lightsaber - hilt question

Hi evryone, me again

I have a question, in the past, I always run away from the idea to have a lightsaber, because when you start talking about the force with something, immediately the person mind goes to star wars , and if also you have a lightsaber, you become another fan, trying to fanatize others..

and the force was always important to me, more than a movie, the movie just show part of what I really feel

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But maybe now is time...

So aclaration and some questions.

I'm going to build my own Hilt (no electronics, no blade)

But also I like to ask, because, almost sure, someone here has experience and more than one lightsaber

if i like to buy one , or 2 who knows, what the market offer?, witch one is the best, and why,
what about the hasbro ones?
the master replicas?
laser?
leds?
with sound / without?
original licensed from the movie?
what about price and usability?

can you guys have custom made hilts?
can someone post pics of your hilts?

Thank you for sharing some of your experiences, and knowledge.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I have plans for a forge which is going to make metal blades, with a hilt that contains electronics. No licensing issues, and it can be both cool AND practical.

It even talks about how ancient Jedi started with metal blades in:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber

So, since we don't have the technology for a force-contained plasma blade, why not adopt this at a practical level? If we use the blades ceremonially, they don't have to be sharpened weapons to begin with, and we can still reap the benefits.

People want a lightsaber... why not a Saber of Light? Using newer, super-bright LED's, we can channel light in any direction along the blade using fiber-optic lighting. The color of the LED can be any color that LED's are made in (typically, red, yellow, green, and blue).

However, the cost of building one is up into the low 4-digit range, price-wise.

metal blades with nice hilt and electronics, sounds good, just my question is, we are talking about a sword blade, or a metal stick as blade (what make more sense to me)

and if is going to be for training why metal? fiber, plexiglass, wood, are better option
actually a shinai is an excellent option to do training.

for metal blades, my chose is a samurai sword or wakizashi (I like smaller than the long samurai for todays days)

there's many routes you can take in the construction of a lightsaber hilt. they have premade ones that are semi custom you can buy at ultrasabers.com or you can go to thecustomsabershop.com and select the pieces you want and see an assembled version before you decide to buy.

if you buy one you can get various lengths for the blades, as well as different grades of durability. the best are the polycarbonate blades because they are made of the same material as bullet proof glass and are nearly impossible to shatter so they work well for training, dueling or what not.

the cost of buying one vs the cost of making one varies depending on how you go about it. i've made several myself, some costing as little as $10 some as much as $50. i've also bought a custom made one and paid close to $300.

whether it lights up and has sound or not is totally up to you. neither is required....

i'm designing a new one that incorporates the typical electronics and light up blade(removable), but also contains an autobaton making it practical for defense use. by having the electronics i can use the l.e.d. light as a flashlight, and flip it over for the autobaton.

as to pictures there's already a thread here somewhere that shows lots of our sabers..

the hilt, I'm going to make it myself, not with pre builded parts, from scratch, with I don't know yet, aluminum, bronze , or I don't know, but not from pre-made parts.

the other one, a full one, polycarbonate blades are the way, looks like, but actually I'm not going to use it, is more for display, to use it, like i say, a shinai a boken or a real sword, witch I have all

so the idea, is, the hilt, made by myself, is gonna take some time,

but... i like to have a lightsaber... and I'm looking for a good looking one, with sound, nice light, and maybe someone can point me

Hi 666, you should check out the Custom Saber Shop.

My personal notion is the Real Lightsaber that is also a working defensive device. It would have a dazzler laser that temporarily blinded and disoriented an attacker - human or animal - without causing any permanent damage. For now I have a modified FX with a Luxeon LED and removable blade. I have an untouched Graflax flash tube just like the original Episode IV Luke Skywalker one.

Depending on the style it could also be used like a baton and could have a stun gun built in. In Texas as long there is also an ordinary flashlight mode - which is handy anyway - this device is legal to carry.

A 6 D cell Maglight Flashlight can beat the poo out of someone but it's legal whereas a baton of the same size is not.

Of course a Jedi would only use this for defense and never for attack.

there are several threads about hilts on this site so try using the search bar in our site (above right corner)

most of your original questions are covered - sorry to be blunt but this is jsut A flying visit.

