Blade Length

[LAN-ED-TUL]

actually the proper length of swords for EACH person is different. you hold the handle with your hand up tightly against the tsuba or guard, holding the blade downwards, the tip of the sword should be 1 to 2 inches from the ground.

thats for figuring blade lengths

[Eandori]

Well, I think those recent answers are of a different set of priorities then my configuration.

My setup yeilded a sturdier, more balanced, brighter and more evenly lit blade. The priority was given to the quality of the blade itself.

The "make a blade length based 100% on your liking" method is obviously giving priority to nothing but how long the user likes their blade.

I will definitely stick by what I said earlier though, a shorter blade is sturdier, the center of gravity is deeper into the hilt, the blade will be brighter, and it's easier to make the blade evenly lit.

[BhujangiJedi]

There is no one proper way to determine the length of the sword - it varies not only by person, but also by sword style.

If you're not trained in a sword style but want to twirl around your saber and maybe spar a bit, then just play around with some sticks and see what works well for you.

Also, consider whether you want to use it strictly two-handed (you'll be able to comfortably handle something longer) or strictly one-handed (you'll want something a bit shorter, especially if you're going to have another one in the other hand), or if you want to be able to do a bit of two-handed and a bit of one-handed, in which case you'll settle for something in between long and short.

One very nice thing about the MHS system is that you can fairly easily add/remove a good chunk off your hilt to convert between a two-handed and one-handed hilt. However, with the standard 7-inch hilts, even a simple pommel+hilt+emitter setup is a bit larger than needed for a one-handed grip and fairly comfortable for a two-handed grip (at least for medium/small adult male hands). Of course you can swap out different length blades pretty easily as well.

For me, a good length for one-handed use is from my hip bone to the ground, pommel to blade-tip.

[Eandori]

There is no one proper way to determine the length of the sword - it varies not only by person, but also by sword style.

If you're not trained in a sword style but want to twirl around your saber and maybe spar a bit, then just play around with some sticks and see what works well for you.

Also, consider whether you want to use it strictly two-handed (you'll be able to comfortably handle something longer) or strictly one-handed (you'll want something a bit shorter, especially if you're going to have another one in the other hand), or if you want to be able to do a bit of two-handed and a bit of one-handed, in which case you'll settle for something in between long and short.

One very nice thing about the MHS system is that you can fairly easily add/remove a good chunk off your hilt to convert between a two-handed and one-handed hilt. However, with the standard 7-inch hilts, even a simple pommel+hilt+emitter setup is a bit larger than needed for a one-handed grip and fairly comfortable for a two-handed grip (at least for medium/small adult male hands). Of course you can swap out different length blades pretty easily as well.

For me, a good length for one-handed use is from my hip bone to the ground, pommel to blade-tip.

Again, this is true... but it's all based on the assumption that the owners desires for blade length matters more then the balance, durability, brightness, and evenness of the blade. If your desire is to have a saber blade length that is "too your own preference", then to each his own. If your desire is to have a brighter, more sturdy, more evenly light, and better balanced blade, then it's not a question of opinion. Shorter blades win, it's just the facts of it.

For me, I prefer my sabers to look bright, even, and not break when I duel. So in my preference the values of shorter blade outweighs the desire to have a longer blade. Proto2 was 30" of blade and that was about optimal for that setup.

If I could do exactly how I wanted it... I would have made a 34" blade and shortened my hilt up by 3 inches. But my current electronics would not fit in that, and the current technology of luxeon and my components would have sacrificed too much. Just my style on that saber.

Hope that makes sense, I'm not disagreeing... I'm saying that they are kinda different catagories. If you follow me.

[BhujangiJedi]

I'm saying that they are kinda different catagories. If you follow me.

Yeah, for sure. My post was lacking in technical considerations for the specific purpose here, which is to build a light saber, which you filled in nicely. I was more focused on the "how do you choose the blade length for a sword in general?" approach. Also, I think you would ideally want to have your saber properly balanced, but I think if you have the resources and skill to do that with a custom built light saber, you're already far beyond asking simple questions on this forum. It's no small matter to figure out how to optimally select your hilt parts, position the electronics inside it, and ensure that the weight balances out nicely with a blade of appropriate length.

[USJMB]

like everyone has said, it really is preference. I generally have a 34 inch blade with 32 inches expose with about a 12.5 inch hilt. I do this because it is the similar in length to my katana that i cut with. But everyone is different, so you might as well slide the blade in unfinished at 40" and then feel it out. You can always keep shortening it to your liking.

[Hasid Lafre]

But remember to find a stopping point cause you cant take back what you cut.

[Novastar]

There is also the consideration of thick-walled vs. thin-walled.

For my Flange III hilts, they are about 10.5" long, and quite light. Thin-walled blades work out nicely for balance at about 32" of "shown" blade (so 34" overall)... but I imagine thick-walled blades would need to be somewhat shorter... although not by much... in order to also give a more "correct" balance.

As to balance... everyone has their different thinking on it. I tend to see if I can balance the saber right at the point where my forward hand sits (at the emitter). A little forward of that (towards the blade) is OK too... but not excessively.

Corbin would refer to the first few inches of the blade as the "ricasso", and so yes--I imagine that is a good range for balancing. From the forward hand point to the ricasso. Anywhere in there and you're doing fairly decent on balance.

[Hasid Lafre]

I stopted caring about balance, cause if i cared about balance I would have a 20" thick walled blade.

NAH! I will just find the length I like at the point where iam not hitting my body and I will be happy.

[Novastar]

That's odd... in most cases, I've found that in order to balance a saber (in the fashion that I am mentioning above)... USUALLY people must use longer blades (such as 34", 36", 38") in order for things to jive well.

Then again, hilt lengths and weights will vary like the rotoscoped saber colors in the SW movies...

In general...

If Hilt = heavier... then blade needs to be LONGER to balance out.
If Hilt = lighter... then blade needs to be SHORTER to balance out.
If Hilt = longer... then blade needs to be LONGER to balance out.
If Hilt = shorter... then blade needs to be SHORTER to balance out.

Again, that is in general. If someone wants to get technical someday, they could create some kind of formula for both thick-walled and thin-walled blades, and figure in hilt weight and length to get a *fairly* accurate balance idea.

This would STILL not take into consideration the weight distribution of the hilt... d'oh!