Re: Custom Saber Shop

3
So my -first- purchase from them has finished quite well. I only have a few things to say (and they're quite minor):

1. Their shipping leaves a lot to be desired. While I've gotten used to the smaller/custom shops to be delayed in their shipping, it's still a bit frustrating. Especially being that everything I ordered was standard (nothing custom done) it was a little agitating that it took them about a week (or more) to ship. But that's probably more due to my impatience.

2. Based on what help I sought on the forums, they seem a little agitated with my kind. The folks who are extreme newbs. This relates to being newb in the sense of electrical work, saber building, and just general fandom. I have yet to really participate in their forums as I'm a little apprehensive of getting torn apart when I ask for help. That being said, they already have tutorials up that are -generally- helpful. They won't apply to everyone in every situation and some ingenuity, elbow grease and patience is required to build your saber.

3. Parts (necessary parts) are out of stock a lot it would seem. When I first placed my order a special wire connector was out of stock but it was highly recommended that I purchase it. Again, not being patient, I decided to go on without it. While my saber still functions, it's not at it's best. Since then the part has come back in stock and I've ordered multiples. Just in case it goes out of stock.

4. Their website is a little buggy. It moves slow, when it moves, and the ordering process is a little difficult. It could do with a nice overhaul. A lot of the product descriptions and pictures for some of the smaller parts leave a -lot- to be desired, as I'm very unsure of some of the parts I've ordered.

5. The blade that was recommended to me is fairly weak in brightness compared to the one provided to me from Ultra sabers. I'll remedy this in the future.

However, the final product is worth all of that. While my saber is not yet complete (I just placed another order with them a moment ago for some aesthetic saber parts), I'm very satisfied with the finished saber. The wiring is fairly easy if you have patience and some general knowledge of electricity (flashbacks to 4th grade science class did it for me). The cost is a bit much, but all of their parts are -very- fairly priced. It's just a lot of money for quality and might be prohibitive to some.

I'll post pictures as soon as my next order comes in from them and I can finish my saber off. At least until I see something else nifty I want to put on it. I'm also planning to build a double-bladed saber from them in the future, but that will likely be a ways off as it's so e xp ensive.

UPDATE: Perhaps it was the amount of items in my first order. My second order that was mostly just small parts shipped within hours. The shipment e-mail just came in and I placed it just before I made this post around 9ish.
Last edited by GuardianWolf on Fri Jul 09, 2010 5:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Custom Saber Shop

5
Thanks!

It's likely that a lot of folks come on and just start asking questions without using some logic and doing research first. We get that a -lot- here.

Their own FAQ's and sticky posts and whatnot tend to be a little awkward and use a lot of electrical lingo. I know what a resistor is but only in concept. I know how a light works, but I don't know the voltage and brightness measurement of an LED. It's all a bit overwhelming and they don't really do much to fix that.

It's difficult to get into, but I'm dying to make a new one. I started pricing out the parts already, but I'm holding off as about half of the things I need are out of stock. No idea when they'll be back either. Their stock information is written in item codes. Oh well.

So if anyone else is interested in striding down the light or dark side, I'd say go for it but beware.

Re: Custom Saber Shop

6
So I received my second package from them EXTREMELY quickly. A little annoying based on the fact that the first took a week or so after shipping to arrive. I think that's more likely USPS fault. Good thing they're raising rates, maybe that means they'll get better...

In any case, most of the stuff I got was perfect. However, half of my order were adhesive grips. http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/6-Pie ... -P372.aspx

Naturally I assumed these would go around the saber in the grooves that looked to be made for seating grips. The description and image lead me to believe this further. Not even close. Apparently these are meant to be vertical only. Being that the only "grips" on the site are these types, I assumed they would go for a majority of their hilts. In fact, these grips only fit on two of the seven or so styles. Needless to say I'm a little agitated with this, but live and learn, right? It's just another example of how their site leaves a bit to be desired. Running a successful business is all well and good, but I feel like if they cleaned up their site they'd probably get -more- business from newb-like folks such as myself. Just my two cents. Right now I'm gutting a toy lightsaber I bought to put sound in mine. I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Re: Custom Saber Shop

