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TOPIC: Planning on buying a saber. I want help

Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 4 weeks ago #14329

  • Bcom976
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I want to buy a warrior tier saber. But I need some answers to some questions.

I want something that I can use for all purposes (Dueling, Twirling, Cosplay)

What is a good first time saber for someone who has no idea how to build, tinker with or work a saber like this? I've watched some videos so I do know how I would turn it on and off and how to take the blade off and such, but I don't know how to work the internals.

I need a good battery life with a bright blade so what would be the recommended battery, blade width, and should I purchase an infinity edge instead of a normal blade? However, I do want it to be shoto length (26 in.) as I am not a very big guy.

Most of the old toys with the red push down switch have good blade lengths, I've measured them to be around 23-26 in. So I'd be familiar and balanced with my saber with a shoto blade length. Also, I am used to twirling those types of saber hilts. Are the hilts the same thickness, thinner, thicker?

Speaking of hits, are there any hilts that are better suited to twirling? Something that would be easier to handle?

Is the RGBA easy to be broken or damaged when also being used as a stunt saber for dueling?
Though I do know Yellow is a color as I am trying to look the most like a Jedi Sentinel (They used yellow colored sabers) It would be a good thing to know if I were to purchase a saber for myself and not meant to more fit a character.

I have allen wrenches/hex wrenches in my garage already so it would be helpful to know the exact size off the bat so I don't need to worry about losing it and not being prepared. That and I can always buy some online if they don't sell them here themselves.

I do want the saber to have an appealing appearance to it as it is going to be used as cosplay as well as stunting, which is why I don't want sound as I'm certain it'd risk the internals breaking.
Speaking of which, How stable is the internal wiring? Speaking of the internals....

SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT THE INTERNAL WIRING WITHOUT SOUND AS MUCH AS WITH? Is it very complex or could I fix it with ease while in my home?

I am also using this site to purchase a saber for a costume, A Jedi Sentinel. Are there any recommendations other then using a yellow blade color? Is there anything else that is a bit more particularly similar?

I don't have a budget with a set limit just yet but I would like to keep the price within reason for what I was asking for.

If Someone can help me with this I would definitely appreciate it. And please don't just white knight this shop. If it's good quality, show me, if not, please show me somewhere that isn't the custom saber shop as I don't know how to build sabers (Though I'm certain this was already inferred.)

I don't live near anyone that shares this hobby so I do appreciate all the HELPFUL information I can get.

-Bcom976
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 4 weeks ago #14330

  • Aproximo
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This is kind of like trying to tell you what you like, it's just not going to work. A lot of the stuff you are asking about just doesn't go together. You can't do RGBA on a warrior. Spinning a toy is not like spinning one of these. The hilt is going to weigh more for one thing.

You will learn to work with what you have but avoid sharp edges and points fr sinning. Justicar and Gladius are good options for something smooth in the hand but certainly not the only spinnable sabers.

Personally I see no point in a soundless saber. Sooner or later you are going to wish it had sound. If you are worried about brightness of color go 12w. I would highly recommend a level that gets you to internal recharge, it is much better than opening up the saber every time you need to charge the battery. No crystal chamber. Unless you are pretty small get the mid length blade.

RGBA sounds cool in theory and it has it's point but you are worried about brightness. RGBA is going to run at 6w for most colors and 3w for some. That's not the path to brightness. RGBA requires a sound card, in fact the hero level sound card to make it work. So the path of a warrior does not include RGBA. Also I don't care much for the switch on a warrior so unless price is a problem get off the warrior is my suggestion. Then get what you like the look of.

Or go to Kickstarter and design your own. You don't need much more skill than building with Lego once Phil has that all sorted out. QC wireing is fool proof and easy and I'm confident that someone able to spin a saber can turn an alen screw.
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14333

  • Darth Floyd
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The videos I have seen of RGBA have turned me off to it, same with hero. I'm sure it is a setting that can be adjusted, but I hate the blade changing color on clash. It might be cool if it changed from red to blood orange or from one shade of blue or green to another. I think a lightsaber should have only one color. Plus there is the brightness, that you can only get from all 4 dice on at once.
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14335

  • Brax
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It is difficult to guide someone to a specific choice that they will really appreciate, when they themselves are not sure of their preferences. However, based on what information we do have, here are my thoughts.

As you are not an especially big guy, and brightness vs. cost are concerns, combined with the ability to spin with no sharp edges. To me, that points to a Champion level Consular. It is one of the shortest hilts SF makes, which will balance well with a 26" blade. You can get it in whatever color you like with the 12w option, and the Champion level gives you internal charging plus sound. There are no control boxes, or sharp edges to be concerned about, and by all accounts, the Consular is an all-around great saber, and since it is an Initiate saber, it will cost about $100 less than any of the Elite sabers at any given configuration.

If you head over to the review section for the Consular, you will see quite a few reviews of folks who think pretty highly of that choice.

That's my take, for what its worth.
Imagine what you will know tomorrow....
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14337

  • Knytiri
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What's a good first saber? Easy. The one that calls to you from the listings. Every saber has it's pros and cons, and everyone is going to have slightly varying opinions of each hilt. It's a personal flavor, personal touch decision. I would recommend starting your search with an apprentice saber. They're a little less expensive and a little more simple in design. If you don't fall in love with one of them, search through the elite hilts until you find one that does call to you. Just one word of advice on easy to use/spin/duel with... avoid control boxes. Some sabers, like the reliant can actually be ordered without the box.

As for battery you have only two options.. a 6w warrior set up comes with AAA batteries. 12w warrior, and everything else comes with an 18650 rechargeable. Warriors (except for the bane) do not have in hilt recharge. Blade width is all 1in. And the infinity edge v4 is the only blade that SF sells.

