Cheapest Saber Possible

[Jean-Louis]

Okay guys I've been reading everything i can get my hands on. I've come across a bunch of budget threads. I think I have the solution (with sound even).
The list:
PVC Hilt- $10.00
Retention Screw- 3.75
Vampire a Force action Sound card from home- 0.00 or 16 at Walmart
Seoul P4 with resistor and mom switch- 16.99
Blade- 23.00
Relay switch- 6.00
premium speaker- 6
---------------------------
Total- 64.75 or if buying the sound card 80.75

Let me know what you think. This is the cheapest I could possibly make. Leave any feedback. I think pvc is durable enough for average dueling and Jay-Gon Jin (sorry if i spelled it wrong) makes amazing pvc. The goal was a working
dueling saber under 65 and I gor ir with a quarter to spare.

[Rafalema]

Sounds good to me so far...

Oh, and it's Jay-Gon Jinn ;)

And yes, the PVC will the durable enough for average dueling.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

you can dump the relay and it will be even cheaper.;)

The question I have is why?

[Jean-Louis]

At LDM: I just wanted to give everyone a budget option. I think it'd be a cool build. You need the relay with the buckpuck to run the soundcard. I think it takes more work if you run a resistor instead of a buckpuck and I'm not positive what else I'd need with the resistor.

[Darth Xusia]

What about batteries, battery holder, a heatsink, lens and lens holder? And, what's going to hold the speaker?

[Jean-Louis]

What about batteries, battery holder, a heatsink, lens and lens holder? And, what's going to hold the speaker?

Battery holder lens and lens holder are part of the Seoul p4 package. Heatsink is included in the pvc hilt price. I've found things that'd work at Lowe's. The speaker i mout in an open pommel, but thats just my taste.

[Darth Xusia]

My mistake. I just read it as a Seoul P4, a resistor and a momentary switch, not a P4 kit.
Somethging cheap to mount a speaker in is a film canistor. Works great.

[Jean-Louis]

My bad i should have said p4 kit then listed specifics. Bad wording on my part.

[cardcollector]

Most speakers don't fit in pvc. You will have to secure it in the end cap.

[Jean-Louis]

That's what i planned on. If I get the pvc custom painted and the speaker is exposed in the end cap will the painting ruin the speaker?

[Sidd]

That's what i planned on. If I get the pvc custom painted and the speaker is exposed in the end cap will the painting ruin the speaker?

yes it will

[Jean-Louis]

So I have to get a slotted piece for the end cap and tape it off before I get it painted?

[Lord Dottore Matto]

At LDM: I just wanted to give everyone a budget option. I think it'd be a cool build. You need the relay with the buckpuck to run the soundcard. I think it takes more work if you run a resistor instead of a buckpuck and I'm not positive what else I'd need with the resistor.

You don't need the relay or the buckpuck or a resistor. BTW, I am not guessing. ;)

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Sounds good to me so far...

Oh, and it's Jay-Gon-Jinn ;)

Still not quite right...it's actually Jay-gon Jinn...;) And I wouldn't say those pvc sabers I built were amazing, there's a few others here that do truly amazing sabers using pvc.

[Rafalema]

Whaa??

I never said that :p

[Jean-Louis]

You don't need the relay or the buckpuck or a resistor. BTW, I am not guessing. ;)

Well i have never seen a diagram on how to wire it without the relay and everyone complains about running the LED off the board. Also it gets much brighter with a relay. LDM obviously has more experience than me so I'll take his word.

[cardcollector]

You don't need the relay or the buckpuck or a resistor. BTW, I am not guessing. ;)

While you don't need the relay, etc. But IMO, The difference in the brigtness is worth the extra $2 and 15 minutes of wiring...


Well i have never seen a diagram on how to wire it without the relay and everyone complains about running the LED off the board. Also it gets much brighter with a relay. LDM obviously has more experience than me so I'll take his word.

LDM is right, 350ma will run your LED decently. But I highly encourage the use of a relay. The difference is so worth it!

BTW, here is a pic of the board without the relay...
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b54/flyerfye/hasbrobi.jpg

[Jean-Louis]

The blade is what kills this. It is the most expensive piece. As far as the relay vs no relay goes the relay adds brightness and that is the most important part of a budget saber, since there won't be many bells and whistles on hilt design.

