Lightsabers are one of the most recognizable things in the Star Wars franchise. Along with the force, the lightsaber is the ‘novum’ of Lucas’ sci-fi world.
Famously, ‘novum’ is a term used by Darko Suvin when defining science fiction, as the scientifically plausible concept that defines a sci-fi universe – in Star Wars this is the force, and the lightsaber, as wielded by the Jedis.
In terms of lore, lightsabers appear much less than you think, in comparison to the films.
Jedi are originally peaceful people, protectors of land, and didn’t really have to use lightsabers as more than a defensive or ritualistic weapon until, arguably, the Clone Wars came about and the true imbalance was found in the force and the combat and wars we see in the film ensues.
The Jedi lightsaber is based on the proto-saber which was an ancient original version of the lightsaber, quite similar to Kylo Ren’s lightsaber.
As the lightsaber was used in combat more and more regularly by the Jedi, and soon the Sith, it started to be engineered slightly differently and as time goes on we see many forms of unique lightsaber.
Particularly that of Darth Maul and Kylo Ren, but also in the unique colors and hilts of each character’s lightsaber.
This is part of why lightsabers are so cool, because of how uniquely they uniquely represent each character within the universe, at least those who can wield a lightsaber.
Most obviously this is seen in Anakin Skywalker who originally has a blue blade, but when he turns to the dark side and becomes
This uniqueness is part of why they are so compelling in real life, as collectibles, as Suvin suggests of any novum, while it is partially achievable in real life the main attraction of the real lightsaber is as a collectible and unique item rather than for its weaponry uses.
With that said, and with Disney’s recent buying of the rights and the increasing new fans, expansion of lore, and new films, the lightsaber has only increased in popularity.
You may be wondering where you can buy a lightsaber, not a functioning one, but simply one to use in cosplay or just to keep in your man cave.
We have explored the best places to buy a lightsaber so you don’t have to, keep reading to find out the best places to get one today!
Best For Official Merchandise: Hasbro’s The Black Series
This line started back in 2015, under the recent purchase of the rights by Disney, a new resurgence in both fans and money had found its way back into the beloved franchise.
This ‘The Black Series’ from Hasbro is a line of authentic and original Star Wars merchandise from the creators.
They create all sorts of merch related to Star Wars, particularly for cosplayers who want high quality and authentic costumes, part of this is their series of lightsabers.
Three of the most highly rated lightsabers on Amazon are from Hasbro’s The Black Series, for good reason.
They are designed by the creators of this cinematic world so they likely have created these lightsabers as close to original props as they can.
You can buy Darth Vader’s lightsaber, Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, and The Mandalorian darksaber.
Yet, beware, while these are arguably some of the best, or perhaps just the most popular, they will set you back a pretty penny.
However, you get a collector’s-quality item that not only comes with its own stand for display, but also has loads of cool sound effects and LED features that really make it feel special.
Pros
- Official merchandise
- Can get a character’s lightsaber
- Collector’s quality
Cons
- Expensive
- Not made for heavy dueling
- No customization
Best For Customization: SaberForge
SaberForge are another highly rated lightsaber maker, but they aren’t really affiliated with Lucas or Disney at all, so while they create lightsabers like the ones we see in the film, they aren’t official merchandise, nor can you buy specific lightsabers from certain characters.
What they lack in affiliation, they make up for engineering. This company can really make some stand-up lightsabers that are arguably of a higher quality than the The Black Series.
In other words, these lightsabers are the ideal ones to buy if you want to have duels with your friends. To quote their website, “Our sabers are rated for full contact dueling. Capable of withstanding heavy dueling, even against kendo bokkens, and nylon hema wasters.“
But they do note that some of the sabers may have enough of an edge to hurt someone, so it is good to use some protective equipment if you plan to go full method acting.
Another great quality of these lightsabers is that they are actually ideal for customizing your own, which is really what most fans want.
