Lightsabre reviews

[Desolation mkII]

So how duelable are the EL sabres. Is the EL wire rugged enough to fight with?

Finaly, anyone know of a place to get the blades from over here in blighty?

[WeirdoTransvestite]

To your first, the 1/8 inch walled polycarbonate blade is very duelable. The problem with the MR FX blades is that they use a thinner 1/16 walled blade. They also use a "ribbon" of LEDs down the blade to make the "power up" effect. These connections break easily. Some people convert them to a single LED Luxeon at the base of the blade. EL's use a 3/4 inch Outer diameter blade in which the Polyethelene diffuser is filled with EL wire. the smaller OD blade can flex a bit, but is still duelable. Any wider blade ( like the 1" the LEDs use) Requires more wire and in turn requires a larger inverter, which wouldn't fit in the hilt. Also the wire's connections don't break easy when the blade is put together When building the blade the El wire is very fragile. It is comprised of 3 wires, one large very easy to solder wire, and two thinner-than-the-human-hair wires that break easy. All three wires must be connected to the mono pug for the EL to light. Once the blade is put together the blade is extremely durable.

 

To your second, I don't know.

Edited December 16, 2005 by WeirdoTransvestite

[xRAZERx]

I find this one works well

 

[Sledge]

Ah, yes. The Sledge custom. Not clear in the photo, but it's been tactically modified to include a carabiner clip, for tactical attachment to tactical gear.

 

[WeirdoTransvestite]

To each his own I suppose.

[Sledge]

It's one of the £8 ones. I like them, simply because the blade fully retracts, and they're sturdy enough to take a few knocks.

 

[WeirdoTransvestite]

Tried one of those, I like a shorter blade, but those are just too short. They are meant for little kids of course.

[oikoik]

i'll..er.. bring my.. tai chi sword then...

[Sledge]

Tried one of those, I like a shorter blade, but those are just too short. They are meant for little kids of course.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Size matters not.

 

[Desolation mkII]

It's how you use it... have you never seen yoda fight?

 

But anyway, I do like those shorter fully folding ones. I have a purple one, however the hilt is far to fat so I may have to remould it into a different type.

[Hissing_Sid]

i'll..er.. bring my.. tai chi sword then...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why?

 

Does it light up and make cool noises?

[oikoik]

er.. no but it extends and retracts with the flick of my wrist..?

[xRAZERx]

Oh I'll bring my 26" ASP baton then cos it does that too

[Desolation mkII]

Oh I'll bring my 26" ASP baton then cos it does that too

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Arnie-bloodbath 2006 anyone?

[gunyo89]

Arnie-bloodbath 2006 anyone?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

if so, i think we will need some protection......

 

full face masks everyone!

[WeirdoTransvestite]

No need to call "Hit!" You're out when you lose consiousness.

[gunyo89]

no no no.....

 

its old skool style, first blood drawn on the chest...

[MDK_Marshal]

 

I Like the fully retractable jobbies too, but they are too fat. Hmm. Posibilities, possiblities.

 

I'd want a hilt that looks teh sechs as well as a light up duelable balde, though.

[WeirdoTransvestite]

EL or LED is the way to go, unbeatable in durability. LED offers a bright blade, EL offers consistency of light throughout the blade. Both are removable. Refer to my earlier post.

Edited December 18, 2005 by WeirdoTransvestite

[Sledge]

Indeed. Once I've got the hilt built, I forsee an order for a blade in the future.

 

[Desolation mkII]

no no no.....

 

its old skool style, first blood drawn on the chest...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We'll settle this the old navy way; first man to die, loses.

 

EDIT:I'll have another review up tonight.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Desolation mkII

[Desolation mkII]

Reet, here we go. The Anakin Sabre

 

Name: Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader electronic lightsabre.

Color: Red and blue (variable)

Length: Hilt - 12 inches, Blade - 26 inches, all together – 38inches.

Features: Lights up. Makes sounds. Blade color changes. Makes clashing noises on impact.

Cost: £20

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Pros: Sturdy. Long. Color changes. Quite bright blade

Cons: Blade sticks when extended. Color not very visible in bright conditions.

 

 

First impressions

 

When I took it out of the box and extended it my first impressions were exactly the same as with the other Hasbro sabres; "wow, this is sturdy", and indeed it is. The blade of this sabre is made of mould injected plastic and is very solid. The blade plastic is clear and un coloured, this is because the lights can change color.

The hilt is just as sturdy and is quite nicely constructed (however it does have three screw holes in it). The sabre is also quite long measuring in at just 2 inches under one meter. This means it is slightly shorter than the Obi Wan sabre.

 

I then inserted three AA batteries (not included) into the hilt and turned it on. This sabre is relatively loud, but not as loud as the Obi Wan sabre. It is also quite bright; this is because the light source is four LEDs rather than a normal bulb (like in the Yoda sabre) or three LEDs in the Obi Wan sabre. Then I found a circular button at the top of the blade and pressed it. And behold, the blade changed color from blue to red. As I said the blade is clear, so it is the LEDs that give the blade its coloring, there are four red LEDs and four blue LEDs which can be activated alternately so you can be either bad or good. I then hit it against the table to see what the impact effects were. On impact the sabre makes lightsabre impact noises

 

Blade fully extended

 

After use in duels

 

After use in many fights, from 1 on 1 duals to 8 man free for alls I can now safely say I know about this lightsabre’s capabilities. Note: these are never serious, they are just us mucking around. An amusing thing to do when fighting with this sabre is to change the color mid swing as this confuses the hell out of some people and they think they are fighting two people. The lightsaber is still working fine with very little damage caused to it. The only damage there is are a few scratches on the hilt and some faint scratching to the blade, there is also a slight groove in the blade from when the blade was bent almost to a 90 degree angle and sprung back. However, amazingly, this has had no non-cosmetic adverse effect on the blade and it still works perfectly. Another slight problem; I have had this sabre the longest of the Hasbro sabres and the blade has clouded a little bit, but this is barely a problem and even means that the color can be seen more clearly when the sabre is on. However another minor problem has arisen. The blade tends to stick in the open position meaning that if you jab at someone with it, it doesn’t retract and can leave a bruise. This is, however,also not a major problem.

 

Like the Obi wan sabre its length is definitely an asset, (it is slightly shorter than the Obi wan sabre). Its battery use is quite good and it remains relatively consistent up until the very end of the batteries life when the blade lights will flicker for the last couple of minutes.

 

Blade fully folded in

 

In conclusion

 

As with the Obi Wan sabre, this sabre is a fantastic buy and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sturdy weapon that will last a long time (until Blair bans lightsabres as well…). It is utterly superior to any cheap rip off ‘light sword’ or ‘star sabre’ that you may find on the shelves out there. They certainly seem to impress people. I gave this sabre an 8 & 1/2 because it is very simple and very robust, there is very little that can go wrong.

 

Hilt close up

Edited December 18, 2005 by Desolation mkII

[KyberAuZ]

Hey Sledge, when/if you ever do, let me know. I know both of those sabersmiths well and may be able to get you an even better price (From one revolver fan to another)

[Sledge]

Cheers, bud. So, EL or LED? I was thinking LED, simply because of the ability to change blad colour with the kit at the bottom of this page.

 

[Desolation mkII]

For 1 dollar you can't go wrong.