[Rafalema]

You could make one yourself it would be a little bit cheaper.

[Jean-Louis]

You could make one yourself it would be a little bit cheaper.

It would be cheaper but it'd lack the quality of a tcss blade or corbin.

[Rafalema]

You could apply the same kind of thinking to your saber: You'd lack the quality of a sabersmith.

Blades aren't that hard.

Heres an awesome tutorial by one of the best smiths
http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=7274&highlight=construct+Blade

[Jean-Louis]

For one blade it'd be the same cost as one from tcss. For multiple its cheaper. I don't think i have the skills for a blade I'd be happy with. But that would cut costs.

[jjshumpert]

blades are seriously easy, my 10 yr old daughter just made her first the other day and i came out great. only trick to it is to have an extremely clean work space and a little patience

[Jean-Louis]

How much does one blade cost? I mean including the tubing a whole roll of wrap a whole tube of the glue and the tip?

[jjshumpert]

dunno much about pricing on tubes and tips since im still using my massive stock of mr tubes from when i used to offer conversion service, but weld on 16 runs about 7 bucks a tube and a roll of clear polyp from the dollar store is a buck and makes about 5 blades

[RevengeoftheSeth]

My mistake. I just read it as a Seoul P4, a resistor and a momentary switch, not a P4 kit.
Somethging cheap to mount a speaker in is a film canistor. Works great.

This is a spam post. Look at the sig, too. Darth Xusia made this post a few months back.

[Andro]

Stealth spammer…just nabbed one on the forum I work for.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Stealth SPAMmer gone.

I saw that post and missed it. I should have paid closer attention to the signature links.

[Kastor]

How much does one blade cost? I mean including the tubing a whole roll of wrap a whole tube of the glue and the tip?

You don't need to do all of that anymore to make a good blade and if your looking for cheap pricing just get a Trans White Blade and a Blade Tip - $11 DONE! Trust me they look great I just finished one.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

For which you would also need wrap and glue for...

[Ronan]

Cheapest lightsaber possible?

Grab one of those adapter and screw it on a flashlight.

Grab a blade.

Voila.

You can use photography/film gels/filters to add some color. Or heck grab a poly blade of the color of your choice.

[Kastor]

I tried using wrap in my Trans White and it only made it dimmer. I don't see the point. also most people have glue sitting around... you don't absolutely need epoxy (especially if your going cheap).

[Jedi-Loreen]

Not just any glue works, and keeps the tip on.

Some glues will even damage the blade tube.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

Chemically adhesive epoxy is best for attaching the blade tip as it chemically fuses the tip, preventing it from snapping loose and hurting someone mid-swing or on a strike. It's a matter of safety.

Super glue and regular glue will NOT provide a safe hold.


I use celophane film in my trans-white blade and it gives the blade a more even glow, and really doesnt affect the brightness.

[Crystal Chambers]

I tried using wrap in my Trans White and it only made it dimmer. I don't see the point. also most people have glue sitting around... you don't absolutely need epoxy (especially if your going cheap).

Depends on what you mean by wrap. Blade film doesn't do any good, but poly-P or clear gift wrap makes a huge difference and only costs a few bucks. It appears to reduce brightness at the base and tip while evening out the entire blade. With out it you can see the mirror and the LED through the blade stock.

[Kastor]

This is all true but the issue here is cost. If you sacrifice your ability to duel and the ascetic of the visible mirror at the end of your blade to cut costs its fine by me. It can be difficult to make cheap sabers and as with anything else the cheaper the product the less features you can have.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

I guess it depends on if you want it for show or if you want it for dueling. As long as you don't duel with it, I guess the tip would be ok. Just don't hit it on anything. Safety is paramount.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

This is all true but the issue here is cost. If you sacrifice your ability to duel and the ascetic of the visible mirror at the end of your blade to cut costs its fine by me. It can be difficult to make cheap sabers and as with anything else the cheaper the product the less features you can have.

A roll of the clear gift wrap can be bought for $1 at a dollar store....not very expensive at all.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

You missed a few items in your cost spreadsheet, but I still think you can make it cheaper.

