Is Reel Saber customizable?

Yes! While we’ll offer some official Reel Saber varieties, the hilt cap and bottom sleeve are designed to be simple and modifiable. You can make custom versions without needing to reproduce complex functional elements. The main shell (where all the magic happens) is condensed, leaving plenty of room for customization. Reel Saber owners who want to 3D print (or otherwise manufacture) custom parts will have access to files for the bottom sleeve and removable cap of the hilt!

When will Reel Saber be available?

We are in the home stretch of having a production-ready board that can handle all the amazing features in a compact and reliable way. The rest of the device is optimized for production and ready to go! Once we’ve refined the board, we will launch a Kickstarter campaign with even more details. This will likely be within the first half of 2024. If you sign up for news and updates here, you’ll be the first to know, and have a heads up before the campaign begins!

How safe is it?

Reel Saber deployment relies on a frictionless path. If deployed against a firm object, the blade will stop deploying and feed from the side access port, preventing injury. Though this may mitigate some danger, we strongly advise against pointing it towards people and animals, the light source is very bright!

Can Reel Saber be used for dueling?

While Reel Saber is the best at retracting and deploying, it may not be the best option for dueling. You can still swing these blades though! Blade length is adjustable using the joystick. Deploy more for a cinematic ignition, reel some in for stronger swings!

When will you add strip lights?

The short answer is, we wont. We know of a technology which uses strip lights. While truly visually stunning, that type of mechanism is also incredibly sophisticated. We’ve opted to reduce weight and avoid deploying fragile parts from the hilt. Our aim is to create an inspiring ignition experience without overcomplicating things.

How long do blades last?

The blade we recently took to LA Comicon withstood 3 days of constant use and is still the blade we use for demonstrations! We have taken good care of it though, as rolling it up for extended periods of time will start to loosen the cylindrical shape of the blade. The good news is you can revive a blade by placing it inside a tube and letting it “reform”. You’ll still get plenty of use before needing to do this, our LACC blade STILL hasn’t needed a reform! Nonetheless, accidents happen, and we don’t want your Reel Saber out of commission if the blade gets a kink from being dropped, sat on, closed in a door, or whatever. For that reason, and ease of transport, these blades are removable and replaceable!

What board/software does it use?

At the heart of every Reel Saber lies a very powerful circuit board. Our custom PCB, featuring a joystick, gyroscope, powerful audio amplifier, and a vibrant LED driver, is programmable over USB-C using Circuit-Python. Users can customize how their saber operates, looks, and sounds!