Saber Forge – Review
(thanks to Cantina staff member Darth Lexor Kai for writing this review)
This is my review of a saber that I recently purchased from Saber Forge. All our readers can use the code SWNews7 when you check out at SaberForge.com and you will receive 10% off your order…
Saber forge offers a wide variety of sabers that can be highly customized to your personal preference. From the weathered finish, to a huge selection of leather wraps, and of course blade color, Saber Forge can create the light saber of your dreams.
I have ordered the Descent – Champion Edition (Hilt Finish Weathered, Grip Wrap Color Black Reptile, Belt Clasp Covertech System, Blade Color Red, Blade LED Power 12W, Blade Type Saber 37 inch, Sound SaberCore Crimson (dark font):
Selection
The site is easy to navigate and hosts a wide selection of hilts to choose from. Each hilt can be customized to suit your taste with add ons such as sound, finish, blade color, and blade length in a variety of price points.
Quality of workmanship
All sabers offered are built in the USA, and are considered combat ready. The hilt feels durable and well made. The polycarbonate blade offers a threaded tip in the event of a lost tip while dueling, meaning that they can be easily replaced. The ignition switch is lit to match the color of your blade, and the saber itself feels well balanced. Some edges of the saber did come off as very sharp and maybe should have been filed down some but still excellent build.
Light and Sound
SaberFore Boasts that they have the brightest sabers on the market with 12W LED to power the blade. It appears well lit in a room with normal lighting but of course looks best in a dark room with little lighting. I compared it to my 6W LED Ultra saber model running off of 4 AAA batteries and there was no comparison. Saberforge Outshines the competition in this category hands down.
The sound is made by SaberCore-Crimson and offers swing, clashes, and a force lighting effect that can be locked. The speaker is located at the pommel or base of the saber through an open vent. The sound is everything that you would want from a high end saber. I ordered the dark sound font and it’s loud and bassy. I ordered mine with a staff so the sound actually travels through about 4 feet of pipe to the bottom before it reaches the vent, however the sound still appears to be coming from the saber itself.
Battery life/charging
3400mah with recharge port under the kill key will power your blade for around 1.5 hours before needing to be charged. Not bad considering you probably won’t be walking around with it lit for that long. I got a full charge off of mine in 4 hours.
Accessories
Covertech belt systems have become an industry standard in the saber community. Its an easy to use belt clip for your saber similar to what is used on actors in the Star Wars movies. Saber Forge also offers hilt extensions and couplers to turn your saber into a spear or double saber. They also have a variety of replacement parts such as kill keys, blade tips, batteries, and even a light whip blade.
My order included 4 spear extensions to make a staff saber. The blade plug included with my order holds a crystal that looks very nice when on display.
Work Time
Work time is approximately 12-14 weeks. It is a long wait but when you consider that all work is done inside the continental US and made to order. Although reading through countless other reviews online SaberForge is notorious for being late. Iv heard through multiple outlets that if you order through the Etsy shop they ship in weeks instead of months.
Packaging
The Saber arrived in a long USPS triangular box. All of the items were bubble wrapped individually.
Customer Service
All orders are handled online with no phone support, with the exception of one brick and mortar store located near Portland, Oregon. I did attempt using the phone number listed online, but was directed to use email instead by a recording. Most of the time they responded to my questions in a timely manner, however the last few weeks up to delivery I stopped receiving updates.
I originally ordered my saber on February 18th 2015. I emailed the shop to ask when I could be expecting my order and they assured me that it would be completed within 8-10 weeks. The 10 week mark rolled around and i still hadn’t seen anything in my mail box so I asked again how long will it take to receive my order? The owner of the shop said that things had been pretty busy for him during Celebration 7 and he was sorry for the delay. He also said in the same message that he would be fast tracking the order to prevent further delays. This was the last I heard from them directly until my order arrived.
A little more than 2 weeks later and I was still waiting. Finally I received an email saying that it had been added to the worklist and that my order would be shipped within 10 days. However on the same email, the status of my order said it had shipped. I emailed them to ask if it had shipped, or if it was being constructed, and I got no response. The USPS tracking number that they gave me said that they label was made but they had not received the package yet. Finally the package was picked up on May 21st, and I received it on May 28th. Most of what I ordered had arrived safely but a few extra items were missing (they should be in route soon).
Final thoughts Â
SaberForge builds a fine product at a competitive price point. If you are in the market for a high end saber that will look great on display and can be taken off the shelf from time to time to battle your friends then Saber Forge might be for you.
