The maker of LaserSaber and Tunnel Gun has come up with an economy LaserSaber for those on a budget who want to check out how a LaserSaber works or just want a new toy and cheap for your high powered laser.
http://www.lasersaber.com/LaserSaberE.html
I was intrigued by how the LaserSaber actually works and was thinking of building my own and ended up contacting the creator, Cheyenne. He was actually very forthcoming about sharing the simple yet ingenious technology behind it and finally offered me a budget version of his LaserSaber. So I was one of the first to receive the LaserSaber E and decided to review it here.
Communication/Customer Service:
Excellent. Very helpful and prompt replies.
Shipping:
Very fast (under a week) Priority Mail prism tube box. Received the item 4 days after the said he shipped it.
First impression:
It's really economical. The finishing/glue on the tip was rather bad and the PolyC tube seemed slightly scarred. Furthermore, the black paint on the PVC was scratched off in several places. But no matter, this is an economy saber after all. As long as the blade and attachment works great.
Reply from Cheyenne: I will see If I can build it using black PVC so the paint does not rub off.
Laser Attachment System:
So I whipped out a 45mW green to test drive it. The first thing I noticed was the laser attachment system is rather unrefined too(although pretty simple and ingenious) and could cause severe scratches to the head of the laser while putting it in and out. I had to take a penknife to scrape out some larger bits and may have to go back and sand it down or remove the rough edges somehow. Anyway that's budget too but still ok. the same system is used on the $95 saber if I am not wrong.
Blade:
In went the 45mW and I hit the button. In lighted conditions it was quite a huge disappointment with only the bottom 1/3 lighted up properly. But with the lights off, the whole thing does light up and looks pretty cool but not as bright as say a Luxeon saber I've seen.
My blade is not evenly lit up. Maybe my laser is not aligned properly so I went to check. Sure enough rotating my laser and adjusting it made the blade tube light up more evenly in dark conditions and now I could see some light all the way to the tip in lighted conditions. Much better now.
RFC: For lighted conditions definitely use a 100mW green. I think you will be really surprised by how it looks. Put a 100mW green in it with fresh batteries and get back to me with your results.
100mW Green:
I put in 100mW green and the saber really does light up and hold its own in lighted conditions. In the dark it is also much brighter. But I still think it would lose out to a good Luxeon III saber but edge out a MR FX saber.
Slider midway in blade. 100mW green in lighted conditions
Inner Tube:
However I soon realized that the inner blade diffuser was kinda scrunched up in the blade tube such that it was bent and did not sit straight or securely in the middle of the PolyC tube. so the light diffusing down the tube was kinda uneven. I recommended that the OD of the inner diffuser tube matches the ID of the PolyC tube so the fit snugly into one another and the light will be diffused properly all the time.
RFC: I will definitely try to find a way to keep the inside tube running straight down the blade. I have something in mind that should work great. ;-) If it works well, I will send you the parts needed. You can also adjust the inside diffuser tube by bending the blade as shown here: http://www.lasersaber.com/FAQ.html
My last criticism is that the hilt does not screw to the blade holder/laser attachment properly. I screw like 1/3 to 1/2 way down and it gets jammed for some reason. I tried forcing it through the blockage but it didn't work and I had to use some force to unscrew it. Perhaps something could be done here as it certainly needs improving.
RFC: I will try to get new parts for the hilt that will allow it to screw into the blade better.
Blade Holder:
Of course there are some good point I would like to mention as well. The plastic blade holder actually looks pretty nice and seems to hold the blade pretty securely. I might have to find an allen key to see if that screw there really acts to lock the blade in. It doesn't look too bad either with the jagged edges. You can contact him if you want a professionally machined(TCSS) blade holder for around $15 more. It is threaded to fit MHS hilt parts from TCSS.
Slider/Magnet Mechanism:
The slider/magnet mechanism also works pretty well. Except maybe the ball inside seemed kinda small for the tube but I am not sure. The magnet holds the ball securely while swinging the blade vigorously (dueling has not been tested) and it actually takes quite an effort to get the ball down. The best method is the one recommended of slapping the bottom of the hilt down into your palm.
Some saber fanatics have complained about the extension effect only working when the tip is lower than the hilt and also about having to slap the hilt to make the ball fall to retract the blade. IMO this is not a huge problem. Even without the extension/retraction and just a simple mirrored tip, you get a pretty cool lasersaber. Normal LED sabers do not have extension/etraction technology either they just have a mirrorred tip. So to me, the magnet and slider tech is very creative and a huge plus for me.
Summary:
All in all, the LaserSaber Economy is pretty decent for it's price. Everything is absolutely economical and could probably be self assembled at a slightly lower cost. But save yourself the trouble and get one premade from Cheyenne. Then mod it into your own custom saber hilt.
The LaserSaber E does work as described, producing a cool lightsaber-like blade from a laser although it might lose out in comparison to a good Luxeon saber. In particular, the blade and diffuser tube needs to be of higher standard. But with 100mW of green, it certainly challenges some of the green MR FX sabers I have seen on brightness.
Customer service is excellent and makes up for quite abit. He also promises to address all the above problems in future LaserSabers.
I recommend the LaserSaber E despite all its flaws. At under $30, it's a really great and affordable accessory for your lasers if you can accept the poor aesthetics. Can be loads of fun if you are willing to risk your lasers in an all out duel!!
