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

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

$350 WITH THOSE OTHER GUYS GETS YOU ONE LIGHTSABER AND SOMETIMES THE CRAFTSMANSHIP JUST ISN'T UP TO PAR!!! WITH ULTRASABERS, YOUR $350 YOU GET NOT ONE, BUT TWO BATTLE QUALITY LIGHTSABERS WITH A DURABLE SOUND BOARD!!! AND IF YOU BUY RIGHT NOW, I'LL GIVE YOU BACK 10% OF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE TO USE ON ANY OF THE PRODUCTS WE SELL!!! HERE'S HOW TO ORDER!!!

Now how is that for channeling Billy Mays?

LMAO Impressive sir.

[DirtyJersey]

$350 WITH THOSE OTHER GUYS GETS YOU ONE LIGHTSABER AND SOMETIMES THE CRAFTSMANSHIP JUST ISN'T UP TO PAR!!! WITH ULTRASABERS, YOUR $350 YOU GET NOT ONE, BUT TWO BATTLE QUALITY LIGHTSABERS WITH A DURABLE SOUND BOARD!!! AND IF YOU BUY RIGHT NOW, I'LL GIVE YOU BACK 10% OF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE TO USE ON ANY OF THE PRODUCTS WE SELL!!! HERE'S HOW TO ORDER!!!

Now how is that for channeling Billy Mays?

You forgot this part " IT SLICES, IT DICES, IT TURNS YOUR ENEMIES INTO MINCE MEAT PIES. THAT'S IF YOUR ENEMIES DON'T DIE OF JEALOUSY FIRST!!"

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

You forgot this part " IT SLICES, IT DICES, IT TURNS YOUR ENEMIES INTO MINCE MEAT PIES. THAT'S IF YOUR ENEMIES DON'T DIE OF JEALOUSY FIRST!!"

"Watch this, your gonna love my nut" - Vince the Slap Chop guy

[Novastar]

I think the question has been answered, but I will just say... the style in which an LED saber is made via Ultrasabers vs. the style in which the toy, "corporate" store-bought props are made... is completely different.

Also, if people here don't know me that well (some don't)... I've been using "duel worthy" sabers for performances since 2005/2006.  All I can say is... I do not own a single "toy prop".  Everything I have is made for dueling, and although most of my sabers are built by *ME*... the sabers Ultra makes are just as duel-worthy as anything I've ever seen or used.

On a note that is purely about technical balance, usage and manipulation... oh MAN... DEFINITELY get an Ultrasaber before you try to deal with all the crazy switch boxes and doo-hickies on the "movie replicas".  Trust me.

[Darth Newbie]

I'm doing up some good savings for several lightsabers right now. What I'm doing is just taking fifty bucks out of each of my checks until I get my goal. Once you get a job just follow that idea and you will be set.

$50 for each paycheck would probably be most if not more than what I end up making, given that all of the jobs on campus pay $7.25 an hour and the highest amount of hours that they'll let one work per week appears to be 10.  :/

Would anyone here be interested in buying some cheap jewelry from Rajastan, a vaguely Muslim-looking scarf, a cheap ring, or a stuffed animal?   

I think the question has been answered, but I will just say... the style in which an LED saber is made via Ultrasabers vs. the style in which the toy, "corporate" store-bought props are made... is completely different.

Also, if people here don't know me that well (some don't)... I've been using "duel worthy" sabers for performances since 2005/2006.  All I can say is... I do not own a single "toy prop".  Everything I have is made for dueling, and although most of my sabers are built by *ME*... the sabers Ultra makes are just as duel-worthy as anything I've ever seen or used.

On a note that is purely about technical balance, usage and manipulation... oh MAN... DEFINITELY get an Ultrasaber before you try to deal with all the crazy switch boxes and doo-hickies on the "movie replicas".  Trust me.

Spiffy, I think I'll do that (assuming that I'm getting any lightsabers in the first place).  Now, is there any difference between the Bellicose, and say, the Bane or the Shock LE, besides price and handle appearance?

