How We Pick and Rate Sabers: Criteria, Test Plan and Disclosure

Hands-on testing has not been done yet. Every guide on this site is currently built from vendor listings, manufacturer documentation and cited third-party reports, and each place where a measurement belongs is marked “TEST NEEDED.” This page describes the method we intend to follow once sabers are in hand, so you can hold us to it, and explains what you are reading in the meantime.

What is published right now

Right now the guides give you specifications as the vendor states them, price bands with the date they were read, and explanations of how the technology works. They do not give you our measured results, because there are none.

Concretely, that means:

• Specifications are labelled as vendor-stated, never as confirmed.
• Prices carry “as of November 2026” only when read on a vendor page during writing. Anything older is marked “(unverified).”
• Rankings in pages such as the best lightsaber guide are based on stated specifications, warranty terms and published user reports. They are not test rankings.
• Gaps are visible. A grey note reading “TEST NEEDED” lists the exact measurement that would settle the question.

If you see a sentence that sounds like personal testing, treat it as an error and tell us.

How we choose what to include

We pick sabers by asking what a buyer actually needs to decide, not by which vendor pays best. The criteria, in order:

1. Use case fit. Display, cosplay, light sparring or hard duelling. A saber can be excellent for one and poor for another. See how to choose for dueling.
2. Written specifications. Blade length, blade type and grade, board, battery cell and whether it is removable, charging method, speaker size, number of sound fonts, warranty length.
3. Written duel rating. A vendor that rates a blade for contact should say so in writing. If it does not, we say that too.
4. Warranty and service terms. Length, what is excluded (hard use and opening the hilt are common exclusions), and who pays shipping.
5. Documentation and software. Whether the board is open or closed, whether sound and colour can be changed, and whether the manual is findable. Our explainers on boards and soundboards cover why this matters.
6. Price relative to the tier. We compare within a price band, not across them.
7. Availability. A saber that cannot be bought or that ships in three months gets that noted.

We exclude copies of licensed designs sold at implausibly low prices, and listings where the seller will not state basic specifications.

The test plan

These are the measurements we plan to take, each tied to a field in our own data model so results can be reused across guides. None of these have been run.

Brightness

Measured in lux with a light meter placed 30 cm from the blade, in a dark room, at the base, middle and tip, with the same colour and the same brightness setting on every unit. The purpose is to check how evenly a pixel blade lights and how much a baselit blade fades toward the tip. The background for that question is in the neopixel guide.

Runtime

Minutes from a full charge to the point where the blade dims or shuts off, with the blade on and idle, at a stated colour and default sound font. We will repeat the run where time allows and report the repeat count. Because pixel blades draw more power than baselit ones, we plan a same-hilt comparison where a vendor sells both [1]. Battery type and care are covered in lightsaber batteries.

Volume

Sound level in decibels at 1 metre for hum, swing and clash, with the same sound font where the board allows. We will also do a blind comparison of the same font on different boards, recorded under identical conditions.

Clash durability

A fixed number of controlled clashes (we plan 50 for entry pixel blades and 100 for duel-rated blades), followed by inspection for cracks, dead pixels, flicker, emitter play and a loosening blade retention screw. We will record the grade the vendor claims alongside the result. Duelling carries injury risk, so tests will be run with protective gear and only as controlled blade-to-blade contact. Technique and safety are in how to duel with a lightsaber.

Other measures

Weight with blade on a kitchen scale, charge time, ignition delay, time for a beginner to change colour and sound font, and a drop test where the vendor allows it. We will also note how the hilt feels after 30 minutes of use, and say clearly that this part is subjective.

What each published test will include

Every test will list the unit’s source (bought, vendor sample or borrowed), the board and firmware version, the exact conditions, the number of repeats and a named human tester. Photos will be our own. Where a sample was supplied by a vendor, the page will say so. Raw numbers will be published where we can, so you can check our arithmetic.

If a unit fails, we will report that. We will not drop a result because of a commercial relationship.

Independence

We are an editorial team with no ownership stake in any saber maker, and no vendor sees a page before it is published. Vendors cannot buy a placement, a score or an edit. A vendor sample, if we accept one, is disclosed on the test page. We do not claim any official connection to Lucasfilm, Disney or any manufacturer.

We also commit to correcting errors openly. Each guide carries a “last verified” date and a review cycle of six months. Prices and availability move quicker than that, so read the date before you act.

Affiliate disclosure policy

Some pages contain affiliate links. When they do, a short notice sits near the top of the page, before the first recommendation, not buried in a footer. The wording is plain: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and this does not change which products we list.

Our rules:

• A saber is chosen for inclusion on the criteria above, before anyone looks at whether an affiliate programme exists.
• Products without an affiliate programme appear on the same terms as products with one.
• Commission rates are never a ranking factor and are never published on product pages.
• Links are labelled. If you are not sure whether a link is an affiliate link, assume it is when it leads to a shop.

Disclosure expectations in the United States come from the Federal Trade Commission’s endorsement guidance, which asks for clear and conspicuous notice near the recommendation [2]. We follow that standard on every page, not only where it is required.

What this means for you today

Use the current guides for explanations, specification checklists and price bands. Do not read them as test results. Where a purchase decision hinges on brightness, runtime or durability, check the vendor’s written terms, look at independent owner reports, and buy from a seller with a clear return policy. When the first tests are done, the TEST NEEDED notes will be replaced by results, and the page will say when.

Sources

1. Ultrasabers, “What Is a Neopixel Lightsaber?” (1 May 2023), https://ultrasabers.com/holocron/what-is-a-neopixel-lightsaber/ (accessed 2026-11-06)
2. U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking, https://consumer.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking (accessed 2026-11-06)
3. Internal content specification, spec/content-model.md (Test type fields and metrics)
4. TEST NEEDED notes in the guides themselves, content/guides/buying/neopixel-lightsaber.md, content/guides/buying/best-lightsabers-under-100.md