It does work with BluRay... but only in the dark!!!
http://www.lasersaber.com/LaserSaberE.html
I was intrigued by how the LaserSaber actually works and was thinking of building my own and ended up contacting the creator, Cheyenne. He was actually very forthcoming about sharing the simple yet ingenious technology behind it and finally offered me a budget version of his LaserSaber. So I was one of the first to receive the LaserSaber E and decided to review it here.
Communication/Customer Service:
Excellent. Very helpful and prompt replies.
Shipping:
Very fast (under a week) Priority Mail prism tube box. Received the item 4 days after the said he shipped it.
First impression:
It's really economical. The finishing/glue on the tip was rather bad and the PolyC tube seemed slightly scarred. Furthermore, the black paint on the PVC was scratched off in several places. But no matter, this is an economy saber after all. As long as the blade and attachment works great.
Reply from Cheyenne: I will see If I can build it using black PVC so the paint does not rub off.
Laser Attachment System:
So I whipped out a 45mW green to test drive it. The first thing I noticed was the laser attachment system is rather unrefined too(although pretty simple and ingenious) and could cause severe scratches to the head of the laser while putting it in and out. I had to take a penknife to scrape out some larger bits and may have to go back and sand it down or remove the rough edges somehow. Anyway that's budget too but still ok. the same system is used on the $95 saber if I am not wrong.
Blade:
In went the 45mW and I hit the button. In lighted conditions it was quite a huge disappointment with only the bottom 1/3 lighted up properly. But with the lights off, the whole thing does light up and looks pretty cool but not as bright as say a Luxeon saber I've seen.
My blade is not evenly lit up. Maybe my laser is not aligned properly so I went to check. Sure enough rotating my laser and adjusting it made the blade tube light up more evenly in dark conditions and now I could see some light all the way to the tip in lighted conditions. Much better now.
RFC: For lighted conditions definitely use a 100mW green. I think you will be really surprised by how it looks. Put a 100mW green in it with fresh batteries and get back to me with your results.
100mW Green:
I put in 100mW green and the saber really does light up and hold its own in lighted conditions. In the dark it is also much brighter. But I still think it would lose out to a good Luxeon III saber but edge out a MR FX saber.
Slider midway in blade. 100mW green in lighted conditions
Inner Tube:
However I soon realized that the inner blade diffuser was kinda scrunched up in the blade tube such that it was bent and did not sit straight or securely in the middle of the PolyC tube. so the light diffusing down the tube was kinda uneven. I recommended that the OD of the inner diffuser tube matches the ID of the PolyC tube so the fit snugly into one another and the light will be diffused properly all the time.
RFC: I will definitely try to find a way to keep the inside tube running straight down the blade. I have something in mind that should work great. ;-) If it works well, I will send you the parts needed. You can also adjust the inside diffuser tube by bending the blade as shown here: http://www.lasersaber.com/FAQ.html
My last criticism is that the hilt does not screw to the blade holder/laser attachment properly. I screw like 1/3 to 1/2 way down and it gets jammed for some reason. I tried forcing it through the blockage but it didn't work and I had to use some force to unscrew it. Perhaps something could be done here as it certainly needs improving.
RFC: I will try to get new parts for the hilt that will allow it to screw into the blade better.
Blade Holder:
Of course there are some good point I would like to mention as well. The plastic blade holder actually looks pretty nice and seems to hold the blade pretty securely. I might have to find an allen key to see if that screw there really acts to lock the blade in. It doesn't look too bad either with the jagged edges. You can contact him if you want a professionally machined(TCSS) blade holder for around $15 more. It is threaded to fit MHS hilt parts from TCSS.
Slider/Magnet Mechanism:
The slider/magnet mechanism also works pretty well. Except maybe the ball inside seemed kinda small for the tube but I am not sure. The magnet holds the ball securely while swinging the blade vigorously (dueling has not been tested) and it actually takes quite an effort to get the ball down. The best method is the one recommended of slapping the bottom of the hilt down into your palm.
Some saber fanatics have complained about the extension effect only working when the tip is lower than the hilt and also about having to slap the hilt to make the ball fall to retract the blade. IMO this is not a huge problem. Even without the extension/retraction and just a simple mirrored tip, you get a pretty cool lasersaber. Normal LED sabers do not have extension/etraction technology either they just have a mirrorred tip. So to me, the magnet and slider tech is very creative and a huge plus for me.
Summary:
All in all, the LaserSaber Economy is pretty decent for it's price. Everything is absolutely economical and could probably be self assembled at a slightly lower cost. But save yourself the trouble and get one premade from Cheyenne. Then mod it into your own custom saber hilt.
The LaserSaber E does work as described, producing a cool lightsaber-like blade from a laser although it might lose out in comparison to a good Luxeon saber. In particular, the blade and diffuser tube needs to be of higher standard. But with 100mW of green, it certainly challenges some of the green MR FX sabers I have seen on brightness.
Customer service is excellent and makes up for quite abit. He also promises to address all the above problems in future LaserSabers.
I recommend the LaserSaber E despite all its flaws. At under $30, it's a really great and affordable accessory for your lasers if you can accept the poor aesthetics. Can be loads of fun if you are willing to risk your lasers in an all out duel!!
It does work with BluRay... but only in the dark!!!
