TOPIC: ASP Saber - Unnamed

ASP . Exile Pommel . Standard
ASP . Dissident Body . Standard . Brown Leather
ASP . Switch 8 . Standard
ASP . Emitter 10 . Standard
ASP . Led 12W+ . Green
ASP . Blade Plug 5 . Silver
ASP . Blade 32”
ASP . Sound Viridian

This is my first lightsaber (beyond the plastic ones you get as a kid). It assembled easily, though I could use additional shims to get the belt clip to line up correctly, but they don't send many with the kit. By the time I got the switch and emitter to line up there wasn't much left for the handle.

Starting from the top and working my down:

Emitter
The emitter has a two allen set screws: one to hold the blade/plug and one to hold the LED emitter in place. The top curved and beveled edges of the emitter guard are extremely sharp. I will probably end up trying to file those down a bit to prevent accidental cuts and scrapes.

Switch
As seen in the photos I initially installed the switch in the upper hole, thinking I wanted it behind the taller guard, but I have since switched it to the lower hold which is much nicer for pressing. Once I'm satisfied with that I will have to glue in the switch hole cover that was included. The switch guard was initially offset just enough that the switch got stuck 2/3 of the way into the hold. Loosening that allen bolt (same size as the stand allen wrench) allowed me to easily get the switch installed.

Handle
The leather grip is nice, I had wondered if it was a mistake to not go all-metal, but I really like the feel of the leather and have hopes that it will be long-lasting. The letter is smooth and a little soft, enough give to provide a solid grip without feeling overly cushioned. The belt clip design leaves something to be desired. Not sure if it's possible to get one without the clip, but it feels a bit out of place with the rest of the design.

Pommel
Not much to say about the pommel. It's nice, has speaker holes to allow ample sound out.

Electronics
The battery had enough charge that I could test out the electronics. Last night I decided to charge it up and it took about 19 hours for it to finish. The charger itself has been the worst part so far: I don't know if something is supposed to hold the bottom end together, but currently it just splits apart, so you have to be very careful putting a battery in to prevent the case from splitting entirely.
When you first install the battery there is a voice that talks to you and I found there is a menu used to set the light, sound volume, motion and strike sensitivities.
The speaker is surprisingly loud, it made me jump when I accidentally switched it on the first time, before it was installed in the hilt. Even in the hilt it is much louder than I anticipated. Pushing the button an additional time causes a blaster/deflection noise. You have to hold the switch down to turn the saber off.

Blade
The blade is exceptionally bright. It easily illuminates a dark room. When quickly swinging the saber around you can feel a bit of play in the blade as the momentum carries through, a minor but tangible annoyance.
The blade plug is nice, proved a finished look when on the stand.

Stand
The construction is very simple: two plastic triangles with two aluminum rods screwed between them but it's functional and looks nice. Certainly better than having the saber rolling around loose on my desk.

For more pics and info:
http://www.dieseldm.com/2016/05/asp-lightsaber/

Great build, I'm a sucker for standard finishes with a brown wrap. I never get tired of that emitter. You can unscrew it with an allen wrench easily enough.

Great saber DieselDM. Emitter #10 has always had my eye. I like your parts combination.The emitter looks like it has a good choke point. How does it feel with switch#8, how comfortable is it , and does it get in the way?

Dude that is really nice, the leather wrap kinda completes the saber. Awesome creation. Glad to hear the install was easy.

Love the look of this saber! It is simple, and yet complex all at the same time, which always gets my attention.

Awesome design. Very nice with the brown wrap contrasting that standard finish. Well done.

Do you have a picture of the fake button they sent you to fill the empty switch hole?

NICE!!!!

Image link:

It's difficult to push a button in the top hole, due to the raised guard. I can't get my thumb in there, so I switched to the bottom hole with is easily accessible. It doesn't get in my way, when holding two-handed I tend to place the switch near the V made by my thumb and index figure, giving it a bit of extra room.
The edges of the guard can be a little sharp, so I may file them a bit.

Here's the fake switch they sent and what it would look like in the hole.

