Star Wars FX Lightsaber Toys & Lightsaber Replicas
If you really want to enjoy movies like Star Wars, you need to be able to forget everything you learned at school, temporarily switch off the logical circuits in your brain and simply accept certain things as real. If you try to figure out how the Star Wars lighsabers work, it doesn't make too much sense. However, if you accept them as reality, you'll probably agree, that having a real lightsaber, or at least a lightsaber replica or toy, could be quite cool. Let's take a look at some basic options to help you buy lightsaber that matches your requirements.
StarWars FX Lightsaber Toys
Without any doubt, the toy lightsabers are still among the most popular gifts for children. All the major toy manufacturers e.g. Hasbro have their own line of lightsaber toys. The basic versions can be purchased from as low as $10. They usually feature a plastic handle with battery operated light-up telescopic blade. Obviously, you cannot expect too much of quality and durability in this price range. If you're willing to spend $25 to $30, you can get a higher quality Star Wars FX lightsaber toys with additional features like sound effects (real battle-clash and humming sounds), vibration (so called "force fx lightsabers") and more. Another interesting option is the Star Wars Ultimate Lightsaber set (from $35), which includes various interchangeable parts allowing you to build toy versions of the weapons used by characters like Luke Skywalker, Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, or even assemble the double lightsaber used by Darth Maul or build your own unique design.
Anakin Skywalker lightsaber, Darth Vader FX lightsaber, Obi Van lightsaber, Count Dooku lightsaber
Star Wars FX Lightsaber Replicas
For a real Star Wars fan or serious collector, I recommend spending between $100 - $150 for a proper lightsaber replica. The difference from the toy versions is huge. The handles are usually made of solid die-cast chrome plated aluminium combined with polyethylene with high level of detail which makes them look like real lightsabers. The blades are permanently attached and usually made of sturdy shatterproof polycarbonate illuminated by a string of bright LEDs. These high quality replicas feature a whole range of authentic light and sound effects e.g. power-up/power-down effect, hum when idle, swooshing sound when moved and clashing sound when hitting another object. These effects are controlled by built in motion detectors.
Build Your Own Custom Lightsaber
Custom Darth Maul lightsaber
If you are a real enthusiast and you can afford to spend up to $450, you may want to build your own custom lightsaber replica. There are many specialized online stores where you can select from hundreds of high quality metal components for your unique lightsaber hilt (look for Modular Hilt System aka MHS), as well as other parts like electronics kits, polycarbonate battle blades etc. These replicas are realistic enough for display in your room or office, and durable enough for lightsaber duels with your friends. Most of the mentioned web sites provide detailed lightsaber construction tutorials, or you can simply have your custom lightsaber built and delivered right to your door.