To build or to buy

**Swordlord** · 02-21-2009, 11:27 PM

I was just curious what folks think of the sabers other sabersmiths create.
1. Would you buy a saber you thought was really well designed, or too over-the-top to ignore, thereby supporting a fellow saber artist?
2. Would you 'borrow' the most appealing design elements from the saber, creating one for yourself that was similar, yet not identical, and still give props to the maker for some great ideas?
3. Would you mutter to yourself, "Heck no! I'll make my own! Why pay someone else for something I can build myself!?!"
4. Not purchase it because you don't currently have the funds to buy a resistor, let alone DIY parts or a fully designed & built custom saber?

**FenderBender** · 02-21-2009, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by Swordlord

I was just curious what folks think of the sabers other sabersmiths create.
1. Would you buy a saber you thought was really well designed, or too over-the-top to ignore, thereby supporting a fellow saber artist?
2. Would you 'borrow' the most appealing design elements from the saber, creating one for yourself that was similar, yet not identical, and still give props to the maker for some great ideas?
3. Would you mutter to yourself, "Heck no! I'll make my own! Why pay someone else for something I can build myself!?!"
4. Not purchase it because you don't currently have the funds to buy a resistor, let alone DIY parts or a fully designed & built custom saber?

1. Yes, I have wanted several of these guys' sabers. Even though I could 'probably' build some of them myself.

2. Done it. Acknowledging the source though is just common courtesy. Some people ignore it, but everyone else will notice

3. Ive said, "I could build that" before, but if I had the extra scratch laying around, I still wouldn't mind supporting other smiths. Like that last one of Jay-Gonn's, I was reeeaaaally tempted on that one.

4. Guilty

**Ideal** · 02-21-2009, 11:41 PM

number 4 hits me up quite often, i dont really have the funds either way.

for the most part though, i feel custom sabers are a personal thing. if i was gonna buy a saber, why not just go to the store and buy a FX saber or something of the like.

that isnt to say you cant buy something you have no hope of creating yourself (many of us have not perfected dremel-fu), but a custom saber that speaks as an extension of yourself should be either built on your own or designed by yourself and custom made by the person with the skills you lack

when it came down to it, i could have bought many a saber on ebay or some other sites and saved myself loads of headache trying to get the wiring and soldering and all that done right. once you count the labor and effort a novice had to put into making even a simple saber, i probably would have come out cheaper buying from someone else. but then it wouldnt have the same "this is MY saber" feel to it
(im rather long winded tonight)
so for me, either custom built by the person is the way to go

maybe those with tons of sabers built will feel different about it though, as im sure the "this is my saber" feeling drifts off after a while

**FenderBender** · 02-21-2009, 11:51 PM

Yeah that feeling is usually just replaced with the "gotta have more" feeling.

**Swordlord** · 02-21-2009, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by FenderBender

Yeah that feeling is usually just replaced with the "gotta have more" feeling.

At one point in my college days, I had a small placard that said:

He who dies with the most toys -- wins!

**Hasid Lafre** · 02-22-2009, 12:09 AM

Yes but Denis leary said the kid that eats the most marbles dosent life to see the second grade.

**ARKM** · 02-22-2009, 12:26 AM

1. I would definately buy a saber from another manufacturer... if I could afford to. Right now I'm as poor as they come.

2. Yes. Although most of my stuff comes from me, there will be times when I "borrow" other saber maker's elements. So far the only intentional borrowing I have done is from copyrighted lightsabers and not something another custom saber maker has done. The key word being "intentional".

3. Not really. I have made over 25 sabers but have yet to make one for myself. It might be a very long time before I do.

4. See the second sentence of #1. I have 35 cents in the bank... sweet!

**gundamaniac** · 02-22-2009, 12:28 AM

I have borrowed elements from another sabersmith before. I borrowed heavily from the Obi-Wan hilts and took a couple of cues from Jay-gonn's machined custom for Obeisance.

The main things that prevent me from purchasing custom sabers are pride and money. I take pride in having built my own sabers. I love owning sabers that are actually mine in the sense that I designed and built them. It just wouldn't feel the same to me to wield a saber someone else built or even to wield a saber that I designed and had built for me. I also love designing and building sabers...it's just fun. I'm not into sabers because I can show off my moves with my glorified glowstick (have you seen me try and wield a lightsaber? It's like watching the star wars kid all over again...). I'm into sabers because I love the creation process. I'm also too broke to afford completed custom sabers. I can only afford the cost of parts (empty Obeisance hilt = around 30-40 dollars)...I can't afford the cost of labor.

That said, I have been sorely tempted by sabersmiths' works before. And I'd rather leave building sabers like replica hilts in the much more capable hands of others. I'm just too broke. So my mouse hovered between option 1 and option 4...in the end I chose 4.

Disclaimer: I do own some Master Replicas hilts that I got for cheap. I wanted some movie hilts (Vader's because I'm a Vader fanatic, and Obi-Wan's cuz...well...the fact that my personal hilt is an "obeisance" to Obi-Wan should tell you why) and I'm too broke to afford nicely made replicas by reputable sabersmiths. I'm currently trying to drop hints to my friends to just give me cash for my upcoming birthday so I can pick up the Obi TPM Force FX that's coming out