You can choose hilt designs, material, what color you want, or even go for a color changing lightsaber, something you wouldn’t be able to achieve within official merchandise.
They even sell parts for the saber which is useful when you pay a decent amount for something.
On the subject of price, these are equal if not a little cheaper than The Black Series sabers, which is impressive considering how high quality the manufacturer is here.
Pros
- Great for combat
- Ideal for customization
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- No affiliation with brand
- No sabers specific to a character in Star Wars
Best For Heavy Dueling: Ultra Sabers
This is another great company that makes high quality lightsabers that is also not affiliated with the Star Wars branding. Yet, like SaberForge, they make some impressive lightsabers.
Again, like SaberForge, their lightsabers are some of the best for dueling, in the sense that they can withstand heavy combat if that’s what you choose to do.
Ultra Sabers specifically sell battle ready lightsabers that are specifically engineered for dueling, meaning they are some of the best for this sort of combat.
Moreover, these can be customized quite well and you can customize the saber’s manufacture to how you want to or plan to duel.
One thing I really like about this company is their Mystery Box. In the Star Wars franchise, your lightsaber chooses you, much like wand in Harry Potter or any other fantasy/sci-fi franchise.
So this mystery box lets you have a degree of surprise in your lightsaber, letting fate and lady luck decide what kind of Jedi you are, and for a really reasonable price, just like the film.
While the customization options aren’t as thrilling as they are for SaberForge, the customization is more for practicality.
For example, if you don’t plan to use your lightsaber to hit people, and instead want to display it, you can choose not to have a sound option which will reduce the price.
Pros
- Great for heavy combat
- Practical customization
- Mystery Box
- Reasonably Priced
Cons
- Not great for aesthetic customization
Best For Cosplay: Disneyland Stores (Galaxy’s Edge)
Many Star Wars fans want a lightsaber so they can cosplay as a specific character, many of the previously listed sites aren’t affiliated with Disney or Lucas so can’t necessarily replicate specific lightsabers without these rights.
You may think that The Black Series is actually the only place to buy these sabers, but if you go to Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge park there are really unique sabers here you can’t get anywhere else, ideal if you want a specific character’s saber, but you can only get these in-person.
This is perhaps a wonderland for Star Wars super fans, as Galaxy’s Edge contains its own lore to add to the Star Wars universe, and is a very immersive environment where you can see ‘real’ First Order stormtroopers walking around as well as the unique characters that seem to exist inside this created area.
If you want to cosplay Star Wars there is no better place to be. Galaxy’s Edge is available within the Disneyland resorts of Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California.
Specifically, within Galaxy’s Edge you can find Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities as well as Savi’s Workshop, two unique locations within Galaxy’s Edge where you can find unique ‘legacy’ lightsabers you can’t find anywhere else.
They specifically sell some lightsabers based on specific characters, often unique re-fixes of the Black Series sabers, although there are some unique lightsabers here as well.
To list a few of the unique sabers here you can find a Jedi Temple Guard saber, Rey Reforged saber, Ben Solo saber, Ahsoka Tano saber, and more here.
Many of these sabers aren’t available anywhere else, unless second hand, and are the only ones in circulation.
But beyond these unique sabers, you can still buy unique takes on other sabers that exist of the more popular characters like Kylo Ren and Darth Maul.
Uniquely, Savi’s Workshop is an area where you can actually create your own customized saber in-person.
Using bits of metal collected by Savi, as well as a Kyber Crystal from Dok Ondar’s Savi will create a lightsaber right in front of you for a totally unique saber you can’t find anywhere else.
On the one hand, these sabers are expensive when you take into account the rest of the money you will spend getting to Disneyland, paying entry to both the park and Galaxy’s Edge, etc.
However, these sabers are totally unique in the sense that you can literally only get them by going into the park itself, which presents a really unique opportunity for cosplayers and fans.