[Darth Caugnien]

Nope, not really. Besides the fact that the Shock LE is a limited edition (hence-LE) so once they are gone- they. are. gone! But besides that, its purely aesthetic preference. Now, the Bane, while my personal Ultrasaber, is quite long, the single color version clocking in at 13" (same with Bellicose). The RGB version is 15"! The Shock, IIRC, is like 11-12". Might not seem like much, but in Saberland, two inches is a big difference! But yea, they all support sound, they all support quick disconnects (IIRC), they all essentially have the same options. Now, it sounds like money may be an issue, which is why I stand firm by my Bellicose advice. It's the cheapest saber that supports sound. And by "support", I mean the internals were designed from the ground up to give the loudest sound possible (this involves a bunch of sciencey crap about resonance and such). So anyways, I highly suggest you save up for gettin' you guys some Bellicoses- I've not personally handled a Bellicose, but I know that it being an Ultrasaber, it'll be the best bang for your saber buck!!!

[Hebi]

light up switches and blade tips are just aesthetic features they don't really do much of any thing else 

I don't agree with you : The AV switch are very useful !

If you use an AV switch, well you'll have less chances to break your switch...
It happened to me, and it's such a pain, because I had to use a knife on my switch to make it working with my finger : else, I wasn't able to turn it off after use...

[Novastar]

Agreed... AV switches ("Anti-Vandal") switches are indeed pretty durable.  They are almost entirely made of metal, and difficult to destroy in almost any way.  Gee, I wonder why they called them "anti-vandal" switches? 

That being said... most switches can be "protected" in various ways (some, in ways you wouldn't really expect), although some switches ARE indeed vulnerable to destruction in some fashion or form.

A quick example... the switches on my "Flange III" and "Flange IV" sabers are actually... how do I say it "able to be destroyed".  But... they are recessed/protected in such a way that keeps them fairly safe from damage.  Additionally, dropping the sabers also RARELY allow the switches to take a single bit of the fall.  Hard to explain, but... anyhow...

AV switches are both functional and can be "pretty"...

[Darth Newbie]

Ok, so if I want anti-vandal switches (is that really what AV stands for?  I thought it would be "awesome visuals" or something  ), and the sound board, and the LiIon setup...

That's (109 + 100 + 25) * 2 - (109 + 100 + 25)/10 = $444.60.

And, I've found out the job I applied for on campus only pays at most $20 a week (the application said $7.25 an hour but it was wrong  ), which means I can make at most roughly $220 by the time December rolls around.  (And that's assuming I get the job)
(Although I did apply to another job, which might actually pay $7.25 and give decent hours.  I doubt I'll get it though, given that the job is soliciting donations.)

And that's assuming the sabers are all I give out as Christmas presents.
Is there a cheaper way I can do this?  :/

[Master Nero Attoru]

Ok, so if I want anti-vandal switches (is that really what AV stands for?  I thought it would be "awesome visuals" or something  ), and the sound board, and the LiIon setup...

That's (109 + 100 + 25) * 2 - (109 + 100 + 25)/10 = $444.60.

And, I've found out the job I applied for on campus only pays at most $20 a week (the application said $7.25 an hour but it was wrong  ), which means I can make at most roughly $220 by the time December rolls around.  (And that's assuming I get the job)
(Although I did apply to another job, which might actually pay $7.25 and give decent hours.  I doubt I'll get it though, given that the job is soliciting donations.)

And that's assuming the sabers are all I give out as Christmas presents.
Is there a cheaper way I can do this?  :/

Yeah, I mean the ones with sound are a bit steep... and as for your job, isn't $7.25 minimum wage?  Or something around that?  How can they pay you less than minimum wage?  Haha damn campus jobs...