7
[quote=""GuardianWolf""]So I received my second package from them EXTREMELY quickly. A little annoying based on the fact that the first took a week or so after shipping to arrive. I think that's more likely USPS fault. Good thing they're raising rates, maybe that means they'll get better...
[/quote]

Omigosh GW, I'm splitting my sides over that one.....USPS get BETTER after raising rates???? Please tell me you are joking...I can't stand it, my sides hurt so much.... :D :D :D :D

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL

Re: Custom Saber Shop

8
Oh, it was entirely joking. The USPS complains that they're hurting because of e-mail and the economic downturn and whatnot. This makes no logical sense. More people are ordering items online than they ever have. So why is the USPS hurting? Because people ship through UPS, Fedex or just about any other possible service. The USPS is hurting out of incompetence. Nothing more. Them raising their rates is just an ancient service that is too big to die and too stubborn to change.

ANYWAY. Enough ranting. I have pictures! The saber is -mostly- done on the outside. I might try to get a bit more of a grip on it with many more of the rubber rings you see on it, but black and put in groups in between the red... but...we'll see. That'll be if I place another order with TCSS anytime soon. Luckily those rings are pretty cheap.

I'm planning on rewiring the inside this weekend. I want to make it a little cleaner as it's overheating a bit on occasion (probably a short somewhere) and I picked up a toy lightsaber today that I plan to gut and use the sound card and speaker to give it audio. It's not -perfect- audio, but it's a cheaper way than most folks do it. Also it's a bit of an e xp eriment...heh But that's all internal and pretty hard to show impressively in pictures. :P
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Re: Custom Saber Shop

12
[quote=""Deimos""]Just read that one in five people in England think that light sabres are real functioning weapons.

Must be something in the water over there....

http://newslite.tv/2011/03/15/oneinfive ... ights.html[/quote]
When the education systems dummy people down they can turn around and dummy them back up as well.
It doesn't surprise me people think fiction is fact. Every once and a while I'll read about science e xp eriments that have been conducted assuming theories are facts, then they begin to use the results as if they are facts, etc.

Wikipedia is a great source of crap since anyone can add their "Facts" to it.

I have a friend who is an electrical engineer, he was helping his daughter with homework concerning electricity when he discovered the information in the text book was wrong concerning polarity. He contacted the school immediately because if kids believe the text book they're gonna get zapped.

How long before it's okay to mix ammonia and bleach?
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

Re: Custom Saber Shop

13
[quote=""Thranduil""]When the education systems dummy people down they can turn around and dummy them back up as well.
It doesn't surprise me people think fiction is fact. Every once and a while I'll read about science e xp eriments that have been conducted assuming theories are facts, then they begin to use the results as if they are facts, etc.

Wikipedia is a great source of crap since anyone can add their "Facts" to it.

I have a friend who is an electrical engineer, he was helping his daughter with homework concerning electricity when he discovered the information in the text book was wrong concerning polarity. He contacted the school immediately because if kids believe the text book they're gonna get zapped.

How long before it's okay to mix ammonia and bleach?[/quote]

Uh....you're not supposed to mix ammonia with bleach? ...... JK

. :D :D :D (What's that greenish cloud?!!!!)...

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL

Re: Custom Saber Shop

14
[quote=""Deimos""]Must be something in the water over there....[/quote]
Um, perhaps it's ammonia and bleach.....hmmm. ;)
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

Re: Custom Saber Shop

16
[quote=""Sedhal""]Don't worry about that stuff, we'll have it at some point. The real danger is perverted and taught in every class and subject imaginable: political agenda.[/quote]

So true, so true, unfortunately some of those agendas are coming to their fruition already.
But this is far off track of this threads topic, so I'll make that my last remark because I feel like I'm adding to the distortion. :|
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"
Post Reply

Return to “Star Trek & Star Wars”