Hello there, and welcome to our latest lightsaber review — this time we’re testing out the SabersPro Obi Wan EP3 lightsaber.
Unlike most of the lightsaber replicas and toys that we’ve checked out in the past, this one isn’t an officially licensed Star Wars product, but rather a loving homage from a third-party company. Visually, it’s one of the most impressive lightsaber replicas I’ve ever seen. However, that lack of Disney oversight does mean that it’s a bit less ergonomic than the official lightsabers I’ve wielded. There are also some… odd choices with the sound and lighting profile options.
Despite this, the Obi Wan EP3 lightsaber is one of the most impressive lightsaber replicas that I’ve ever seen… which is good because it’s one of the most expensive as well. It’s definitely worthy of a spot in our best lightsabers guide though, so let’s get down off the high ground and get stuck into the review.
SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber: Design & assembly
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- Assembly just involves attaching the blade using Allen key/screws
- Hilt looks incredible – super screen accurate
- Very clean look – no weathering
Right off the bat, it comes in a nice box. Not hugely important, but if you spend $500-$600 on something, you expect it to come nicely packaged, and SabersPro lightsabers do. Inside, you’ll find the lightsaber hilt, blade, bladeless top piece, charging cable, a pamphlet explaining the controls, an Allen key, and some screws.
Assembly is very simple, as the entire hilt comes pre-assembled. If you’re just wearing it on your belt in its unignited form, you don’t need to do anything. Nobody buys a lightsaber without swinging it around though, so to attach the blade you just need to slot it in and screw it in place using the provided tiny screws and Allen key. This process can be a little fiddly, but if you do all the screws, the blade will be held tightly in place.
As to the design of the hilt… well it’s definitely an elegant weapon from a more civilized age. This thing looks like the spitting image of the lightsaber that Obi-Wan Kenobi wielded during the Clone Wars and Episode 3. SabersPro has gone all in on-screen accuracy, and it shows. There’s a screenshot below of the model they used in the recent Kenobi TV series and apart from the weathering and the holes for the speakers on the pommel of the hilt, it’s a near-perfect replica.
Weathering might be a make-or-break factor for some collectors, and this model looks fresh off the Jedi workbench. So, if you want this lightsaber to look like it’s seen some time in the Clone Wars, then you’ll need to weather it yourself. I personally love the shiny and clean look, but it’s not going to be for everyone.
SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber: Features & performance
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- Excellent light and sound effects
- Loads of different profiles
- Some weird inclusions…
When ordering an Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber from SabersPro, you’ll be given three choices for blades: Baselit V3, XenoPixel V3 or Proffie 2.2. We have the latter, more expensive option for our test model, which comes with higher-quality sounds and extra effects. You can also add your own custom sounds, though this process is quite complicated. To their credit, SabersPro has comprehensive instructions on their site, though they’re not linked to on the actual product page, which is annoying.
By default, it comes with 22 pre-installed soundfonts and 12-blade colors, ranging from sensible options like famous characters from the movies, through to bizarre additions like a Stargate and Jurassic Park profile. Ever wanted your lightsaber to make a raptor sound every time it clashes? No? Well, here it is anyway.
Each profile has a voiceline or sound effect to let you know which one you’ve picked. The noises and quotes are useful to tell you what profile you’re on, but some of them are far too long and just seem like random quote choices. Yoda and Darth Maul especially have very odd quotes. Speaking of selecting profiles, it can be a bit of a hassle to change the sound profile, adjust the volume, etc because everything is controlled by a single button. There are in-depth instructions on how to tweak everything, but it’s not intuitive.
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Despite these odd choices, the blade glow effect is super vibrant and clearly visible, even on a bright day. I often find that lightsabers look great in the dark, but the glow gets washed out in sunlight, but that doesn’t happen here — it’s easily the best-looking lighting effect I’ve seen in a lightsaber. Likewise, the sound effects are loud and clear, with custom sound effects for everything from powering up the saber to deflecting laser blasts.
The motion and collision detection works great too, with every swing of the blade and clash against another object being detected, resulting in an appropriate sound and lighting effect. I’m a little dubious about the legality of the copyrighted quotes and sound effects being used, and I suspect the whole “adding your own sounds” thing is a way for SabersPro to cover themselves if the suits come knocking.
SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber: Battery
- Good battery life
- Battery is a pain to get out
This particular SabersPro lightsaber comes with a rechargeable battery, which is a big plus. The downside is that there isn’t a charging port on the exterior of the lightsaber. Instead, you need to remove the battery and charge it with a custom charging box (this is included).
I found that it was a massive pain in the butt to remove the battery from the holder. As the battery holder is super snug and almost curls around the battery cell at the front, I ended up prying it out with a butter knife, which felt so uncivilized. Once you’ve got it out, it slots into the provided charging box easily, and the charger has a USB-A connector to connect to multiple devices.
The battery holds a charge well though, and we haven’t had to recharge it after three weeks of playing around with it. So, while it’s not a problem you’ll have to contend with very often, it’s still not ideal and hurts the otherwise exceptional build quality of the saber.
SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber: Price
The SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber typically costs $540 on the SabersPro website. That is… not cheap. It’s around twice the MSRP of the Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi Force FX Elite Lightsaber that it’s competing with. Is it worth it? Eh, it depends.
It’s certainly a more screen-accurate hilt, whereas the Black Series model allows some concessions to make the lightsaber easier to manufacture and more comfortable to wield. The SabersPro saber also has better lighting, sounds, and battle effects. At the same time, most people would already consider a $260 replica to be an excessive purchase, so doubling that cost really makes this a niche product for affluent collectors and cosplayers.
Should you buy the SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber?
Despite all the wonderful things I’ve said about it, for 99% of people reading this review, the answer is going to be no. It’s just too expensive for most people to consider, especially when you can get a Black Series Obi-Wan lightsaber for about half the price. Sure, this one is a little more screen-accurate and has a few other unique sounds and lighting effects, but the value proposition is still heavily in favor of the Black Series model.
With that said, if you’re flush with cash and a huge Obi-Wan fan, then the SabersPro Obi Wan Ep3 lightsaber is the best replica of his lightsaber that I’ve ever seen. The lighting and sound effects, detachable blade, and exceptional aesthetics mean it works great for both display and cosplay. For most people though, the cost is just going to be impossible to justify.
If this lightsaber isn’t for you?
If you’re looking for something official, and cheaper, we also reviewed the latest official rendition of Kenobi’s lightsaber — the Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi Force FX Elite Lightsaber — and we were very impressed by it.
And if you’d rather follow the dark side of the force, there’s also the Black Series Darth Vader Force FX Elite Lightsaber too. Search your feelings, and figure out which of these two iconic sabers suits you best, or check out our best lightsabers guide for even more great options.