My recommendation is, if you really want a sound saber (they're freaking awesome) get one for yourself.  Unless the people you're buying for are REALLY into Star Wars or lightsabers, they may not appreciate a $300 lightsaber with sound - get them a stunt saber!  You can pick a stunt saber on the site, which typically range from 65-130 bucks, or go for the Grab Bag option.  This option is on hold currently because they're away at a convention, but when they come back you should be able to do it - you basically roll the dice and get a saber without a blade for $40.  Picking PVC or metal or picking the color is extra, as is a blade.

The stunt sabers are bright and awesome, and with a little electronics skill you can put a soundboard into the saber anyway (my friend and I did it pretty easily, used one of those UltimateFX sabers they have out now).  Good luck!

[Darth Newbie]

The job I was after is a reporter position.  It turns out they don't pay by the hour, they give $20 per package you create, and they only let you make one per week.

(And yes, I'm pretty sure $7.25 is minimum wage)


And yes, the person I'm buying this for is REALLY into Star Wars.

I plan on surprising him at Christmas (or his birthday, possibly) and...
1.) having the lightsaber delivered impersonally or by someone else. 
2.) After he opens the box with the lightsaber and turns it on, I have people act out the role of running in terror from Darth (My Name Here, or whatever pseudonym I come up with).  (Well, I might not be able to find actors for this, but there will be some indicator that he should go outside.)
3.)  Being the noble Jedi that he is, he goes to investigate and finds Darth (name) at the scene, possibly with some imperial officers at the side. 
4.)  Cue dramatic music. 
5.)  I turn my (red) lightsaber on.  He realizes what he must do and turns on his (blue) lightsaber. 
6.)  Duel commences.
7.)  I beat him easily because I spend time during this semester training swordfighting .

... And quite honestly, the duel just wouldn't be nearly as cool without sound .
But you say I can put my own soundboard into the saber?  Well, I have virtually no electronics skill whatsoever (I did take Physics II last spring, where we covered electricity, but I didn't really learn anything that I could put to real-world use), so it's kind of a moot point... unless I have someone in my residence hall that would be willing to help me...

[Master Nero Attoru]

Gotcha man.  Your idea sounds AWESOME and if he's as big a Star Wars nerd as you say he is, he will LOVE it!  If you wanna go cheaper you can use other options for sound, although to get the most for your money you should go Obsidian.  Master Artorius Vidnyl and I recently installed the sound board from an Ultimate FX saber (new saber, has scrolling effect like the Force FX, typically around $35) in a PVC stunt saber... this is always an option.  If you need help with that, you can probably ask him - I will direct him to post his advice on here.

Once again, my personal recommendation is to go Obsidian if you REALLY want a good soundboard for the money.  Ultra literally posted polls on here asking us what we wanted - we gave the usual answers of better price, better sound, louder, etc.  In response, he built the Obsidian board, which is louder and more customizable than the FX boards.  It essentially takes the great customization options of the very expensive boards (sound fonts) and scales it down to an affordable price range.

[Master Artorius Vidnyl]

My advice for those with no electronics experience is to have someone else do the work.  There are tons of reasons such as your own physical safety and the cost of ruining boards/electronics as you try your way around a board for the first time.

Obsidian is the way to go.  I am fully aware of the cost but in THIS universe there are no mechanical extremity replacements available.  So Obsidian is cheaper than say, missing the end of a finger or buying 5 boards cause you fried the first 4.

I do not mean to be offensive, I honestly would rather have someone else do those installs for me.  Our first build will be forever etched into my mind.  Spent two days playing with some crappy boards just to make sure I knew how they worked and fried an econo ($20).

Buy Obsidian.  Trust me on this one.

[Darth Newbie]

What exactly are the blades made of?  Are they safe to be hit with, or is some sort of protection needed?

[Master Artorius Vidnyl]

All blades are made of polycarbon plastic.  They are extremely durable and protection should be worn if you are going to duel with someone at full force.  If you take a nice relaxed approach you will be pretty safe.  I've only had one tooth broken by a saber...  ::cough cough Nero cough::