As has been said, RGBA is only an option on hero tier sabers, they are the only sabers with a board high powered enough to run the color changing options on an LED. Now, wattage is slightly misleading as wattage =/= brightness. Lumens = brightness and wattage simply refers to the power draw of the die in total in the LED unit. However, the RGBA functions on a 4 die LED unit, lighting and mixing seperate die at once, by themselves or all together. This does result in less brightness, yes, but especially in a 26in blade that's not going to be detrimental to the brightness level. And all the settings and color changing is 100% customizable on the SD card and the on board color menu, you just need to set it up how you like it. You don't even need flash if you don't want it.

The blade retention screws are 8/32 set screws which if I remember correctly are 5/64 Allen wrench keys.

SF's sabers are 100% warrantied for full contact dueling (with the exception of crystal reveal sabers) so you do not need to worry about the internals with or without sound. I've had my sabers from SF go through hell and come out the other side humming happily. And if something does happen to go wrong, it's a simple RMA form away from being repaired by SF.

And as for colors, really that's all personal preference too. Get what you like. If you want something close to yellow, try amber (orange) or lime green (yellow green).

Any hilt customization concerns, keep in mind, need to be emailed directly to SF, and they can assist you with what they can do from there, if you wanted to get a custom finish on a saber or special requests on a hilt, etc.

(Ps- this took forever to write on a phone... fml)
Last Edit: 11 months 3 weeks ago by Knytiri.
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14338

  • Brax
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Jeeze Knytiri, you wrote that on your phone? My post came from a computer, and that was more typing than I wanted to do this early in the morning! :lol:

All joking aside, what he said was absolutely true. Hopefully Bcom976, your decision will be a little easier with all of the information our resident experts provide. If you have more specific questions after you have digested all of this, throw them out there! We are always glad to help!
Imagine what you will know tomorrow....
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14339

  • janus
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Great advice, Knytiri.
That should be keep on top of this forum.
Consideration about decision making will help all new members who seeking first saber!
Own: Descent Hero RGBA
Luxeon converted Hasbro Darth Maul FX
Ultrasabers Guardian
Juggernaut warrior
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14340

  • Knytiri
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This gives me an idea... lol. Stay tuned!
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14341

  • Brax
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Knytiri wrote:
This gives me an idea... lol. Stay tuned!

And...here...we...go!
Imagine what you will know tomorrow....
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14343

  • Knytiri
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And... done. For the moment, anyway.... I plan on updating it regularly as I see new questions and remember things I didn't include the first time. :)
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14347

  • Bcom976
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Thank you all for the very fast response! But there were some questions that weren't answered but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Thank you very much again!
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14354

  • Knytiri
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Sorry, I went through your post twice and thought I hit most of the main points. Would you like to expand upon what wasn't answered? :)
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14377

  • Bcom976
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Thanks for being ever so helpful!

Now I didn't want anyone thinking that I thought RGBA worked on warrior. I knew it wasn't there. However, I didn't make it clear that I was willing to go up to the next tier (Champion? Hero?) Most of it was talking about RGBA though, and I didn't really get any other answers.

I know that it will obviously be much heavier than the toys I mentioned. I was more referencing them for hilt length/ thickness and blade length.

I was assured from a moderator that the internals are stable, but this is mostly coming from my personal worries of me doing something incorrectly with the saber.

I was elucidated on my other questions such as wrench size, but I wasn't enlightened on those topics.

Thank you guys very much for the help as I am also looking forward to your Adaptable Parts line as well.

Many thanks again,

-Bcom976
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14384

  • Knytiri
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Well, as I said, RGBA is only available on hero. Tiers go: initiate - warrior - champion - hero. Perhaps I missed your other questions about it? I felt as if the RGBA situation was pretty thoroughly addressed...

Hilts vary in size, but as a general rule SF sabers run on the small size of the spectrum. Apprentice sabets are smaller than elite sabers. Most size measurements can be found on the sabers listings but not all.. on average the length is around 10-12 inches for most sabers. Some with claws are longer. Blade length, you have your choice between. 26, 32, and 37in. It's mostly personal preference.

You should technically never have to open and fiddle with the internals of your saber. Doing so actually will void your warranty. Do so only at your own risk, and with some experience, preferably.

Wrench size is 5/64" for the blade and led retention screws. These 8-32 screws hold the blade and led in place in the hilt and are accessible on the external hilt of the saber. Only mess with the led screw if you have quick connects on your saber, otherwise trying to remove the led will most likely result in a broken wire.

If you have more questions, being specific with what you're asking helps. General questions it's hard to know exactly what you're asking, and can lead to some frustration in not getting what you're looking for.
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14385

  • Knytiri
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Also, I might add: go check out the new FAQ posted on the welcome section, I just typed it up today and it may have some relevant information.

Ps - once again typing long posts on my phone suuuuucks
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14397

  • Bcom976
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Thank you but I wanted to know if it was worth it. I wasn't necessarily saying That I wanted to get a bit more details on it.
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Planning on buying a saber. I want help 11 months 3 weeks ago #14400

  • Luno-Jay
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what better way to help you decide if it was worth it, than to have some resident experts and vets throw in, not only facts to help answer your various questions, but also help guide you with opinions on the sabers themselves.
at the end of the day in my opinion, yes it will be worth it.
These sabers kick serious ass, and i speak from experience when i say, they can take and ass kicking.
i have owned various tiers and types of hilts from SF and they have all been very durable dueling weapons and beautiful pieces of art.
my advice would be the same as the others have posted here already, and the same can be said for the facts in the details given, all i can say is, which saber was the one you first saw that brought you here asking questions and thinking over buying one? which one does your gut tell you is friggan awesome?
if your gonna get one, go with whichever one that is.
and may the force be with you.
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