Tri Cree or FOC for Guardian Blue

[Edon Bluewolf]

Ok so I am debating whether to get Tri Cree Guardian blue or FOC with one of the following colors in order of preference:  DVA, AS, AB.  My considerations in order of importance are:

1. Battery life
2. Brightness
3. FOC visibility

I am just getting the standard setup and have rechargeable AAA duracell batteries (9 each with charger at the ready).  I am going to have an illuminated AV switch and Obsidian lite which I have read use up a lot of battery power quickly.  And initially I went with Tri Cree because I want to use my saber outside during the day/evening for ideally 1 hr/day periods.  But now I am second guessing because I found out about the DVA forum color in particular and am wondering if that would show up well as an FOC (btw I confirmed with US that this is possible but they recommended AS to me instead).  The more I watch videos of people saying how awesome FOC is, the more I wonder if I might be missing out.  But I don't really see FOC come across on the videos that well.  And no, I am not ready to fork out the cash yet for Emerald.  To make my decision I have the luxury of about 1 more week possibly because the reaper is not in stock yet but is expected by end of this month.  I would appreciate opinions or insights on this conundrum keeping me up at 2 am. j/k well sorta 

[JdiKnhtJMH]

Your first issue is you want to do standard set up battteries. Dont do that. If youre getting FoC or Tri Cree, youre getting a pretty darn nice saber, so you can afford the cost of nice batteries. Li-Ion batteries make a HUGE difference in brightness.

Flash on clash is better for dueling
Tri Cree is better for display/showing your saber

So it depends what youre going to do with it.

[Edon Bluewolf]

With Obsidian lite, it appears the only option is standard battery setup though.  I've decided to keep the tri cree instead of foc because I want the reaper to be as bright as possible.  Mostly I plan on using for spinning and ComicCons as I would probably blow a gasket if I damaged the blue anodizing by dueling it.  In the future I am considering buying some stunt sabers for dueling (probably a dark standard issue one with DVA to scratch that color itch) and if I have enough cash and enjoy the sabers enough, buy a diamond mantis with foc eventually so I don't have to be tied down to one foc/blade color option.

[Galactic Overlord]

I consider FoC to be essential for a fun lightsaber. Once I got a saber with FoC, there was no going back. My Tri-Cree, on the other hand, I just don't think it's all that great.

I don't like to duel, as you have to either suit up in a ton of protective gear, or be very careful to avoid injury.

The reason I like FoC so much is because I like to swing and spin the sword around in the air, making the sword clash at the end of strikes (takes a little practice when you're hitting nothing but air). It doesn't sound like much, but I've found it to be ridiculously fun!

[Edon Bluewolf]

I've seen some pics of people spinning sabers where it appears to be alternating between two colors, I assumed it was with flash on clash but maybe it is with slow pulsing effect, either way it looks awesome.  I really would like DVA with PO foc one day but looks like that is only possible with emerald or diamond.

[Racona Nova]

If colour changing only appears during spinning and not on the idle blade, it's most likely the FoC you see there.

And yes, that combination is only possible with Emerald/Diamond.

[Isola815]

I've seen some pics of people spinning sabers where it appears to be alternating between two colors, I assumed it was with flash on clash but maybe it is with slow pulsing effect, either way it looks awesome.  I really would like DVA with PO foc one day but looks like that is only possible with emerald or diamond.

But the best part is if you do it with Diamond you can have just the spin effects set to that pulse and the idle can be totally different.Or just FOC if you want



In all honesty, if you want the best brightness for cosplay you should just get the extra few dollars together and get the premium sound tri cree with a buckpuck and lithiums. And if you're going that far just spend the extra 10 and go for the V4 too. It really is worth the extra handful of monies. Especially on a saber like the Azure Reaper.