FX Lightsabers (for dueling) - Removable Blade or Non-Removable?

[Darth Newbie]

Hey, I'm just a noob trying to pick out a birthday present for my friend... he's a big fan of Star Wars, so I figure that a light saber would be the perfect gift for him.

I found something that looks perfect for the role at thinkgeek:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/collectibles/b72c/?pfm=homepage_Featured_2
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/e26d/


My question is, is there a significant durability difference between the removable blade version and the non-removable version (that is, is one kind more prone to breaking upon being hit than the other; these WILL be used for dueling)?  I was planning to get the removable kind, but I figured I should check with some experienced people first to make sure .


Also, I noticed that lightsaber dueling is incredibly in-depth.  Is there a particular place I go to learn all of these fighting styles?  (I was hoping to pattern myself after Darth Vader, since I plan on getting my friend the Obi Wan blade)

[Darth Caugnien]

Ummm.... You do know this forum is attached to a lightsaber store right? Haha, yea if I were you, I would go with an Ultrasaber. Even an entry level one, while without sound, is lightyears better than an FX for dueling purposes. As far as FXs go, the non-removable ones are more duel worthy, but look here:

http://www.ultrasabers.com/category-s/70.htm

happy shopping!

[ThreadJack]

I wouldn't get an FX for dueling. Get an Ultra Saber.

[Darth Newbie]

No, I didn't know that actually  .  I found this forum while looking for reviews on the lightsabers I liked.

I was hoping for something with sound effects (I'm expecting authenticity in regards to the movie will appeal to the friend in question, and sounds are cool), but the Ultrasabers are MUCH cheaper... and if you say they're more durable, I'm inclined to believe you, given my lack of knowledge in the field.
Are all FX lightsabers poorly-suited for dueling (presumably as a result of electronics taking up space that would otherwise be used for reinforcing the blade)?

[Master Artorius Vidnyl]

Yes.  I own a Master Replica FX Saber, non removable blade.  The problem with this blade is that it uses a string of LEDs to light up the blade, and upon strong contact (with another blade) those LEDs can break and create dark spots in your blade.  This makes no one happy.

Ultrasabers specializes on durable battle ready lightsabers.  I have purchased 8 US sabers and can verify that they are incredibly durable.  If you're dying for sound there are other options.  For example, you can buy a lightsaber and have a little Do It Yourself project to put "econo" sound into your saber.  If you hit up the search function and search obi-wan econo sound you'll find lots of threads on adding sound to a saber that doesn't normally have it.

Long story short, sound is nice, durability is better .  www.Ultrasabers.com  <-- Check it out!

[Darth Newbie]

Cool.  I'm looking through the first link for single-bladed sabers now...

It appears that there's no Obi-Wan hilts (but there is an FX Darth Vader style blade, which is exactly what I wanted for myself, and it's cheaper than the one I found previously ).

EDIT:  Here's the one I found on Ultrasabers that I was interested in:  http://www.ultrasabers.com/Vader-ANH-p/snt-dv-anh07.htm
Would this one be good?
(I'm not sure what the thing with the FX saber I linked previously is - are they bad for dueling simply because they're FX, or are they bad for dueling because they're not Ultrasaber-quality?)

[Darth Caugnien]

The one you just linked to has had two things done to it- one, it has been converted to uber powerful LED technology (aka Luxeon LED tech) AND, (this is the downer) the soundcard's been ripped out. SO, what that means is is that it has a very duel worthy blade, but, no soundy-sound. The $300 one has both a luxeon LED and sound, but... its $300 haha. What I would reccomend is an entry level sound capable saber, which atm is this one:


http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/stunt-bellicose.htm


With this one, you can have the good people at US slap something called an Obsidian sound board in there... for a fee, of course. You can also add all sots of goodies, like Lithium ion batteries (read about here: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=1581.0 ), illuminated AV switches, etc. That's the cheapest one with sound atm, so I would go with that one. Here's where you can see the Obsidian in action: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=1489.0

Its essentially a very nice board that is very reasonably priced. Its encased in epoxy so its duel worthy, has digital sensors for very accurate swing/clash pick up, better than an FX, has 12 swing sounds, 12 clash sounds, (compared to like 4 w/an FX), and most importantly, the sounds have been engineered by hobby-renowned Novastar. Seriously, his work is the industry standard, if you're looking for movie accurate sounds, get something Nova has worked on! Plus it has bells and whistles like a "lockup" sound, which when activated produces a sound like when two guys in SW are in a saber lock, its in the vid. You can also calibrate things like swing sensitivity, ignition sound, etc. in a very user friendly menu, but as I said before, its all in the vid. Oh, and if you want to see what's called a "unicorn" saber from Ultrasabers in action see my review of my RGB Bane w/ Obsidian, here:


http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=2170.0


(all an RGB LED is is one that can switch between 7 colors- cool, huh?)