Pros
- Unique and immersive experience
- Customize your lightsaber in person
- Unique legacy lightsaber from characters that aren’t available anywhere else
- Rare and exclusive lightsaber available
Cons
- Hard to come by unless in person
- Not available online
- Expensive to find
Best Value Lightsabers: Kenpora 2-In-1 Extendable Lightsaber
Maybe you don’t have a stack of money to throw on what is effectively an over engineered toy, but you still want to experience how cool wielding that lightsaber will make you feel, or you have kids who just want the experience of playing with one, there are cheaper versions out there.
This is a relatively well reviewed item on Amazon considering how cheap these lightsabers are.
The lightsaber is a two in one product, one lightsaber is blue, one lightsaber is red, and they can connect at the hilt to form a double blade like Darth Maul.
This double blade lightsaber is usually really expensive as it effectively has two lightsabers but is achievable here for under $50.
But the two in one style is pretty good, great if you have two kids who want to play Jedi with immersive props.
Even for this cheap price you can still get the telescopic design, as well as some really cool motion sensor sound effects triggered by movement or when the sabers clash.
The lightsabers are made from a hard and durable plastic which makes them okay for when kids want to use them against each other.
We wouldn’t recommend any heavy combat, only light sparring for the purpose of play.
This is an ideal gift for kids or a halloween parts, but maybe not enough for the hardcore fans and cosplayers who want something with collectible quality.
Pros
- Ideal for kids
- Good gift
- Low price
- Functional
Cons
- Not built to last
- Not authentic for cosplay
- Not durable enough for heavy dueling needs
Best All-Round Lightsaber: Kyberlight Sabers
Kyberlight is potentially one of the longer lasting lightsaber companies out there, which many reviewers suggest is similar to the ‘Ultimate Lightsaber’ from the early 2000s that older fans may remember.
This noughties product was before the engineering allowed these sabers to be so well-made but was essentially a plastic lightsaber you put together yourself.
Kyberlight has created something similar, in the sense you assemble it yourself, but is much higher quality thanks to modern manufacturing.
In terms of assembly, it comes in parts: a main hilt, a pommel, emitter, and sleeve of your choice.
They have been around since 2016, where they did have some QC troubles, but having these bumps in the road early on means many find that their processes are quite refined now, and has brought the company to the height of people’s estimations.
Moreover, for a lightsaber that has a mute option, FOC, color changing abilities, true smooth swing, RGB, and sound effects, for under $250 which is hard to get in most places.
The reason this is our overall best, is that, while some of the other companies might have higher quality, in terms of doing a little bit of everything this is the lightsaber to go for.
There is arguably a decent level of customization with this company, as well as having sound effects, and good lighting, while also being great for heavy dueling.
If you want to do a little bit of everything with your lightsaber for a reasonable price too, then Kyberlight is worth looking at.
Pros
- Good for all lightsaber needs
- Customizable
- Durable
- Good for cosplay
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Can’t get character replica lightsabers
- No affiliation with Star Wars
Final Thoughts
What should be clear in this article is that there is, unsurprisingly or not, a huge amount of companies out there, including official merchandise itself, that offers really well made lightsabers for a reasonable price.
Most fans back in the pre-noughties era of Star Wars would have thought that a practical and ‘working’ lightsaber would be possible without having to remortgage your house.
Many of these lightsabers are really customizable which is great if you want your own lightsaber just like a Jedi in the franchise, but there are also loads of replica lightsabers from characters in the franchise that are great for cosplaying as that character.
Many of these lightsabers can also be engineered to be really durable so that adults can have heavy duels that are more realistic and like they are in the films.
If you want official merchandise The Black Series has to be the place to go, while if you want something rare and special that has experience with it, then you must visit Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, there is no lightsaber experience like it.
But there are also some really functional but reasonably priced sabers out there as well as brands that find engineering success and popularity among fans even without official affiliation with brands, some of which offer potentially better offers for your buck than official merchandise can.
Brad Burnie is the founder of Starships.com. He loves all video game genres. In his spare time, he loves reading, watching movies, and gaming