I have a few hilts, some ive made from kits, one (now modified) force fx and a few ive had custom built

do the search then psot fresh questions, there is one long thread with alot of pictures of folks hilts

MTFBWY - A

the blinding light, that's why i thought of combining a working hilt(w/removable blade)with an autobaton, those luxeon3 led's are pretty blinding, but not permenant. at first glance it would look like a normal hilt, which could double as a bright led flashlight. fortunately autobatons are legal in florida (for now)

Br.John, the AA-cell Maglite is a more deadly weapon, just for the record. Was proved in a court case in New York State (IIRC, I don't have the reference). Larger than a 2-C-cell flashlight in NY State was illegal for a long time (can't remember if they repealed that or not).

i have a 4d maglite....the only ones bigger are the 6d that police use....but even a 4d is pretty nasty to be hit with....

even the tiniest of pebbles can be lethal in the right hands. that was a lesson i learned while studying ninjutsu....

what's the right model for the graflex flash tube?, someone knows?

@Kana Seiko Haruki i perform several serches about lightsaber, or hilt... do it yourself, you can spend 6 hours reading, and there is only 2 pics, and not much info...

this is why i create the post.

you can use any flash gun, it doesn't have to be a graflex. however if you're intending to make a movie replica from the original trilogy there is a specific graflex model that is needed. some of the earliest hilts i made were from flashguns, i made 4 different graflex based ones and 4 from another flashgun manufacturer.

really all a hilt is, is a hollow tube about 1.5inches in diameter, about 10-12 inches long but can be up to 20inches depending on the type of saber your making. the electronics can be found on various saber sites or you can take a trip to radio shack and find them...or cannibalize them from toy lightsabers,led flashlights etc...it can be as basic or as ornate as you want...it should reflect something about you personally...

we have one member that machined his own hilt using a brake lathe at an autoshop. the only limitation on designing/making one is whatever you want.

You can use anything from a sink tube to a Graflex replica (since the originals are hard to find) to a maglight to a Master Replica.

Lightsabers are something that are all different and what one person wants another may not. Most like Luxeon LED's or simmilar. Some swear by the Led strip in the Standard Force FX or simmilar strip LED set up. Some love EL blades. It's all very personal I think. I have a vast collection of sabers and it grows all the time. Some I've bought as force FX and modified to luxeon, some I've left with the LED strip, some I've made, some I've had made. etc.

As suggested try the custom saber shop forum and it will give you a really good education as to what are the differences

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/

If you decide to buy a Force FX try e-bay.
MTFBWY

yep, looks like I'm gonna go first for a Force FX standard, just need to know,if there is any difference between hasbro ones, and master replica...

for my own hilt, I don't need parts and pieces, i can made it myself ...

then eventually, i like to have another lightsaber , but I'm gonna try to look for, best metal hilt, ( possible custom made) with sound, best light effect

and this is where my search start, looking for the best light, then sound, then hilt, then make it happen,

any input is appreciated.

also looking for a Graflex 3 cell hard to find, nice recommendation by Br. John

thank you to all of you guys...
also more than one looks like have more than 1 lightsaber, can this people upload pictures to the gallery, because in post, i didn't find

thank you

almost ready

also ultrasabers does offer a few premade duel quality lightsabers...i have ordered from them and they are really nice blades, great lighting and can withstand a lot of abuse. http://www.ultrasabers.com/ is the link...feel free to check them out...i would also suggest http://bigyellowbox.tripod.com/ for some ideas for hilts, as they have a number of templates as well as materials lists for you to go by to build your own to get an idea of how you want to make your own...i would suggest if this is your first time to try to go by one of these designs just to get a feel for it so you don't get frustrated in the future when creating your own masterpiece.

666 wrote:

what's the right model for the graflex flash tube?, someone knows?

@Kana Seiko Haruki i perform several serches about lightsaber, or hilt... do it yourself, you can spend 6 hours reading, and there is only 2 pics, and not much info...

this is why i create the post.

