New to the custom saber world
You're ready to skip the flimsy toys and take a step into the custom saber world - but what do you go for? This can get confusing at times but here are some tips to help you out
Budget
Custom sabers can get very expensive very quickly and can turn into a very important lesson if you're buying it from other brands who focus a lot on marketing instead of their own products - if you see it pop up too often on your newsfeed, chances are you are paying for it when you buy those products.
Always start with what you can afford, a custom saber does not need to be $600 apiece, starter sabers can easily be found with stunts as low as $39, lights and sound at $59 such as the Kyojin which is a lighter/lower performance saber or a step up to the $89 Maverick V2 or even the $139 Maverick V3.
The good side on starting with budget sabers is that you can quickly develop a understanding on whether you really love this hobby or you just want a taste of it and that's it.
What can you buy with your money? $59 - $1000
At $39 The Shiva is a stunt saber, featuring a easy swap out 18650 battery. You can add on a Tsuba to protect your fingers and for a very low price have a full dueling grade saber to practice combat fights or spinning.
At $59 the Kyojin features light and sound, not as bright and not as loud, 0 customizability and no color changing functions - it is a very basic saber, generally recommended for kids because of its smaller size - it takes 7/8 blades
At $79 You have the Maverick V1 a nicer looking hilt with the functions of the Kyojin it takes 7/8 blades
At $89 you have the Maverick v2 which is an amazing duel worthy saber featuring a very bright general LED and loud sounds, it also takes 1 inch blades. The body is made out of one piece of aircraft grade Aluminum with only a removable pommel and a mounted chassis to the body providing extra strength. The downside is the soundboard which is not as sensitive compared to the higher end sabers.
At $139 you have the successor the Maverick V3 which is similar to the v2 but with the exception of RGB color changing so you can choose you favourite colors on the go. A coupler can also be used to join 2 Maverick hilts to have a double bladed Darth maul style lightsaber.
At $219 and above you have different styles of combat lightsabers featuring a higher end soundboard such as the Asteria Heart or the Proffieboard. Both boards provide customizability to control how hard or soft you would like to swing to generate a sound effect or what soundfonts you would like to have on the lightsaber.
At $289 You enter the area of pro custom sabers, a high quality saber featuring the latest Neopixel blades and smooth swing customizable fonts allows you to customize your saber entirely. The Bors Dragonslayer is a hot favourite! Followed closely with the RVS
Most sabers above $400 are our replica hilts which feature amazing on-screen accuracy such as our Obi wan kenobi or Anakin or Luke Skywalker hilt or even the Darth Vader lightsaber alongside the brightest lights possible with the best sounds available. These hilts never fail to impress anyone that jumps into this level of custom sabers.
Soundboard (Sound)
1) Basic Soundboards - Generally feature 1 to 3 soundfonts and have no customizability - they are very affordable
2) Asteria Heart v1.5 - 6-8 soundfonts and have full customizability with RGB and able to change colors on the go. You also have control over each individual sound that comes out from the saber
3) ProffieBoard - High level of customization and unlimited banks however it requires a lot of knowledge and extra software to be able to customize anything
Also features smoothswing which pitches the sounds during movement of the hilt
4) Asteria Heart V2 - 12 - 16 soundfonts, full customizability with RGB Neopixel Scrolling blades and smoothswing, allows color changing on the go with flame effects and different blade styles. You have absolute control with the easy to use board!
LED (Light)
Few terms to be familiar with from left weakest to right strongest
(Regular LEDS, TriCree LEDS, Regular Stringblades, Neopixel Blades)
1) Regular LED
Regular LEDs are available in most budget sabers usually below $150. Regular LEDS are great for dueling due to the fact that the LEDs are within the hilt and when the blade does break you can simply replace the blade affordably -$19 a pop.
2) Tri Cree LED
Tri Crees are the brighest of inhilt LEDs, brighter than Regular LEDs but costing slightly more. They are the best for dueling due to the fact that the LEDs are within the hilt and when the blade does break you can simply replace the blade affordably -$19 a pop.
3) Regular Stringblades
Regular Stringblades feature a scrolling effect and are generally brighter than Regular LEDS but similar to TriCrees. They are only suitable for Mid strength fights and are not recommended for heavy dueling as once a single LED in the middle of the stringblade pops - you will have to replace the whole blade.
4) Neopixel Blades
Neopixel Blades are the brightest of their kind and have customizability in comparison to the Regular Stringblades. They can have single spot flash on clash, color changing and various effects added to it. They are suitable for Mid strength fights and are not recommended for heavy dueling as once a single LED in the middle of the stringblade pops - you will have to replace the whole blade.
Hilt
Finally we come to the hilt types, the most affordable hilts come with simple design but many times the more complicated hilts they are can cost much more to produce. This is pure an aesthetics thing and just pick you favorite hilt!
I hope this guide helps a little in starting your Custom Saber Journey.
MTFBWY Always!