Y'all need to start treating your lightsabers better. If you're going to come to a lightsaber class and/or want to participate in the sport, please respect your weapon. Otherwise your $100+ saber turns into a quasi-functional and slightly more dangerous flashlight.
Just like in any martial art, or even ventriloquism (probably), you need to care for your equipment. The combat lightsaber is a unique weapon in this modern age. Historically most swords and weapons had minimal electronics, although I suppose there was a lot of other upkeep. When it comes to combat lightsabers, they can either be an expensive stick that used to light up or a technological marvel you paid $800 for. Either way you need to care of it, or at least know what you should be doing.
So here are 5 tips for basic lightsaber maintenance that you should all be doing.
(DISCLAIMER--- I am not a saber smith or super knowledgeable in wiring circuit boards. But I do know about things that if neglected can make your saber useless to you, and even dangerous to others.)
5. Don't leave it in your car
This should be basic, but SO many people do this. But it's horrible for sabers. The main reason being that there is most likely a lithium ion battery inside. Which if mistreated can either shorten it's lifespan, or blow up horribly.
The suggested temperature range of a lithium ion battery is 40-113°. Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures can shorten battery life and even be dangerous. Plus extreme cold and heat can weaken other parts of already delicate electronics. Your saber is probably going to break anyway, don't let it be because you left it in your car for the month of January.
4. Charge your batteries
Might as well follow up #5 with another battery tip. There is no real danger to NOT charging your battery. But if your saber is continually not charged and never lights up. I question why you're in a lightsaber class anyway. Also this can be bad for the longevity of your battery
And while it's not required to have a saber that lights up, it does (however indirectly) add to its use. You could of course fight with a saber that doesn't light up. But having a glowing stick that also can hit you is a useful distraction, and not an aspect of the sport most people recognize.
So seriously, charge your batteries. Or if you're rocking the AAA, replace them. I've recently gotten used to our sabers (that are for sale) that have a recharge port and it's soooooooo easy. I want all my sabers to have that. A rechargeable 18650 battery is basically the industry standard at the moment.
3. Cleanliness
Because this whole article is about taking care of your equipment, this one should be a no brainer. But hardly anybody cleans their lightsaber on a regular occasion. Which then results in a dirty saber that's probably falling into disrepair. Have you ever handled someones saber that just felt dirty? It's disgusting. Imagine picking a fresh cucumber from the garden and it's covered in soil. Except now it's a lightsaber, and it's sticky from sweat and Skittles.
This is also a good time to take your saber apart and inspect it. As when you're cleaning your hilt, perhaps you'll notice something else that needs done. So if nothing else, just take a rag every now and then and wipe your saber down. Just trust me.
2. Know how it works
In canon the lightsaber is a mysterious religious relic the Jedi use that can also cut through anything. In reality it's a glorified combat flashlight. If you have a basic lightsaber from somewhere like Ultrasabers, the internals are probably pretty straight forward. You have your LED, switch and battery (with some wires in between). 9.9/10 when someones saber breaks, it's usually the battery pack. Even if you have a saber with sound and all that, the overall layout is about the same just with a few added bits and pieces.
While I don't recommend everyone to go out and become another below average saber smith. You'll save yourself a lot of time and energy learning how to use a soldering iron and the basic layout of your sabers electronics. Just knowing how to join two wires together will fix most issues. And you don't even have to be that good.
Extra saber parts and accessories can be ordered from your saber manufacturers site or TCSS.
1. Keep it tight
Your lightsaber is held together not by the Force or some magical crystal, but screws and threaded aluminum pieces. So if you leave the care of your saber up to the Force or Ronald McDonald, you might find your saber is missing a few things.
The most common danger of not keeping your blade retention screws tight is that the blade will literally fly out of your saber. And while many of you might consider this a viable combat move, I can assure you it is not. You'll either unintentionally injure somebody (most likely not the person you're fighting) or damage something expensive.
I probably shouldn't have to explain this, but here it goes. Threaded screws can come loose after repeated impacts. This is normal. As small and cheap as retention screws are, it's a pain in the butt to have to find replacements. And usually that'll mean your saber is out of commission for a little bit if you just let them fly off into oblivion. (good luck finding them on your floor...)
EXTRA
Inspect your blades too. These plastic tubes are not plasma beams and will break eventually. Especially if you're an idiot who thinks swinging around a heavy grade blade as hard as humanly possible is a show of skill.
So there you have it, five basic lightsaber maintenance tips. I could have probably came up with 20 or more, but these are the ones I see broken all the time. It's not like your Star Wars aluminum tube has to be your whole life. But if you are using it to hit things and don't want it to hurt other things, it might be a good idea to take a little better care of it.
Because this whole article is about taking care of your equipment, this one should be a no brainer. But hardly anybody cleans their lightsaber on a regular occasion. Which then results in a dirty saber that's probably falling into disrepair. Have you ever handled someones saber that just felt dirty? It's disgusting. Imagine picking a fresh cucumber from the garden and it's covered in soil. Except now it's a lightsaber, and it's sticky from sweat and Skittles.
This is also a good time to take your saber apart and inspect it. As when you're cleaning your hilt, perhaps you'll notice something else that needs done. So if nothing else, just take a rag every now and then and wipe your saber down. Just trust me.
2. Know how it works
In canon the lightsaber is a mysterious religious relic the Jedi use that can also cut through anything. In reality it's a glorified combat flashlight. If you have a basic lightsaber from somewhere like Ultrasabers, the internals are probably pretty straight forward. You have your LED, switch and battery (with some wires in between). 9.9/10 when someones saber breaks, it's usually the battery pack. Even if you have a saber with sound and all that, the overall layout is about the same just with a few added bits and pieces.
While I don't recommend everyone to go out and become another below average saber smith. You'll save yourself a lot of time and energy learning how to use a soldering iron and the basic layout of your sabers electronics. Just knowing how to join two wires together will fix most issues. And you don't even have to be that good.
Extra saber parts and accessories can be ordered from your saber manufacturers site or TCSS.
1. Keep it tight
Your lightsaber is held together not by the Force or some magical crystal, but screws and threaded aluminum pieces. So if you leave the care of your saber up to the Force or Ronald McDonald, you might find your saber is missing a few things.
The most common danger of not keeping your blade retention screws tight is that the blade will literally fly out of your saber. And while many of you might consider this a viable combat move, I can assure you it is not. You'll either unintentionally injure somebody (most likely not the person you're fighting) or damage something expensive.
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| The bottom saber has several retention screws that need to be kept tight |
I probably shouldn't have to explain this, but here it goes. Threaded screws can come loose after repeated impacts. This is normal. As small and cheap as retention screws are, it's a pain in the butt to have to find replacements. And usually that'll mean your saber is out of commission for a little bit if you just let them fly off into oblivion. (good luck finding them on your floor...)
EXTRA
Inspect your blades too. These plastic tubes are not plasma beams and will break eventually. Especially if you're an idiot who thinks swinging around a heavy grade blade as hard as humanly possible is a show of skill.
So there you have it, five basic lightsaber maintenance tips. I could have probably came up with 20 or more, but these are the ones I see broken all the time. It's not like your Star Wars aluminum tube has to be your whole life. But if you are using it to hit things and don't want it to hurt other things, it might be a good idea to take a little better care of it.
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