Powering a Tri-Cree Led and Other Questions

[MasterClayton]

Hello everyone, I just built my first saber and i am building another one in just a little while so I am not a stranger to saber building but i have a few question for my future sabers.
1. Is a Tri-Cree considerably brighter when buying from TCSS along with the lens they sell when using only two die with the third as a Foc?
2. Is a BuckPuck worth investing in? If Yes/No, Why?
3. I know you need a 7.4V 18650 if using a BuckPuck but my calculations show it would cost $80+ to get all of the parts needed, Battery, Recharge Port, Chassis Discs, Charger, BuckPuck, Etc. Am i missing something or is it really that expensive?
4. If I dont use a BuckPuck can i power two die with a 3.7V 18650? If Yes/No, Why.

I know there are a lot of question but any help would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear from you soon!
MTLBWY

[FenixFire]

Hello everyone, I just built my first saber and i am building another one in just a little while so I am not a stranger to saber building but i have a few question for my future sabers.
1. Is a Tri-Cree considerably brighter when buying from TCSS along with the lens they sell when using only two die with the third as a Foc? Brighter than what? A single Cree; yes, a tri-rebel; yes, many of the generic tri LEDs you buy off Amazon; absolutely. Brighter than a tri-cree xp-E2 from another sources; no same led dice.
2. Is a BuckPuck worth investing in? If Yes/No, Why? Depends on the use, for a stunt saber with a single color LED possibly. If color mixing a stunt saber probably not, it building with sound no. If wanting FoC no, see previous sentence.
3. I know you need a 7.4V 18650 if using a BuckPuck but my calculations show it would cost $80+ to get all of the parts needed, Battery, Recharge Port, Chassis Discs, Charger, BuckPuck, Etc. Am i missing something or is it really that expensive? Technically yoou do not need 7.4, you simply need 2.2v higher than the forward voltage of the LEDs at the constant current the Buck Puck is delivering. No you are not missing anything, this is not a cheap hobby. That is why fully built custom sabers sell for $500 - $1000+. My latest saber has about $200 in the internals and it only uses a Tri-rebel, NB, Resistors and Chassis Discs with other found parts. None of the more exotic 3D printed chassis or expensive boards.
4. If I dont use a BuckPuck can i power two die with a 3.7V 18650? If Yes/No, Why. Yes, individual resistors on each die, wire the dice in parallel. Your battery life will be roughly 5% less than the mAH rating on the battery divided by the total mA the LEDs are drawing. Say you have the 2400mAH battery from the store running two blue Crees at 1000mA each, your run time will be roughly 1.2 hours

I know there are a lot of question but any help would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear from you soon!
MTLBWY

[MasterClayton]

I agree, this is not a cheap hobby although it is very fun and rewarding to build your own saber! Thanks for the input! I have contemplated starting a business in my area creating sabers in the $100-$400 range. I love building things and I have a lot of experience with soldering and electronics. I know that there are a couple of other businesses but Ultrasaber has a terrible reputation and SaberForge does not use the MHS system. How does Tim at TCSS feel about other people starting a business using his parts? Obviously i would tell people i use parts from TCSS and give them full credit for the parts. I would just build the saber.

[Silver Serpent]

There are a few of us who make and sell MHS sabers as a side business. I will tell you that it is currently a difficult time to start out, since demand for saber parts is at an all-time high. Your customers will likely have a long wait time if they want something specific.

You could just build what you like, whenever you get parts, and then put the finished sabers up for sale (elsewhere, no sales are permitted on the TCSS forums).

I will warn you: there are many people in this hobby who have built a saber or two, said "that's not so hard," and tried to go into business selling sabers. Few have succeeded. It'll take hard work, persistence, great marketing skills, etc.

[FenixFire]

I have contemplated starting a business in my area creating sabers in the $100-$400 range.

Knowing the time investment it takes to assemble and finish TCSS based sabers would that be a viable business? If mainly doing as basically a self supporting hobby, then it might be. If doing it to actually make a reasonable profit, at $100 retail your COG (cost of goods) would have to be in the $25-$35. Assuming you are very efficient and quick in the assembly, soldering, and finishing stages. Hence why corners are cut on the mass produced product lines that have such poor reviews.