Looks like your having humble pie for tea

http://templeofthejediorder.org/component/option,com_kunena/Itemid,94/func,view/id,27945/catid,53/limit,6/limitstart,0/

20page + thread. I suspect you didnt try different search terms, thinks such as luxeon, hilt, saber, ceremonial hilt, lightsaber etc etc.

anyway - now ive more time to respond - i'll go back to the original question and answer as best as can - but these are only me experiences.

For the record - I cannot and will not promote the idea of a hilt as a weapon but as said - anything inthe right hands can become a weapon. Most people dont realise that with the right technique, you can inflict as damage using a credit/plastic card as you can with a razor.

what about the hasbro ones?

the master replicas?

laser?

leds?

with sound / without?

original licensed from the movie?

what about price and usability?

can you guys have custom made hilts?

can someone post pics of your hilts?

Hasbro = Force FX? if so - well, the hilts are nice but the blade is fixed permannetly - the leds run the length of the tube (inside) and are not designed for duelling etc - they are fragile. You can however repair them (but as these things are about £40 now, may as well buy a new saber) or youn can scout around online and look for conversion kits which will replace the tube and led strip with a polycarbonate tube and luxeon led whilst keeping the sound and if your careful, a nice hilt as well, just use a thumb screw instead of the grub screw to make the blade removeable.

Sound - well - the force fx is ok - its good for parties but a little cheap n nasty. Ive just ordered a crystal focus card (and hilt) but the whole thing will cost £500 when done (picture of this hilt to follow - its nearly ready for pickup now )


Master replicas - well, i dont have noe and not seen one in person but i know they have a good solid reputation, but like anything in life, you want the best, you pay the large summs of cash to get it.

As for laser - forget it - the legalities are always changing and youd be gutted iof you spent (say) $200 on a laser unit ot find its now illegal.

LEDs - you have a wide choice - but most folk luxeons 3 are an excellent compromise between brightness and battery life. Again, this is discussed in length in the above link but one small hint - you can have the best led money can buy - but if your blade tube is poop - the effect will be poop. Another factor is getting the correct focusing lens that mounts atop the led - you may need to do a bit of experimenting to get what you like.

Polycarbonate tubes are best, they are stronger and safer than most other material, 10mm will be fine for moderate duelling 12mm for rough stuff - but if the hilt is entirely for ceremonial use, then the tube is a side issue.

Mde personally, i klike my hilts to be strong enough in reality for a proper fight - that way, they dont look too fragile and delicat - thus unrealistic - otherwise they look like glass katana.

Not sure what yopu mean about liscened movie version, if you mean what i think you mean - buy one by all means - but keep it under lock n key.

Graflex flash guns are hard to comeby (in the UK anyway) in fact, its like trying to find rocking horse manure BUT some smart folks are now making exact graflex copies which is a good compromise. The USA is easier to find these originals but you should still expect to pay a good sum of money for one.

Price depends pn what you want - you could spend a few £'s or $'s or hundres or thousands - depends on what you want. Making your own is rewarding and need not cost the earth - try a google search for the big yellow box for ideas, they even give you a shopping list and instructions to get you started.

I would strongly suggest making non electronic ones first - the electronics are not hard but all those extra drillings for switches, rechargers etc etc etc makes a big difference in terms of forward planning and design - as well as cost - and one mistake with a drill could ruin your lovely hilt.

There are plenty of sabersmiths around - but again, youll have to pay a fair amount for one - although some of mine came from JQSabers (in wales - do a google for their site) thye also sell diy kuts to make basic dualling sabers as well as force fx conversion kits.

Here are some pics of my hilts etc....



My new hilt (mid construction) - the £500 one







One I got off ebay (another source to consider)



The keyring option





My converted Force FX Luke saber





One I built for Alix Yell (a member here)









My home built katana enspired hilt







Various others ive built (7 of these with slight variations, some for other people)









My custom built dual bladed saber (JQ Sabers) - My design











My 1st Custom built saber from JQ (note the emitters match )

Having perused thecustomsabershop.com, I've got my design. Now I just need a spare $200.....

the fun begins :laugh:

i can't post my saber pics here because they were taken with an HD camera and thus the file size is too big...of course i may be able to do some editing of them at some point...it just takes time.

thx for all the replays, now i have a better idea

thank you