Hope this all helps, and you have one lucky friend!

[Big Boss]

Cool.  I'm looking through the first link for single-bladed sabers now...

It appears that there's no Obi-Wan hilts (but there is an FX Darth Vader style blade, which is exactly what I wanted for myself, and it's cheaper than the one I found previously ).

EDIT:  Here's the one I found on Ultrasabers that I was interested in:  http://www.ultrasabers.com/Vader-ANH-p/snt-dv-anh07.htm
Would this one be good?
(I'm not sure what the thing with the FX saber I linked previously is - are they bad for dueling simply because they're FX, or are they bad for dueling because they're not Ultrasaber-quality?)

They are not ultra sabers quality meaning if you try to duel with them they will break as Master Artorius said in his post. I say go with  Darth Caugnien suggestion and get the belicose if you want sound in your saber since the obsidian sound broad is one of the best in the saber community unlike fx sound boards that only has 3-4 sounds the osidian has multiple and you can change sounds later on if you wish
check it out

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3HWmjoF2l0" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3HWmjoF2l0</a>

[Darth Newbie]

The Bellicose looks great, especially for me .  I was hoping for something more light-sidey for my (Jedi) friend (specifically, a replica of Obi-Wan's saber), but I'm sure he'll be happy with this too.

What's this "obsidian sound broad"?  Is it an addon that can be used with the Bellicose?

[ThreadJack]

What's this "obsidian sound broad"?  Is it an addon that can be used with the Bellicose?

It's a sound board that Ultra manufactures(or pays someone else to), if you want more info search the forums. And yes, you can get one in a Belicose.

[Big Boss]

The Bellicose looks great, especially for me .  I was hoping for something more light-sidey for my (Jedi) friend (specifically, a replica of Obi-Wan's saber), but I'm sure he'll be happy with this too.

What's this "obsidian sound broad"?  Is it an addon that can be used with the Bellicose?

 its a sound card that you can have ultrasabers add to any saber in this link http://www.ultrasabers.com/category-s/59.htm   expect the Hasbro sabers for $75 its the best sound board price wise/quality  for any saber

[Darth Newbie]

Ok, I think I understand this:

I can buy the Bellicose lightsaber for $109.  I can add sound to it for another $75 (or do I want the $100 option?).

But what is the rest of the stuff?  What do "Pommel Version," "Li-lon setup," "Quick Disconnect," and "Blade Retention Screw-watch" do?  Should I get a round tip or a pointed tip?  What's "Obsidian Inductee Price" and "Illuminated AV Switch"?  Do I want mid-grade or something higher?


Either way, this is looking to be more expensive than I had hoped.  I'm not sure if I can afford sabers for both of us even if I'm able to acquire a job... (well, I'll have the money, but I was kind of hoping to save most of it for stuff like buying my own apartment next summer).

[Master Nero Attoru]

Ok, I think I understand this:

I can buy the Bellicose lightsaber for $109.  I can add sound to it for another $75 (or do I want the $100 option?).

But what is the rest of the stuff?  What do "Pommel Version," "Li-lon setup," "Quick Disconnect," and "Blade Retention Screw-watch" do?  Should I get a round tip or a pointed tip?  What's "Obsidian Inductee Price" and "Illuminated AV Switch"?  Do I want mid-grade or something higher?


Either way, this is looking to be more expensive than I had hoped.  I'm not sure if I can afford sabers for both of us even if I'm able to acquire a job... (well, I'll have the money, but I was kind of hoping to save most of it for stuff like buying my own apartment next summer).

Ok lets go down the list.  For sound you can get it equipped with just the Obsidian soundboard for $75, or pay $100 for the Obsidian board PLUS a light up switch (in blue, red, or green).  The "pommel version" is just an aesthetic thing, the Li-Ion setup is a battery option that is highly recommended by Ultra (rechargeable batteries), "Quick Disconnect" refers to an option where you can buy different LED units to quickly unhook your LED and hook in a new LED to change colors.  Whew.

For the blade, you can just go with midgrade, it's an all around good choice.  Durable, bright, lightweight, you can't really go wrong.

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

Ok lets go down the list.  For sound you can get it equipped with just the Obsidian soundboard for $75, or pay $100 for the Obsidian board PLUS a light up switch (in blue, red, or green).  The "pommel version" is just an aesthetic thing, the Li-Ion setup is a battery option that is highly recommended by Ultra (rechargeable batteries), "Quick Disconnect" refers to an option where you can buy different LED units to quickly unhook your LED and hook in a new LED to change colors.  Whew.

For the blade, you can just go with midgrade, it's an all around good choice.  Durable, bright, lightweight, you can't really go wrong.

OMG! someone needs to make a saber ad, I read that like an Oxy Clean commercial.

[Sarich Belmont]

OMG! someone needs to make a saber ad, I read that like an Oxy Clean commercial.

If only we could get Billy Mays back...