How long is too long?

[Dendore]

So this is what I have so far for my build. Hopefully an opinion from some guys that have built several. Have you had some ending up feeling too short? Too long? Whats the perfect length for a lightsaber.

My hilt alone is coming out to 14.5" and then I was thinking about having 36" visible blade.

I think the hilt might be a little much I don't know.

[Sairon]

It's all personnel choice, and your thumb screw needs to be moved up to the blade holder.

[Lord Maul]

That hilt is as long as my first MHS saber, and I like it a lot. You can get a TON of power into strikes if you grab the pommel with one hand and the emitter with the other.

[sekrogue1985]

the size of one's hilt is up to them. if they want one super long go for it just know that you are gonna have to deal with it. too small might not be able to get everything in. but yeah do what you like it's your saber

[Maven]

How long is too long?

If you have to ask...

Then yeah...

;)

[Invisas1979]

I wouldn't worry about a saber being 14in it will leave you room to fit sound in your first saber without needing so much skill. It can be very fiddly to get it all in a short saber the first time around.

That said, all my sabers are between 13 and 14in and at 6'1 and 16stone a 11in or smaller would feel, well, small.

[Titoshi]

moon bass made some crazy 18 incher I think . Don't worry about the length because more than likely you will become addicted to building sabers and will probably at some point change the configuration.;) That is the beauty of Tim's MHS.

[chase]

Yeah, size is a personal prefrence...but if you want to go for more of the movie accurate size...it should be around 11in or smaller. All the hilts in the movies were small because they were custom machined and didn't have to worry about electronics space, so they were also a smaller diameter around. I'm 6' and I prefer 10 1/2 to 11in. You can move a smaller hilt faster, more precise. That and a 14in hilt sways a lot on a belt. If you run, it could be dangerous...

[Dendore]

I wouldn't worry about a saber being 14in it will leave you room to fit sound in your first saber without needing so much skill. It can be very fiddly to get it all in a short saber the first time around.

That said, all my sabers are between 13 and 14in and at 6'1 and 16stone a 11in or smaller would feel, well, small.

I don't think I am going to put sound in this one. Too poor to spend 100$ on the soundboard unless you know somewhere to get a decent cheap one.

And I think I am going to try to get it to 12 if I can.

[Invisas1979]

I don't think I am going to put sound in this one. Too poor to spend 100$ on the soundboard unless you know somewhere to get a decent cheap one.

And I think I am going to try to get it to 12 if I can.

You can get cheapie hasbro force affects sabers and gut them for the sound board, though you may have to get a driver of some sort to go with it. It shouldn't cost $100 to do that.

[strengthofrage]

My last was 15... it feels perfect really. I prefer the length now. One thing that helps though is a shorter blade with a longer hilt, it seems to flow quite well.

[cardcollector]

I think that the real issue is the leangth or the saber as a whole.

The blade and hilt together... I mean, a 14" HILT AND 40" blade would be totally awkward.

But a 14" hilt and a 30" blade. Thaat would be more feasable.

[$tarkiller]

If you absolutely want the main hilt peice with the switch hole, you can take down an inch by ditching the ribbed section an getting a shorer fluted section that tim sells here. Personally, I think it would match what you already have for the hilt.

[Count Malik]

First off, the hilt looks awsome! And I 2nd that it's all up to you!;)

[Obi-Ben]

Most of the hilts on film are about 12", so I generally keep mine that length.

[Kal El Rah]

Dendore, here is a 13" example.

http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com/showthread.php?t=7895

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

For me any length OTHER than 13" is ok - I have a 'thing' about the number 13, unfortunately for me when playing with the MHS Builder some of the coolest designs come out at exactly 13" darnit! lol

Seriously though its just personal preference...if you look beyond the movies to the EU sabers come in all different sizes...Quinlan Vos in the Old Jedi Order and Kyle Katarn in the New Jedi Order both had longer than usual hilts eh?

[cardcollector]

For me any length OTHER than 13" is ok - I have a 'thing' about the number 13, unfortunately for me when playing with the MHS Builder some of the coolest designs come out at exactly 13" darnit! lol


Someone's superstitious...:rolleyes:;)

[Dendore]

First off, the hilt looks awsome! And I 2nd that it's all up to you!;)

Thanks for the feedback and the compliments guys. I think I am going to stick with my original design and see what happens. I like it too much overall to sacrifice anything, I'll just have to learn to live with the length. I was shooting for a 2h wield, so should work out.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

That's a nice looking hilt. You'll find that the switch is in a good place in the middle there. With a two handed grip, the switch will be right between both hands, as opposed to under one of them. Less chance of accidentally turning it off.

I'd say that if you are happy with it being over 14", go for it. I think it looks well balanced. My two favorite sabers are around 13", and they're just a nice size for me. I would suggest starting with the 38" total length on the blade. You can always trim it down to suit your style, and to find the balance point.

[ErikTheHack]

Nice looking hilt!

I also agonized about the "right" length and of course like what everyone else here says it really _is_ personal preference.

For me I found my original design was a bit too long for my taste once I got he parts in hand. I also realized that I didn't like having the activator switch in the middle and decided I'd rather have it close to the blade holder -- but again this is personal preference.

I ended up making another trip to Tim's shop and buying another couple pieces to redesign. I went from a 14.385" hilt to a 13.86" one -- that and got to move my activator to where I found it more comfortable.

Here's what I'm building now:

http://www.hax-revolution.com/download/files/SaberHilt_reload.jpg
Enjoy, this _IS_ totally addictive -- I'm already designing my second one ;)

[Paar Ad]

It really depends on what kind of saber you have laid out. If you plan on using both hands all the time, I would go as far as 15 inches. (It also makes it easier to fit all of your hilt elec.)

[Raith]

i have yet to build my first saber, but i have used katanas before, and i am not comfortable with a hilt on them that is less than 12 inches. I have had buth, and for someone my size (6'3" 230 pounds) a longer hilt just feels right.

From what i've seen the fighting styles used for the katana, and most of the lightsaber froms use very similar movements. i've been playing with the MHS builder for a few hours now, and all my designs come out at around 14.5 inches.

But as stated several times above, it is all personal preference. a lightsaber should be a reflection of who the maker is.

this was one of my designs, not quite finished, i didn't add all the details, but you get the idea.

[Eco]

Once thing to keep in mind is that while the MHS builder is technically to scale, everything feels different in your hands.

For me, I like my hilts right around 10"-12", any longer of a hilt, and I feel like I need a longer blade, and vise-versa.