Would I order from SaberForge again?
Yes, but only if i had the time.
My personal experience working with them was frustrating at times but the product did arrive as ordered (mostly). They have hired some more staff so they are working to improve the long wait times. Even though my order was a month late, I am still pleased with the final product.
If you use SWNews7 when you check out at saberforge.com you can recieve 10% off your order.
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
Nice star wars news. How much money u get for making this post?
$0
Any other questions? You can call Saber Forge and ask them if you want.
So, you admit that you accepted $0 from them? Did you get it in an empty briefcase? I would have demanded exactly $(-1). Either that, or a negative tuna fish sandwich. Hahaha! j/k
Hey Anonyms poster, I purchased this saber at full price with accessories. All in all it cost over $800. I asked Saber Forge if they would give our readers a discount if I reviewed it for the site. If you read all the way to the end it was one of the most annoying purchases I ever made.
I didn’t get paid a dime for this review. (would have been cool if I did though) lol
I would rather have 800 items from the dollar store.
Nice review, I am in the market for a decent saber as I have decided to cosplay at celebration next year in London.
I have been mainly looking at ultrasabers but welcome any alternate arguments.
If you/anyone has the time, what are the pro’s/cons between the two makers, Ultrasabers and Saberforge, as my heart is set on the Crimson Scorpion from Ultra, but this review has made me want to challenge that! hehe
Turns out I also own an ultra saber hilt. I think you would be satisfied with it. The saber forge is way brighter though. I put them side by side and they didn’t compare. If you value your time and customer service I would order from ultra saber. If you want a slightly better product and have lots of time (about 5 months) then go with ultra saber.
Thanks bud, that helps 🙂
I think i’ll go build up an order on both sites and compare the final result, cost, time, light etc and see which way my decision goes.
Thanks again!
any time. just factor into your delivery date that Saber Forge is notoriously late.
Ultrasabers or Saberforge? Easy, none of them.
Dont waste your money.
First, be sure your future saber is using PlecterLabs soundboards, the only quality electronics I saw in near than 20 years.
You dont believe me? I started trying electronics in sabers with the Scimitar from HyperdyneLabs, the first I saw on the market.
Then you have to found a serious builder:
go with GenesisCustomSabers, OrbitalMachining, Vader’s Vault, JQSabers, Saberz, LDM, reliable and serious builders are on FXSABERS forums.
You can trust thems.
Thanks for the info’s i’ll check these guys out too.
Read carefully feedback from customers before buying anything.
Aye, there are some questionable reviews for both, good and bad. These comments will be considered 🙂 Thank you
I make my lightsabers myself
Koivu: that the better thing since it involve so much skills and the final result is YOURS and nothing beat it! I used to make mine but with PlecterLabs I finally assembled parts with his card, with my design. Epic.
I see you have constructed a new light saber. Your skills are complete. Indeed you are powerful as the Emperor has foreseen.
TheCustomSaberShop.com is pretty cool too. It’s all DIY but it’s a lot cheaper than buying a hilt from most other places.
I ordered mine on January 20th and I got it in May so consider yourself very lucky!
I personnaly own the Obi episode 1 lightsaber from Ultrasaber and have nothing to say against it…awesome flickering effect with the new board that looks like a real lightsaber once you get the timing right. Saberforge has a shady reputation…but never tried any of their lightsaber. They do have some cool looking hilt but I would get just the hilt and no electronics.
That looks pretty badass. I like it.
I have a Saberforge saber. I ordered 2, one for me and another for a friend for a Christmas present. The sabers are cool but it took a frustratingly long time to recieve them. I ordered them at the same time and they arrived 4 weeks apart. The hilts are cool but I would have the electronics installed by someone else or make it a DIY project next time around. My choice of saber smiths is by far JQ Sabers. Great customer service.
For $800 that glow stick should ship on-time and with everything that was ordered. Anything less is putrid customer service. High end pricing with 3rd world delivery = ripoff.
I agree with you. It was very disappointing.
Saberforge are not the brightest sabers in the world, far from it. The brightest are Makoto Tsai Lightsabers
I’ve had my eye on one of those “Prodigal Son” (ie Lukes’ ROTJ lightsaber) for awhile now, but wasn’t sure if that was really the best company to order from.
Unfortunately all other companies really seem to offer are their own custom-designed lightsabers or prequel era stuff, both of which I just have no interest in.