This is not my usual realm of reviewed products, but this is so freaking cool, I had to share this. If we have a discussion on what is the most elegant battle weapon in science fiction, the light saber introduced in the Star Wars stories must be at the top of anyone’s top 10 list. Welded by both the “dark side” and “light side”, Jedi and Sith alike it is the signature weapon of the Star Wars series.
Thinking waaaay back to 1977 at the opening of the original Star Wars, I wanted nothing more in life than a Light Saber. Ohhh what I would have given to have one of the unbreakable KyberLights. KyberLight is everything you wanted back then… and well even now. Let’s face it we are all either Jedi or Sith at heart and we all need a lightsaber complete with color changing blade, clash on contact light flash, and all the appropriate sounds that go with light saber use. The KyberLight delivers the full experience starting at only $199.
WHAT IS THE KYBERLIGHT?
The “real lightsaber” in Star Wars was a kyber crystal powered plasma blade capable of cutting through pretty much anything. In the case of the KyberLight it is a well-designed hefty replication of a light saber made of billet aluminum with a blade powered by extremely bright color changeable ultra-high output LEDS that light up an indestructible sparing quality polycarbonate blade.
Yes - you can do full power contact dueling and sparring with the KyberLight like you would with martial arts bokkens or bamboo trainers. What sold me was the owner did a video of him banging the blade on driveway. Of note, the KyberLight is not a toy I would turn loose in the hands of any kid. Due to the weight, construction, heft and durability of the handle and blade it can about the same serious bone breaking damage as a training bokken even though it is not plasma powered.
FEATURES & OPERATIONS
Open the quiet well-made box, life the KyberLight from the box, press the top button on the handle and the KyberLight springs to life. The fixed (non-retracting) blade lights up brightly and that same wonderful sound of a light saber turning on is faithfully reproduced through an onboard soundcard and bottom firing speaker. The “hum” and “movement hum” of the operating light saber is also reproduced as is a clash and flash feature which cycles the color of the KyberLight blade to indicate a hit on the blade. All the cool features you would expect are there. On this new KyberLight model I reviewed they have upgraded the digital electronics board to be able to also turn off the clash feature and completely turn off the sound. Admittedly after 10 minutes or so, the “hum” can get annoying.
The KyberLight is rechargeable and recharges in around two hours with a continuous run time of 3 hours and intermittent use runtime of around 8 hours. I found the run time more than sufficient. KyberLight has already offered one digital board swap upgrade for owners, and I would expect as time goes by that more upgrades will follow. My perspective is that the Kyberlight should be upgradable via some type of app, but that may be asking a lot of a $199 sparing quality light saber.
The blade itself is a tapered hollow “unbreakable” polycarbonate blade with a screw in tip that has a mirror inside to help with light diffusion inside the blade to improve the look and brightness of the light. KyberLight also offers replacement blades and in two different sizes, so if you do spar a lot and want a show blade and extra sparring blade you can order a spare. The blade affixes securely to the handle via hex head set screws. Based on the beating I gave the KyberLight, the attachment of the blade is plenty secure.
The first button powers the KyberLight on/off, turns the clash features on/off and can turn off all the sound. The second button cycles through the twenty light colors the super bright LEDS can produce. Including white, there is a pretty substantial rainbow of colors to choose from in both very dark rich colors to lighter hues, so you can find your Sith blood red, you son brilliant Jedi green, and your daughter light pink.
When you start reading through all the Star Wars nerd posts, you will see many reference that it is hard to have a “daylight” color blade. Regardless of how bright your flashlight is, you probably are not going to see it in full sun. The visible KyberLight blade lighting is only visible in less than full sun situations. On overcast days, it is bright. At night is is blazingly bright. The output of the LED lights is over 300 lumens. Anything over 200 lumens is considered blindingly bright and should not be looked at without a blade in place - which I will note delivers a pretty useful and super bright flashlight with a 3-hour run time.
An important note is that KyberLight backs up their quality with a lifetime warranty. Should you need to replace a part, because it was you and not really a warranty issue, KyberLight offers every component as a replacement part.
