Review of Luke Skywalker Force FX Lightsaber
Star Wars Replica

Introduction

One of the earliest big ticket collectibles in the modern market was the screen accurate lightsaber. Twenty years ago, companies like Master Replicas made their name with high quality saber reproductions, and the market for quality products has only increased over the years.

One of the modern producers is Damiensabers, and they make a wide variety of both character specific and custom sabers. Tonight I'm looking at their latest version of the Luke Skywalker Force FX saber Xenopixel v3, which runs around $300, but is currently on sale through their website for $259.

Packaging - N/A
The saber came packed in a non-descript shipping box, with no sort of art box. Not a huge deal, and not an issue for me, because the packaging was sturdy and ensured everything was safe and sound. I do think they need to improve the instructions they include, but it's a minor issue, thanks to a number of useful videos they provide at their website.

Sculpting/Construction - ****
The 'sculpting' here is machine work, because the full hilt is metal. It is a very well made, heavy duty hilt, and it can be unscrewed at a couple different spots to expose the electronics. This is also how you charge it - the back knob of the hilt unscrews to give access to the power connection. They include a charger cable of course.

The speaker is also in the very end, hence the need for the holes you see in the hilt in the photo above.

The hilt itself is 11" long, while the removable PVC blade is just over 36 inches. The blade is inserted into the hilt, and four small screws are tightened with the include Allen wrench to hold it in place. This is considered a dueling saber, and they advertise it as capable of handling the forces necessary. It is a little heavy, but I had no trouble swinging it in basic patterns, swapping from hand to hand, and getting fancy without any fear the blade would come out. However, it does seem to me that if you were really smacking this one against another blade, the force involved could damage the blade at the screws. I haven't tried it though, so consider it just a caution if you plan on doing some really serious battle against another opponent. The blade itself is quite thick, and I think it can handle striking another blade without breaking or cracking.

The hilt can hang from your belt thanks to a very heavy duty triangular loop at the end. Again, both the materials and construction are excellent, so there's no worries it might come off.

In the photo below, you'll see my hand - and no, I'm not a hand model - for size reference.

Paint/Finish - ****
Calling this 'paint' is inaccurate, but I'm doing it simply for consistency across reviews. Using the term 'finish' would be more appropriate, and the brass and steel finish on the aluminum alloy hilt is flawless, clean, and easy to maintain.

Of course the blade is milky white when unlit, and brightly colored when turned on. We'll get into the specifics of the light feature in another category.

It's also worth noting that the overall finish was extremely consistent, with no odd spots or matte vs gloss variations in the surface.

Control/App - ***1/2
This is version 3 of the saber, and one of the coolest features is the ability to control it through an application on your phone.

Of course, the app isn't necessary to do most things. The button on the handle does lots of heavy lifting, but there's also a motion sensor, and you can do simpler tasks - like lighting it up or turning it off - with the proper movement of the hilt. This motion sensor also comes in handy with the various sounds, especially when swinging the blade.

Particularly useful app features include the volume setting, a quick glance of how much power you have left, minute control over the color palette, and even a brightness setting for the blade. Rather than having to cycle through the various options using just one or two buttons on the hilt, this app makes controlling the saber far easier and quicker.

Version 3 also allows for firmware updates over time, which means they'll be able to add additional features to both the app and the saber with just a simple download.

There are already a million features here. The saber color, the volume, the various sounds, the effect on contact, the effect when dragging, the effect when blocking a blaster shot, the brightness, the movement sounds...you'll be able to fully customize just how you want this saber to react, or use one of the many presets based on well known characters.

Accessories - ***1/2
While it might seem odd to get 'accessories' with something like this, there are some additional items well worth mentioning.

I mentioned the charging cable earlier, but they also include a second button cover, as well as a couple Allen wrenches to work with the various tiny screws. And because these screws are so tiny, they included a few extras as well, knowing you'll probably lose one or two in the carpet at some point.

There is also an acrylic display stand, which you see me use in a number of the photos. It's particularly good for that sort of set up, and is easy to assemble. I'll be hanging mine on the wall with the blade in place, ready for a quick demo to any guest or dark lord, but the stand allows you to set it on a shelf or table, with or without the blade attached.

Finally, there's an extra item I had to ask about. It's a short blade with a cool looking brass top on it. This is a 'blade plug', designed to be put in place when the regular blade is not there. The idea is simple - the LED lights on this baby are REALLY bright, and by having this plug in place, you avoid blinding your cat when you turn it on. It's a safety feature that they managed to make look cool at the same time.

Light Feature - ****
Ah, yes, the two big features - light and sound. Let's start with the light.

As I said, it's REALLY bright. It can produce a fully lit blade in bright room lighting in one of any number of colors. They include preset 'fonts', designed to emulate Luke, or Leia, or Vader, or even some of the lesser characters, like Cal Kestis or the Second Sister. These settings don't just control the color of the blade, but they also control other features, like the sound and light effect when the saber is blocking a blaster shot, for example. Each character has a different effect.

The light can also travel up and down the blade at rest, which is a really neat effect in person.

The light is very consistent, and very sharp. You can swap this saber back into RBG mode as well, but the Xenopixel mode is where you'll keep it most of the time.

There's a short video of the saber in action, just don't get all judgey on me. You'll be able to see it light up, and hear some of the effects.

Sound Feature - ****
The other key feature is the sound, and there are a ton of options here as well.

The speaker is in the very back of the hilt, and the volume can be set quite loud. It can be controlled either with the button on the handle, or more easily through the app. The speaker is clear and sharp, and has a voice that lets you know what you've selected and what setting you're working on as you cycle through. It also tells you when it's charging (and done charging), as well as a number of other things.

There are sound effects for all sorts of situations. Obviously there's the basic hum when the saber is lit, but there's also the movement sound, the clashing sound, the deflecting sound, the dragging sound, and these are designed to emulate various characters. If you want to be a purist there's a Luke Skywalker setting of course, but it's nice to have all these options.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
As I mentioned, while the blade and hilt are a little heavy, I had no trouble swinging it in some basic patterns and routines. It will look great on your belt without the blade, or you can impress your friends with your Star Wars Kid routine without fear of damaging anything other than your pride.

In the photo below, you'll see the saber hanging on the wall of my bar, next to Cap's shield, lit up four distinctly different ways.

Value - ***
At around $250 right now, this is a solid deal. You would have paid more than double that for a Master Replicas version 20 years ago, with far, far fewer options. Of course, those hilts were specifically designed to be as screen accurate as possible, and were not intended to have a blade or be used in battle.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. As I mentioned, while this is advertised as a heavy dueling saber, I haven't tested it out against another combatant, so I can't speak to how well it holds up under those conditions. But I do know the blade is attached tightly to the hilt, so that swinging it in pretty much any pattern is possible without fear of the blade coming loose.

Overall - ****
This is a beautiful replica, designed to be operational. That means there are some minor things that are not screen accurate, necessary to be able to play sounds, or attach a hilt. Still, you won't find many companies that have done a better job recreating the original design in a way that can also be used as a fully lit lightsaber.

The price is right too - those old MR sabers would have cost double this, and many modern sabers are also running in the $400 - $500 range. You're getting a high quality product here, at a decent price.

And if you're looking for something custom just for you, Damiensaber can manage that too!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - N/A
Sculpting/Construction - ****
Paint/Finish - ****
Control/App - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Light Feature - ****
Sound Feature - ****
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
You can pick up this saber directly from the Damiensaber website right now on sale for $259. If you're looking for fewer features, they have options as low as $130.

Related Links -
I never bought a Master Replicas saber...at least not one of the full size replicas. What was I thinking?

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