To you led experts... are all 10w leds created equal??

[darkeyedkid]

Hello all, I'm new to the site and the saber scene and am wondering if all 10w leds are created equal. I've found this one..http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-10W-10-W...item1e7c6d1d69

As well as this one.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pcs-10W-RGB...00935622266%26

Are these lights just as good as the 10w leds that TCSS offers as far as single color goes?? I'd really like to know given that these are quite a bit cheaper and look a heck of a lot easier to wire. x)
Thanks.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Hello all, I'm new to the site and the saber scene and am wondering if all 10w leds are created equal. I've found this one..http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-10W-10-W...item1e7c6d1d69



As well as this one.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pcs-10W-RGB...00935622266%26

Are these lights just as good as the 10w leds that TCSS offers as far as single color goes?? I'd really like to know given that these are quite a bit cheaper and look a heck of a lot easier to wire. x)
Thanks.

Well, Stuff like that falls under the heading of "You get what you pay for", and I doubt you will be able to fit the kind of power pack required to run something like that. 9V - 12V is a lot of voltage. Personally, I wouldn't recommend stuff like this, no one uses this. Not too many even use the 10W any more.

10W LEDs aren't necessarily the brightest things out there for the power they consume. I know all the noobs go for the brightest things possible and because it is 10W, you think it's the brightest thing out there. We tend to go for the "brightest for the power consumed" model. Personally, I use The Tri-rebels and Tri-crees, they are relatively easy to wire, and use relatively less power for the brightness they give off.

I finally saw your other post about your saber plans *cringe*. A power extender isn't going to really help you with what you are planning. "Full Powah" (and the power extender) works best with boards like a PC of CF. I don't normally deal with Econo boards, but what you had planned didn't sound like it would work to me. I do know that Econo boards only take something like 6V max as an input voltage, so there goes you're 7.4V pack. And also they don't put out a whole lot of voltage for a main LED, so your 10W will likely be woefully under driven (and not bright).

[Sunrider]

You need to do a lot of research. Like FJK said, you get what you pay for. A good 18650 battery is about $12. Or you can get what may be advertised as a better 18650 for $2 on DX but as the price shows, the DX battery is crap.

[darkeyedkid]

Thanks for the info. I had a feeling there was something fishy about those lights. But I felt it was worth it to ask. I kept wondering why the power xtender seemed so necessary. But I'm glad that it isn't. I've been having doubts about really going through with this project, lol.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

Thanks for the info. I had a feeling there was something fishy about those lights. But I felt it was worth it to ask. I kept wondering why the power xtender seemed so necessary. But I'm glad that it isn't. I've been having doubts about really going through with this project, lol.

You can get a fairly bright blade if you plan correctly. The problem most have is that they want "blindingly bright", which isn't always possible or feasible, and then come up with some wild, impractical way to try to accomplish it, and usually fail. Doing a pretty bright blue stunt saber is possible, BUT a 18650 stick pack "might" fit if you only do one switch, but once you try to add sound and the other fun stuff,, it won't fit into your current design. the 18500 stick pack might be a better bet for you. and would fit in better.

To do "Full Powah" setups, a Power Extender IS necessary. That's one of the two reasons why it was designed in the first place. BUT, it was designed to work only with certain boards, as I said earlier.

This isn't a cheap hobby, but if you are smart, and take advice well, you can get a good result for your efforts.

[mikec]

Thanks for the info. I had a feeling there was something fishy about those lights. But I felt it was worth it to ask. I kept wondering why the power xtender seemed so necessary. But I'm glad that it isn't. I've been having doubts about really going through with this project, lol.

Hey man, we learn by doing. Sometimes you have to just jump right in. You're going to make mistakes and you may 'waste' a few bucks here and there, and have to redo things, etc. but that is how you learn. It's fun too. Don't bail on your project yet. Stick to the tried and true parts; you can experiment once you get some experience.

[darkeyedkid]

all great advice, thanks. I've been looking at a seller on ebay who has a decent rgb saber. It looks like he gets his parts from TCSS. I may go with his. I mean, two 3 watt diodes alone will be pretty bright. That leaves me with several color options that'll be brighter than one 3 watt led alone.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

all great advice, thanks. I've been looking at a seller on ebay who has a decent rgb saber. It looks like he gets his parts from TCSS. I may go with his. I mean, two 3 watt diodes alone will be pretty bright. That leaves me with several color options that'll be brighter than one 3 watt led alone.

You might want to be careful about buying sabers on eBay. There are some who do not have great reputations. Caveat Emptor.

[darkeyedkid]

That's definitely a factor. And I've certainly had my experiences with no so good sellers on ebay. But thanks for the warning anyhow. This is actually the saber I've been looking at... http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-Luxeon-L...item2ec9351c45
He's sold quite a bit of stuff and he has a pretty good rating.

[Ty_Bomber]

That saber has been up there for literally years. That may be an indication of it's quality.

If you want an RGB saber, look into the CFv6 or the Igniter Soundboards and the RGB Tri-rebels Tim sells here, but keep in mind build complexity, especially your first time around. As far as brightness goes, I went from a single Amber Led in my first build (a conversion, which was at least as bright as my MR Luke with a string blade) to a Tri-Rebel RRW with two reds in series at 1.5 amps for my second build (a full custom) and the two red dice powering the blade it was actually painful to look at directly, at least at night and indoors. I don't think you will be too disappointed in the brightness.

I strongly encourage you to stick with your plan to build your own lightsaber, as it (often) has numerous benefits over commissioning a sabersmith:

1. Quality control. Building your own saber certainly can be challenging, but you always know exactly how well things are put together in there, and the quality of each subsequent build increases exponentially. Commissioning a trusted and respected sabersmith has advantages, but isn't something we do on these forums. Buying off eBay from an unknown smith is always a calculated risk.

2. Value. Your saber, should you choose to build it, will always be more affordable, and arguably more meaningful to you, than a commissioned piece. In my experience, commissioning a saber (or more than one) quickly became cost prohibitive. Look at it this way, you have to pay for the parts for the build either way, and you will have to spend time waiting for the saber to be built either way. If you build it yourself, not only will you save yourself time and money, you'll save yourself the stress, impatience and anxiety of the constant back and forth of progress reports. You will also have something you can show off to family and friends with pride, not because your saber was merely something you owned, but because you built with your own hands.

3. Experience. The skills learned while building your saber are invaluable. Knowing>owning. They say one of the Trials of a Jedi is to build his/her own lightsaber, and with good reason. It is tremendously rewarding to fire up a saber and have that blade and sound fill a dark room for the first time (and everytime after).

Ultimately, if you want to build it, this is the place to learn. We might provide constructive criticism and occasionally shoot down ideas, but we really are here to help you build a quality saber, because that is how we benefit and grow this together in this community.

Always remember that just because you can't get what you wanted with your original idea doesn't mean you can't get what you want. The answers are there, and they aren't hard to find. Good luck.