which was why I was looking at Saberforge in the first place.

 

[mikid]

Re: Saberforge Questions

Ordered one 2 weeks ago and are awaiting shipment. Was told 2-3 weeks to ship. Will have to see

 

[Psab keel]

Re: Saberforge Questions

Thank you for the link Canister!

Honestly if you're going for a replica hilt, you're going to be paying more especially if you want electronics installed. If it were a custom design you could make a simpler hilt and save a few dollars.

As far as SaberForge goes, I've heard the horror stories and while I've never owned any of his products, I have met him in person at San Diego ComicCon a few years ago. Not only were the hilts he was selling not very impressive and overpriced, he came across as incredibly arrogant. That's not a trait I take well too. When I asked him the prices for some of the hilts (because they were not labeled at all) he begrudgingly told me, as though he couldn't be bothered. He was too busy talking to someone else. I just felt like if he took the time to set up a booth at the largest comic convention in the world, he would sell more products if he actually talked to his customers. He had a severely damaged Dooku FX Empty Hilt he wanted $250 for. Not damaged as in minor scuffs and dings. Damaged as in the rubber grips were either peeling off or missing entirely and it was scratched all to hell.

Those things coupled with the bad reviews, terrible customer service (including threatening other board members and multiple bans from several forums including this one as far as I'm aware) would surely make me steer clear of a person like that, and certainly not want to support his business by giving him my hard earned money.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people that are new to the hobby that see his work and the price and buy from him. I get it, I mean if I didn't know better I would consider his products too. But honestly you can do so much better. I spent years (perhaps wisely) staying out of feuds and personal interactions with many in the LED saber community and just did my own thing, contributing what I could to the hobby with experiments and findings I'd made. I just feel like I've been involved long enough now to feel comfortable to try and help newcomers steer clear of bad business people. I've seen too many people get burned including getting burned myself and wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I'm not particularly a fan of Ultrasabers either, but I've never owned one of their products so I can't comment from experience. It's just a preference really. I guess the best advice I could give is to do your homework and research as much as you can before you buy a saber. Just like with any prop/ costume artisans, there are good ones and there are vultures who only care about getting your money.

Phillip Isherwood (Saberforge) is a vulture.

 

[Super Serg]

Saberforge Questions

What the…?!?

What's the info on this?
[emoji15]

Pic is Korbanths LS6 render with reveal sections (from FX sabers)

You will have to wait for Korbanths hilt.

 

[canister]

Re: Saberforge Questions

https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=50713.0

Korbanth "This hero V1 LS6 will definitely open up the run in January. I want to first get in the MPP 2.0, DV6, OWK, K4 and DM1 in and mailed out before I even start a new run...I dont want to multitask too much and blow a fuse...so plans are being laid now, images are coming in, but I will keep them to myself and when the time is right, I will share.... when we see the first EP8 trailer, I will share..

you will be impressed so much that you'll never think an old friend like the LS6 could have been upgraded so much as it is being planned, this is going to be the ultimate LS6 saber...you'll sell your old version and update this new 2017 LS6 revealed unit."

What the…?!?

What's the info on this?
[emoji15]

 

[The Terminator]

Re: Saberforge Questions

View attachment 702400Having purchased from this shop, the majority of complaints that are directed at this shop are haters, most have never even bought a saber from Saberforge.

BS. Most are clever enough to stay away from scum.
Just like you can realize jumping off a building might be a bad idea if you value your life. You know, without actually jumping off a building.

 

[BPStoyle]

Re: Saberforge Questions

My SF order was 2011. (Prodigal Son model with sound)

It arrived 9 months after my initial order with mostly radio silence.

It arrived broken, and I immediately had to send it back to SF to get it fixed.

I finally received it again 4 months later, again with mostly radio silence.

The saber functioned, though the brass edges in the control box both fell off within days. They were sharp anyway so I was able to file them down before gluing them back on myself.

SF's main value is offering pretty looking pieces. If that's what you are looking for in a saber and have a TON of faith and patience, go ahead.

Outside of the actual order process, here are a few other things to consider.

My purposes for sabers are mostly for cosplay and dueling. Our group puts on a lightsaber battling show for charity every year and rely on sabers that take a lot of abuse through rehearsal and performance.

Several other members of the North Ridge have also bought from SF over the years and we've all seen the same construction issue; the sabers never *feel* solid in your hand. When holding a saber and moving it with two hands, you can feel little creaks and pulls of multiple pieces fitting *just* not quite perfectly together. Over time I could see dueling causing these pieces to feel even looser, which is why I've decided never to duel with the piece and use it only for cosplay.

Next to my other sabers, my Prodigal Son's blade diffusion is pretty "meh". And due to the sabers construction I can't just swap that blade out for another without modifying it to fit. That's unique to the PS but an issue I've seen nonetheless.

I can't recommend SF based on my experiences and observations. That said, it is your money and I admire you doing your research beforehand regardless of which direction you decide to go in.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CT1138]

Re: Saberforge Questions

Interesting you mention the looseness issues, BPStoyle, because I was just talking with a friend who lives in Japan the other day who bought from SF. He said he was considering selling his SF Prodigal Son because he wants to grade up, and knew I was in the market for a Luke RotJ hilt. His had all the electronics, but not the blade because he said the electronics came loose and he wasn't handy enough with electrical devices to fix it and he ended up throwing the blade away. He considered selling to me for a discounted price, but he's unsure if he should just keep it as a display piece. It was the first saber prop he ever bought that wasn't from MR or Hasbro. He also says he feels bad about selling a broken product, wherein I mentioned the discount. He may be willing to do it, and I think I'm gonna go for it. I'm more handy and have access to tools like welders and solderers in a custom shop my Dad and I built in the backyard. I'd have more chance of repairing it than he, so I think I'm going to try to talk him into selling.