Blade Questions

[Devilstar2k2]

I think the heavier blades are better for spinning and such. They give a better balance, and the added weight really lets you get some speed to the spins.

[james3]

Devil has a great point. If you want to have some dramatic flare when you are welding your saber do not be to worried about the weight.

I think the best thing to do is buy a MHS kit, add an EL MHS blade holder, get your parts and blades and really get the feel for yourself. Countdown and some others swear by the LED blades but you can't knock EL, it has it's merits and I personally think the 3/4" blade is quite nice. I admit I don't do the 40 inch blades as I think they seem disproportionate(sp?) to the hilt but then again that's just my opinion and we all know they are like a-holes, everyone has one and we think they all stink[]

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[GFORCE13]

I will never use thin walled blade ever again, one of my first EL broke because I told my friend Nate it was unbreakable so he proceeded to prove me wrong.[]

" I am a Jedi like my Father before me"

[supertrogdor]

i will add my two bits, the heavier blades are a bit more difficult to move really fast, but more important is getting a decent balance point. An unbalanced blade is exceptionally cumbersom to wield, for that reason i chopped about 5 inches off of my blade and it has since been much easier to use, and i can swing it quite a bit faster with control. For what that is worth i hope it helps
cheers

[PowermanX4]

I have been using my Force FX saber lately, trying to get used to the waight, but it's to much. I'm a Martial Artest, and I've been training a little on welding swords, and for me the Force FX blades are still to heavey. It's a lot harder to move really fast and spin around. My golf club stick is awesome though, it's so light and doesn't bent, I'm just trying to figure out how to connect it to my hilt and make it detachable. bu it sounds like i'm not going to find a lighted blade thats super light and doesn't bend, but of well...

[Zhi-don]

I took my Ultrasaber to class last night. Basically it's Tim's MHS. I had all my students and instuctors test it out. Then I dueled with it in single combat, circles and line battles. Final evaluation. Its blade heavy with the 40 inch x 1 inch x 1/8 inch walls. A heavier or weighted pommel or other weight in the hilt might make it more stable. It was about the same weight as a standard shinai [bamboo kendo practice sword]but not as well balanced. Ok...I admit it, I'm hooked on the glowing blades. EL was nice, but LED is much superior. It is going to take me some time to get used to the weight difference if I can't weigh the hilt properly. My timing is off, because I am used to the lighter EL. However, now I don't have to worry about whipping and I can lock up with anyone using a shinai without the blade bending. I have already dueled with the lighter, shorter, thinner walled MR blades. Not for me. We have already dented, warped or broken 6 MR sabers. These new LED ones, don't break at all. I took full impact [we never do this in dueling] hits from the strongest members of our class. Nothing...Nada! Impressive....most impressive.

Zhi-don Aquintas
XO RL Sunrider Base
Treasurer/Head Instructor
Lightsaber training OCSWS

[Nightwing]

Hmm... I'm thinking of doing a 34" or 36" blade with basic MHS parts, plus the extension piece. Will that work, balance-wise?

[james3]

I have a 34" with MHS hilt,ext,tapered pommel and holder. 36" straight MHS kit as it comes. and an odd ball 2 ext,ribbed,bladeholder that has the best balance but I haven't got around to begging Tim to make a custom endcap for it.
The balance on the 34" with ext. is really nice. I have the battery pack down in the extension section which is at the bottom.
The standard hilt with a 36" blade is still a bit blade heavy but not unbearabe. It is asome for twirling though you can get it going PDQ[]
My oddball is a perfect hilt size but it needs an endcap pretty bad. It balances real well with a 36" EL blade and when I swap it to LED it falls right in with the first hilt I was talking about. I have used the 34" and 36" and been pleased since I get the weight of the longer hilt but it is closer to the standard size.

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[Nightwing]

Sweet. I was planning on doing your first hilt exactly (tapered pommel, Extension, hilt tube, and standard blade holder) with a sink tube over it.
I hate to ask, but do you think you could put the 36" in that hilt and test its balance? I normally wouldn't ask, but this is the last thing I need to know before I actually buy my saber.

[james3]

No problem....
Balance point is about 2 1/2 inches past the emitter tip as opposed to an inch an a half, it's very nice. Now I have to play with it like this for a while and now I am back to thinking of the 35" blade as well hmmmm...
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