I was looking at that switch a few times when I was building my saber. I really like the design of it and might have to pick it up for a future build. Thanks for sharing.

DieselDM, Congratulations with receipt of your very own Customised Hilt. Whilst I did scan through it when you first Posted 5 days ago it was one I intended on coming back to where my attention wasn't divided. A well written Review and synopsis of the received Parts. A creative Design, Thank You. Whilst not dismissing the simplistic elegance of Disciple, what you have configured here is virtually everything I'd like to see on it, granted, even with a complete replacement of the forked emitter.

While playing with ASP Builder is fun and passes time, it becomes more exciting seeing actual supplied pieces rather than a rendered image and if what is seen on-screen in Builder is accurate. I've notice in your primary image that (towards the centre) the Wrap looks stretched/creased. Is this resulting from handling or something else? I've gone and edited one of your photos to illustrate my next question.





I really like the look of Switch8 and find myself using it a lot (much like the similar looking coupler). In your image, the blackened 'recessed tabs' that repeat in a cyclic direction is placed closer to the Grip, opposing the 'Guarded' part on the Low-profile Switch plate. On ASP, the blackened 'tabs' are in line and share the same side as the 'Guarded' part on the switch plate. In ASP, flipping this piece doesn't alter the switch plate. Circled Red in your image (above) this screw appears to hold the switch plate to the switch section. Can it be loosened to invert (if desired) and if removing it completely, are the switch holes remaining still recessed or must placement of AV switch include the switch plate?

OvrcAHst - The leather wraps comes with that creased look like you'd expect from natural leather. It's not a perfectly smooth and even grain. The lighting in the photo makes the creases jump out more than they do in person. Here's an up close crop of the leather:


That allen screw you circled in red does indeed come out, I had to loosen it in order to get my switch to slide through as the hole in the guard wasn't quite lined up with the hole in the underneath switch. While I did not actually test it out, I believe you could fully remove it and flip it around. The screw hole seems perfectly centered, so I don't see what that wouldn't be possible, but again I didn't try it.

Okay, I was curious, so I disassembled it all and gave it a try. You can definitely swap the guard around. And you know, I think I like it better that way! Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy with the builder. I'm guessing whoever assembles them just puts the switch on whichever way they grab it, so it's probably a 50% chance of getting it one way or the other.

DieselDM, I agree that it looks better this way. OvrcAHst has a keen eye for details, and I never picked up on that the first time I saw your post either. Thanks for obliging him, to give us a few more options pertaining to that switch section. This design is still Fantastic IMO.

And here's what the switch looked like disassembled:

Hi Everyone,

Fellow member Borommakot and I discussed this switch plate placement nearly two months ago and I suggested that it may be possible to rotate the guard. You can read the conversion in the Hilt Design thread HERE and the following exchanges.

It was Borommakot who confirmed with a friend of his (via Facebook) that it was possible, so give him a thank you when you get the chance!

kind regards,

For Tyeth

Great design in the first place and it looks better in reality! Well done DieselDM!

For Tyeth wrote:

Thank you DieselDM, with answering my query and you have actually pre-emptively answered my follow-up question also with the image Posted following: It clearly defines with more accuracy the alternate applications with this Switch Part and how it can be customised.

Great review and write-up. Very detailed and organized.

Your saber is designed with many of the same parts that I would like to utilize, so it's great to see actual images of them instead of rendered. I went back and forth on that body versus the Reliant, but ultimately decided to go with the Avenger, as well as that pommel versus the Reliant, but ultimately decided on adding the Female/Male Coupler 3 with Pommel 2 to reflect the design of the Switch 8.

Here is my design, that I hope to order when ASP goes live.

A follow up note on your mentioning of the Blade momentum while swinging...this is probably due to weighting and balance of the blade versus hilt.

I'd be curious to learn what the gram weights are for the various blades, and other parts, or in the future if there was an "add-on" to add weights hidden inside the hilt if room allowed with the electronics, so that proper counter-weighting and balance could be done. This is more rhetorical and not directed at you to answer.