CUSTOMIZATION
KyberLight is fully customizable. The pommel, guard/emitter, and grip can all be swapped out with various optional accessories. Kyberlight sells a base model for $199 which includes the bare billet silver aluminum handle base unit, a black grip, black emitter, and silver pommel and cap. The grips, blade, and emitters are all held on with either hex wrench screws or included stylized thumb screws - the hex wrench and extra screws are included. The pommel (bottom base) are simply screwed in and are hollow to allow the speaker to play through the base.
If you are planning to play around with a bunch of different customization options… or cough… have kids then you will want to go ahead and upgrade to the MASTER pack which includes three grips, four pommels, four emitters, plus the base KyberLight unit. This was what I tested and added an optional carbon fiber grip… because I love carbon fiber.
What is amazing is that the MASTER pack still is only a small representation of all the various grips, pommels, emitters, colored “daylight” blades, and other custom parts KyberLight offers. You can get very carried away.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Obviously, there are several other competing lightsaber companies out there making sparing quality cos-play lightsabers which can easily hit $500 - $1000. KyberLight was founded because they wanted to offer a more affordable option which still offered rich features and class leading durability. The result is a light saber which delivers 90% of what we want at a price that starts at only $199, backed with a solid warranty and good customer service. Take a look at the videos on their site to see the KyberLight in action.
As noted previously, this is not my typical product I would review, however sometimes we just have to have a little fun. If you are not a Star Wars nerd/fan, then you probably will not get that I was/still am very excited over the KyberLight.
My eyes lit up when I opened the box and when I hit that button, I was in elementary school again and was Darth Pandemic the moment I hit the button and the blade lit with life. This is without question a freaking blast...though I do see at least one more being purchased to dual with the kids. You can bet Sith Pandemic will be roaming the streets on Halloween… yak know with my kids. Yep I am a big kid and I am betting you are too, if you love Star Wars male or female the KyberLight is a great durable and affordable fun.
My eyes lit up when I opened the box and when I hit that button, I was in elementary school again and was Darth Pandemic the moment I hit the button and the blade lit with life. This is without question a freaking blast...though I do see at least one more being purchased to dual with the kids. You can bet Sith Pandemic will be roaming the streets on Halloween… yak know with my kids. Yep I am a big kid and I am betting you are too, if you love Star Wars male or female the KyberLight is a great durable and affordable fun.
KYBERLIGHT PROVIDED MANUFACTURER SPECS
Indestructible Fighting Blade - These custom lightsabers aren't just for show. Each Kyberlight custom saber is designed with combat in mind. Our goal was to make these fully fightable and built to last. Guaranteed! And we back it up with a LIFETIME warranty on every Kyberlight blade.
Affordability – We created the Kyberlight saber to not only be the highest quality custom lightsaber in the world, but to also be the most affordable and accessible for fans of all ages anywhere in the world. We'll stack our Kyberlight Saber up against anything else out there, from quality to pricing... guaranteed!
Base Kyberlight Pack - $199
Master Pack Kyberlight - $299
SPECIFICATIONS:
7075 Aerospace Grade Aluminum
12 W + LED with a Quad Core
Proprietary LED Driver
Proprietary Custom Sound Board
32" Kyberlight saber blade is made from a proprietary plastic blend that allows flexibility and extreme strength
Re-chargeable battery and charger included
Tool kit included (wrench and extra set screws)
CUSTOMIZATION INSTRUCTIONS:
To change top piece, remove set screw and slide off.
To change sleeve, remove set screw at the bottom and the converted wheel and then slide upward.
To remove the pommel piece, twist counter clockwise and remove.
To select colors, simply press the color select button (middle button on hilt).
CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS:
Plug the charger into the charging port. Unit cannot be turned on during the charging process. Charging will take approximately 2 hours and the LED on the charger will turn from red to green when it is ready. The charge will last approximately 3 hours of continuous use and up to 8 hours of sporadic use.
WARRANTY:
Every Kyberlight saber blade and tips come with a lifetime warranty. If for any reason, you break the Kyberlight blade we will replace it plus shipping. The Kyberlight hilt and electronics comes with a 1-year warranty. If your Kyberlight hilt or electronics are damaged or broken within 1-year after purchase due to normal use including combat, we will replace or repair it for free. We do not cover water damage or intentional abuse. Attempting to repair the Kyberlight yourself will void the warranty. Please email us at Sales@Kyberlight.com to request a return.
SOURCES
KyberLight -http://kyberlight.com