saber build

I know that for a lot of people customisation would be the go but I truly lack creativity for the most part. I was actually wondering whether the custom jobs are just for appearances or they're tougher than the other ones as I've been watching some competitive dueling on youtube. I think I have a decent chance!

http://www.saberforge.com/crystal-sabers/monarch-saber/monarch-hero

This particular model appeals to me, but the warranty doesn't cover duels as the exposed crystal chamber is seen as a 'weakness'. Is there a way I could build this from scratch whilst reinforcing it? Can I alter my style to protect that particular weak point? Or do I just run the gauntlet and keep replacing it when I shag it?

Just as - provided the right materials and tools - anything can be built, so can anything be broken, too, provided the given force. If the manufacturer tells you this saber is not duel worthy, it means that by their own estimates the materials they used and the joints they employed would not for long endure your average illuminated saber combat scenario. That doesn't mean you run at breaking it with just about any staged choreographed fight you plan, nor does it mean that a saber of this kind could not withstand some serious and vicious larping either. It all depends on what you build yours from and how you secure the parts. It would just mean that this particular one they don't think is their best dueling model.
Keep in mind that this one in particular is an approximation, albeit one of the cruder ones, of a licensed design, namely the TFU Starkiller. There have been other saber smiths replicating this model, some more pretty and less durable, others maybe more combat-worthy but perhaps less faithful to the original design.
An exposed crystal chamber is almost always seen as a weak spot, because natural crystals don't come in convenient shapes and sizes to be secured. Of course, in an exposed chamber you usually cut a good part of the outer casing away, and that takes away stability.
You will notice on the monarch there are two rods in front of the crystal. Now picture them being just a bit further in the front, welded into the parts they extend out of and made of, say, solid bronze or brass. On the other hand, imagine if they are instead copper tubes where wires run through and merely screwed into threads inside the aluminium surroundings.
I do not know which of those is closer to how the Saberforge Monarch is built; my point is that while an exposed crystal chamber is generally less durable than an internal one, and while a saber with a chassis that runs through the entire hilt is generally more durable than any where the chassis is interrupted by an illuminated rock, those are really but rules of thumb and may not apply in every one given comparison. There is also no metric to quantify how much of a weak spot a particular design element is or how much it matters in any given combat scenario.
The reason I recommend to build your saber yourself, if you have to, is that this way you will know everything that went wrong and that can still go wrong yourself. You will also know how to fix it, if you can fix it and how to treat your saber right to avoid stressing its weaknesses in the first place.

crystal sabers aren't usually used for dueling because they do have structural weakness at the crystal chamber (less material to bear the force of impact)....it is possible to build a crystal saber for dueling but it would have a much smaller "reveal window" than typical....

most custom sabers can be used for serious dueling, just typically not the crystal ones. my silver saber is a "stunt" saber...it was built for heavy dueling, i got lucky because mine was the last one ultrasabers built that had sound as an option, they no longer offer stunts with sound. my green saber is a "stunt" and being new it was built without sound, but i will remedy that once i'm finished with my other saber. the saber i'm building for this thread is a custom build using mhs parts just like my silver stunt paired with internals from thecustomsabershop....once completed it will be duel capable....then i plan to get a coupler so i can attach it to my other silver saber to make a saber staff....

Many thanks gentleman.
It was Starkiller, or Galen Marek, that made me look for this place and I've a soft spot for him. We've a surprising amount in common and I figured if a Jedi can turn him around that there's hope for me. Also why I want to duel with his saber. The duels I was watching seem to be Kendo style rules and my thoughts were that this saber would actually survive but I may have to get it first and see. Once I have it in hand I'll assess it, but be prepared to build my own.

I'll be right back here if that happens!

it is possible to have one made that is dueling capable without a crystal chamber....i've seen some on facebook somewhere...

vader was what drew me to the jedi path as a child.....

after months of work, trial and error, and rethinking....IT IS ALIVE....


i can't stress this enough, ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CONNECTIONS...this is where i goofed up...i got too confident in my wiring abilities and overlooked the simplest thing. this resulted in me frying 2 switches and a l-ion battery.

here it is lit up and working....


final build specs....
saberforge 12watt silver led
ultrasabers obsidian 3.0 soundboard
18650 lithium ion battery (rechargeable)
saberforge infinity edge v4 blade
saberforge venom claws (2)
ultrasabers dark war glaive emitter, dark shock body, raven claws (2)
tcss pommel style 11, lighted switch, jst connectors, 2watt 28mm bass speaker, chassis