Hasbro Star Wars Force FX lightsaber vs Ultrasabers Custom Sound Saber

Let’s compare a Hasbro Star Wars The Black Series Rey (Jedi Training) Force FX lightsaber to an Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 lightsaber with Obsidian Lite sound. I’m comparing the two lightsabers because they are similarly priced, depending on where and when you buy them, and commonly purchased as first lightsabers.

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Watch Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 Obsidian Lite vs Hasbro Star Wars Force FX lightsaber on YouTube:

Price
Hasbro’s Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber is often priced at $150 to $175, but you can sometimes find it cheaper. Ebay also often features Force FX lightsabers for sale [AFFILIATE LINK]. Other retailers like Walmart and Hasbro carry the lightsaber as well. Consider that sometimes the Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber goes out of stock.

Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 with Obsidian Lite sound retails for $159.99 [UPDATE 5/17/2018: Ultrasabers raised the price to $165.00], but you can easily and quickly increase the base price with different add-ons. Ultrasabers frequently has sales where you could get the saber for 10% or 15% off.

Licensed vs unofficial
Ultrasabers does NOT manufacture officially licensed lightsabers and Hasbro DOES manufacture officially licensed Force FX lightsabers.

Optional features and components
Ultrasabers allows the buyer to choose from many different options including: blade color, switch style, pommel style, etc. In addition to Apprentice V4, Ultrasabers sells several other styles of Obsidian Lite sound sabers for under $200. Hasbro’s Rey (Jedi Training) is only sold off the shelf and does not offer any customization options. Hasbro sells additional Force FX lightsabers for a similar including: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Kylo Ren (the Kylo Ren lightsaber usually costs more than the others).

Dueling
Ultrasabers manufactures duel worthy lightsabers, including the Apprentice V4. If you plan on dueling with your Apprentice V4, though, make sure you get thicker blade called “Heavy Grade” or “Thick Walled”, depending on the company. Unfortunately, none of the Force FX lightsabers are strong enough to use for dueling. Very mild dueling may be possible, but you risk damaging the LEDS. The only way to make Force FX lightsabers closer to duel worthy is to convert the lightsaber, which takes some money. A conversion involves removing the blade and installing an in-hilt LED. The problem is The Black Series Force FX lightsabers use a permanently attached blade called a string blade where all of the LEDs are contained within the blade itself, so damaging the LEDs in the blade is very easy.

Flash on Clash
Many lightsaber enthusiasts enjoy a Flash on Clash feature. Flash on Clash means the blade color will change briefly–often to white–upon impact. It’s cool feature, but the Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber does not includes Flash on Clash. The Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 does not include Flash on Clash by default, but Ultrasabers does offer Flash on Clash as an optional upgrade feature. Sometimes Ultrasabers runs a promotion for a discounted Flash on Clash upgrade as well.

Battery Setup
All Ultrasabers Obsidian Lite sound sabers run on 4 AAA batteries that are included (Ultrasabers calls this battery configuration ‘Standard Setup’). The battery pack, connected to the switch and LED by wires, is located in the bottom of the hilt near the pommel and the batteries will need to be changed as needed. Wires may become damaged over time due to repeated battery replacement.

Star Wars The Black Series Force FX lightsabers run on 3 AA batteries (not included). The removable battery pack (no wires) is located at the bottom of the lightsaber near the pommel. While a wireless battery pack provides convenience, be careful not to misplace the battery pack when it’s removed from the hilt.

Consider that AA batteries are much cheaper than AAA batteries.

Pommel
Ultrasabers lightsabers feature removable pommels and most Ultrasabers sound sabers use MHS compatible pommels. That means you could use a variety of Ultrasabers MHS compatible pommels with the lightsaber along with The Custom Saber Shop’s MHS V1 pommels. You could also combine two Obsidian Lite sound sabers with an MHS compatible coupler!

The Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber pommel is removable, but not compatible with other pommels or couplers.

Ease of wearing your lightsaber
The Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber features a D-ring on the bottom, but since the blade is not removable, wearing the lightsaber on your belt is awkward, cumbersome, and generally not recommended.

The blade can be removed from all Ultrasabers lightsabers. Unfortunately, low and mid range lightsabers, like Apprentice V4, don’t come standard with a Covertec wheel. You can add a Covertec wheel onto your order for an additional $14 [UPDATE 5/17/2018: Price is now $15]. You would also need to purchase a Covertec clip that would make your lightsaber hilt wearable.

Lightsaber Stand
The Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber, along with all of the other Star Wars: The Black Series Force FX lightsabers, comes with a stand. Ultrasabers lightsabers do no include a stand, but a stand can be added on to the order for an additional $13 [UPDATE 5/17/2018: Price is now $15]. You could also purchase a stand for Rey (Jedi Training) or Apprentice V4 from other vendors, although most lightsaber stands are designed for hilts without a blade, so it will be more difficult to find a stand for the Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber.

Lightsaber Sounds, Volume and Mute
Both sabers sound like lightsabers, but they do use different sound boards. Both sabers feature: a turn on and turn off sound, idle hum, and various swing sounds. The Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 lightsaber also includes a lockup sound, (the Rey lightsaber does not have a lockup sound). Neither lightsaber allows the user to control the volume, and Ultrasabers Obsidian Lite sabers do seem to be a bit loud. Additionally, neither the Rey (Jedi Training) nor the Apprentice V4 Obsidian Lite sound saber offers a mute function, which is unfortunate, because it’s convenient occasionally to use a lightsaber without sound. Ultrasabers does offer a mute function on their more expensive Premium Sound lightsabers.

Activation Switch
Ultrasabers’ lower end sabers, like Apprentice V4, include a guarded switch by default, but you can upgrade to an AV for an additional fee. Ultrasabers also offers a few different color options on their switches. The Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber is activated by sliding the clamp card up the activation box.

Blade
The Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 includes a 24 inch blade by default, which is a bit shorter than an standard full size blade. You can upgrade to a standard 32 or 36 inch blade or use different lengths of blades depending on your mood or circumstances. The Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber blade is about 33 inches long. The length of the hilt and the blade combined is 43 inches. The Rey (Jedi Training) blade is not removable, unless you convert the lightsaber.

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Should you buy an Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 lightsaber with Obsidian Lite sound or a Hasbro: The Black Series Force FX lightsaber? That’s up to you, but hopefully this comparison helped you weigh some of the similarities and differences between these two sabers and saber companies.

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Where to find a Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber:
Find Hasbro Rey (Jedi Training) Force FX lightsaber on Amazon [AFFILIATE LINK]
Find Hasbro Rey (Jedi Training) lightsaber on eBay [AFFILIATE LINK]

Where to find an Ultrasabers Apprentice V4 lightsaber:
Find Apprentice V4 on Ultrasabers

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