PVC Parts - $7.50 (5'x1"OD, 5'x1.25"OD, 5'x1.5"OD for about 2.50 each at Lowe's)
Sound - $16.00
Blade - $15.50
Lux I w/ Lens and Holder - $10.75
Wiring - $2.00
Cheap Mom Switch - $2.50
Transistor - $2.00
Resistor - $1.00
4AAA Holder - $1.20
Screws - $2.00 (I buy mine from a local hardware store by the piece)
-----------------------
Total - $60.45 not including shipping and tax

[Kastor]

You missed a few items in your cost spreadsheet, but I still think you can make it cheaper.

PVC Parts - $7.50 (5'x1"OD, 5'x1.25"OD, 5'x1.5"OD for about 2.50 each at Lowe's)
Sound - $16.00
Blade - $15.50
Lux I w/ Lens and Holder - $10.75
Wiring - $2.00
Cheap Mom Switch - $2.50
Transistor - $2.00
Resistor - $1.00
4AAA Holder - $1.20
Screws - $2.00 (I buy mine from a local hardware store by the piece)
-----------------------
Total - $60.45 not including shipping and tax

How do you figure sound at $16 the cheapest sound board I know of will cost you $20 + $6 speaker. Is there something else your using?

Note: I suppose you could use the crappy speaker attached to the toy sabers but in the new sabers I've found those very difficult to remove without damaging.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

Yeah, the 2010 Hasbro has its own speaker and they are $16 at my local Walmart.

EDIT: It does take some careful handling to remove it without damaging it, but I find if you take either a razorblade or a sharp knife and cut along the seams a few times, it should all come out in one piece. I kind of have a nice method to it, now.

[Arkhan]

The biggest problem with the 2010 economy speaker is that the volume, in my opinion, leaves a bit to be desired.

I would definitely make sure to have adequate resonance size in the hilt.

For $16, you get the audio board, speaker, working momentary switch and 3 accent LEDs. You can use the collapsing blade tube cut to length to hold the sound board. too bad you can't use the battery holder.

When I did my daughter's Cleopatra saber, I used a 3xAAA battery holder out of a $1 flashlight from Dollar General or similar $1 store.

[Kastor]

Oh darn, the 2010 boards are $20 near me, sucks. Thanks for the tip for cutting them out though.

[HAVOK]

Well, my 2 cents are if you are trying to build the "cheapest" possible saber as the title proclaims, you need to nix the sound. With out the sound, you will reduce your cost by at least 30$

here are my costs

PVC - 2" of 1" and 2" of 1.25" = 5.00
PVC end & fitting to make pommel = 1.50

ELECTRONIC - LED, OPTICS, AND HOLDER + shipping = $12.00

BLADE - Trans white polyC 1" and shouldered mirror tip + shipping $17.00

SWITCH - 11.00 plus shipping

Misc. hardware and paint - 5.00 - 15.00 depending on color

I get my switches and blades from TCSS together to reduce shipping.

So in total for my PVC sabers without my time to cut and sand

$ 40.00 for just parts

[Sunrider]

Do not make the cheapest possible is my 2 cents. Do, or do not. Proud you will not be of a cheapest possible saber.

As much thought, effort and resources as you can you must put into your saber if you are to be proud of your creation.

[jin starkiller]

very true if you going cheap route you no be very happy with the outcome....put more time and money into your saber ....way you have something thats not cheap and won't break at first strike.....just my 2 cents

[Skottsaber]

Yep. You learn very quickly that when buying stuff online, or for building sabers (in our case), you get what you pay for.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

If I'm making a saber for a 9 year old, I wouldn't spend $200 in parts. I'd try to make it as cheap as possible, because you know how kids are with toys ^.^

And I think the point of the OP was to be cheap WITH sounds. It's very true that it could be much cheaper without, though.

[Sunrider]

If I'm making a saber for a 9 year old, I wouldn't spend $200 in parts. I'd try to make it as cheap as possible, because you know how kids are with toys ^.^

This depends on the kid I think.

If you give any kid a cheapest possible saber me thinks it is destined for destruction. :-P

[RevengeoftheSeth]

That's usually the plan ;) Give him a thick walled blade and let him go to town.

And the cheapest custom saber is still lightyears ahead of one of the cheap plastic ones from Walmart!