It has been over 40 years since Star Wars introduced its iconic weapon to the world: the lightsaber. The trademark weapon of the Jedi, is a scorching sword that shines with a neon light that has captivated millions of fans around the world. Since then, people have not stopped looking for the perfect lightsaber for personal use – even if it means spending a lot of cash.
Toy lightsabers are not hard to find, but in 2019, Disney debuted a premium experience for Star Wars fans visiting Galaxy’s Edge. In it, park goers can make their own personalized saber, piece by piece. They can choose a cable, the color of the beam and customize the weapon according to their taste. They can even recreate lightsabers held by Star Wars characters piece by piece now, which gives the experience an air of authenticity.
From a collector’s point of view, these swords are worth the price of $ 200. Many of the other lightsabers for sale in stores are mass-produced and made of cheaper plastic. Disney stocks quality components that look heavy and make the saber look beautiful enough to display in your home. Still, there are still fan efforts to build sabers that are more impressive than what Disney can offer.
Nowhere is this more evident than at TikTok, where Star Wars fans display their own versions of the saber. The hashtag “#aber de luz” on TikTok started to become a trend in early March and, although the lightsaber culture is nothing new, there is a resurgence of interest in 2021. In TikTok alone, the hashtag currently has 1, 9 billion views. The creations themselves are as impressive as the number of views.
Former engineer and YouTuber James Hobson, for example, shared an extraordinary video in which he showed what he calls “the first real lightsaber”. According to his video, the saber works with compressed liquid propane and essentially looks and works like a real lightsaber, at least in theory. The realistic lightsaber, in this case, can emit and retract a blade of light, while being powerful enough to cut titanium. Watching this in action is reminiscent of the way Qui-Gon Jinn cuts through metal doors in The phantom threat. Sure, this saber needs to be plugged in all the time, but it’s still impressive.
Hobson’s lightsaber belongs to him – you can’t buy it. But if you are an aquarist with a keen eye and plenty of money, there are plenty of lightsaber options out there. Accounts that review and display tailor-made sabers often offer side-by-side comparisons with what Disney offers.
Many fan-made cables use a light from a company called Neopixel. These lightsabers shine brighter, with a more saturated color, than Disney’s $ 200 lightsabers. They also flash like the lightsabers shown in the movies. The Disney light will come on in small sections, while the Neopixel light looks like it comes out of the cable. Neopixel models respond more quickly with sounds, while Disney models are a little late.
Of course, these details come with a price tag. A Neopixel lightsaber inspired by Kylo Ren’s weapon sells for $ 465.97 at the Padawan Outpost, more than double the price charged by Disney World.
Third-party sellers can also go further than Disney when it comes to custom sabers. Even though Disney offers fans several ways to mix and match pieces, you are still working with the same predetermined materials. Statistically speaking, given the large number of people who make lightsabers at Disney World, there is likely to be someone walking around with a gun similar to yours.
Starfall Sabers offer hand-made lightsabers to make a completely unique handle. The manufacturer takes orders for replicas, however, many of the sabers demonstrate their skill and create a unique custom cable, like this one. Starfall Sabers uses synthetic materials to imitate Tatooine’s fictional Krayt dragon tooth, as an example. Small details like textured leather, aged engraving on the metal parts and a darkened tooth, all create an aged exterior that fits the overall theme of the dragon. You can’t get that kind of meticulous detail at Disney World.
A lightsaber like this will cost you $ 695 dollars only for a base fist, not including the actual blade of the weapon.
Although TikTok is packed with premium lightsabers that will break the bank, the good news is that the hashtag is not exclusively dedicated to realistic replicas. You can even get tips on how to make something special and personalized if you are willing to make a DIY lightsaber. Of course, it won’t have cutting-edge features, but if the best lightsabers are the ones with which you have a connection, there’s nothing more intimate than making one by hand.