When considering a dueling lightsabers, you’re looking for a saber with good comfort, durability and handling. Let’s look at these factors in turn.

Comfort

Simplicity and smooth lines are key factors when looking at dueling lightsabers. Whilst screen inspired designs are appealing to the saber enthusiast and great for show and display, they seldom make comfortable dueling models. The fancier the saber, the more protruding features there are to dig into your hand and / or get dislodged or broken off when dueling. Instead, aim for a nice clean design. Avoid rectangular switch boxes and protruding claws. Recessed switches will decrease the chance of accidental ‘mashing’ of buttons.

Durability

If you’re looking for a durable dueling lightsabers, you’ll want a base lit installed saber. A base lit saber has a powerful LED and lens in the hilt that shines up a hollow blade. Some other saber retailers may state that their other saber technologies (like ‘neopixel’ sabers) are suitable for dueling; we respectfully disagree. Trust the team that have been dueling every week for over 6 years. Neopixel sabers (usually the blades) will prematurely fail when contact dueled.

Handling

When dueling, you’ll find that your grip point is just under the emitter (between the switch(es) and the blade). Make sure that your chosen saber design has a comfortable grip point. Hilt length can play a part in handling both in balance and technique. A dueler who prefers 2-handed techniques will find a 31cm length hilt perfect, whereas a 28cm hilt (just 3 cm shorter) may feel a touch cramped.

Most duelers opt for heavy grade blades (3mm thick blade walls or thereabouts). Whilst heavy grades offer better longevity, a number of duelers like the speed and balance of mid-grade saber blades. Mid grade blades typically have walls between 1.8mm and 2.0mm thick so there is a penalty to pay re: durability. Mid grade blades will typically not last as long as heavy grade blades when dueled, but the aforementioned users of mid grade blades simply live with having to replace their blades more often, in order to benefit from lighter handling.

Blade grade (weight) also affects the balance point. Dueling lightsabers will feel more ‘blade heavy’ when fitted with a heavy grade blade. One handed stylists may prefer the weight distribution of a mid-grade blade whereas practitioners of two-handed saber forms may be happy with either. Here at Sulphur City Sabers, we believe that it’s best to train with the more common heavy grade blade first and then optionally trial mid grades when you’re more experienced in saber tech & techniques. All of our sabers ship with heavy grade blades.

Don’t forget to opt for an RGB base-lit model when dueling. For a full overview of how to select the perfect saber, make sure to check out our Buying Guide. You can view ALL of our sabers designs in our store.

A great way to get a feel for how dueling lightsabers handle, is to head along to a regional New Zealand Lightsaber Guild group meet and connect with the regulars. Loaner sabers will be available and regular attendees will be happy to talk through the pros and cons of different saber designs; you’ll be able to try a range of models.

Don’t forget to check out our Buying Guide for a demonstrative overview of the differences between different saber designs. We also cover the topic of suitability for dueling in the video. As always, if you have any questions, you can just Contact Us.