I love collecting Star Wars lightsaber replicas, though my most recent one has created an exciting problem. An “elegant weapon for a more civilized age”, the lightsaber is a coveted sci-fi weapon that is one of the most iconic parts of the Star Wars franchise. To that end, all kinds of both official and custom lightsabers exist and have been made available to Star Wars collectors, and they just keep getting better.

Ranging from plastic sabers with telescoping blades I had as a 6-year-old to replica Legacy Lightsabers I’ve purchased at Galaxy’s Edge, my collection of lightsabers was primarily made up of official merchandise from Disney/Hasbro. However, I’ve finally dipped my toes into the exciting world of custom Neopixel lightsabers thanks to UK seller Padawan Outpost, having recently received one of their best-selling Hunter Combat Sabers. Now, I’m genuinely worried I’ll never be able to go back after seeing just how impressive and versatile Neopiexel Combat Sabers truly are.

Hunter Combat Saber: Box Contents And Disassembly

An Accessible Internal Core and SD Card

Carefully packaged, it’s evident that Padawan Outpost ensures its products arrive undamaged. The hilt was delivered in its own special box alongside a wrapped Xenopixel blade, both of which shipped together in a larger box. Shipping was relatively quick with the saber being delivered a couple of days earlier than estimated, something I was quite impressed with given the package was sent to my US address from the UK.

Beyond the hilt and blade, the box also contained a charger cord, a micro-SD USB thumb drive, as well as the necessary screws and Allen wrench to both screw and unscrew the Xenopixel blade and remove the saber’s internal core. The lightsaber also comes with an instruction manual, detailing the various functions and features of the Xenopixel blade (and can also be found on Padawan Outpost’s website).

While the charging port for the lightsaber is featured on the hilt itself right above the activation button, taking apart the Hunter Combat Saber is necessary for those wanting to add new sound fonts via the internal SD card, hence the included thumb drive. Beyond being durable and very bright with a variety of vibrant colors and styles, the true beauty of the LED Neopixel blade is just how customizable it truly is for the wielder. Here are the full specs and details for the Hunter Combat Saber, courtesy of Padawan Outpost:

The Hunter saber hilt also comes in a few different colors, including dark gray, black with silver accents, and gold. However, I felt as though the all-sliver option felt quite classic. While The Neopixel blade is regarded as one of the best on the market, there are other options such as the stronger and more affordable baselit model (though it does have fewer features). The Hunter Combat Saber (Xenopixel Model) is currently priced at $208.

Click Here To Learn More About Padawan Outpost’s Custom and Replica Sabers

Lightsaber Hilt Overview

A Classic Padwan Outpost Bestseller

Zeroing in on the hilt by itself, I was quite impressed by Padwan Outpost’s custom design. The Hunter Saber features a classic slanted emitter as seen with several lightsabers seen on-screen, as well as the pommel resembling Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber seen in the Skywalker saga. As such, the overall look certainly feels like a quintessential Star Wars lightsaber hilt, despite not being based on any one character.

Even with the blade attached, the Hunter Saber is very lightweight. This lends itself well to rapid swings and quick counters. It also means that it’s perfect for those looking to perfect their “Ani-Obi” lightsaber spins as seen in Revenge of the Sith. Featuring the single activation button, accessing the full scope of the lightsaber’s impressive features is a bit of a learning curve, seeing as how different blade styles, colors, and effects are activated via combos of short and long button presses and motion controls. However, I was also excited to learn that there’s also an app for the Hunter Combat Saber.

The Hunter Combat Saber Is Bluetooth Enabled

All Kinds of Customization Through Your Phone

While learning the various button presses will undoubtedly be useful, the Xenopixel blade is also Bluetooth-enabled with its own app. This makes customization much faster and easier. I could choose specific colors through the app, along with all the desired effects and blade ignition styles.

All the preloaded sound fonts can also be selected and cycled through on the app as well. To that end, I had an absolute blast picking my favorite blade colors and looking through all the different fonts and ignition styles. I’m honestly finding it hard to get excited about collecting Disney/Hasbro lightsabers which are objectively less vibrant and offer far fewer customization options than Xenopixel sabers do.

Multiple Options For Lightsaber Ignitions, Sounds, and Colors

You Can Truly Make The Combat Saber Your Own

Once I was able to get a handle on the various modes such as Multi-Block, I truly felt like a Jedi Knight in my own living room, blocking incoming blasterfire with an incredibly vibrant blue blade. Likewise, the gesture controls are tons of fun. A simple thrust forward or twist of the hilt can turn the blade off and on, rather than simply having to use the activation button every time.

The Xenopixel Lightsaber Puts Classic Star Wars Ignitions To Shame

The Xenopixel blade also features ignitions and sound fonts that truly surprised me, seeing as how they’ve never been shown on-screen in the Star Wars timeline (and probably never will). Nevertheless, ignition modes like Static and Warp Mode are some of the coolest I’ve ever seen. It truly showcases just how creative you can get with a custom Xenopixel saber, especially considering you can also go online and upload your own sound fonts via the internal SD card. Kyberphonics, one of Padawan Outpost’s partners, offers a whole range of sound fonts that can be paired with various saber colors and ignition styles.

Joining The Dark Side Only Takes A Quick Color Change

One of my favorite combinations for the Hunter Combat Saber was a “Warp” ignition paired with a red blade color. Although I have lots of love for the Jedi and the light side of the Force (my preferred saber color will always be blue), it’s always fun to venture on the dark side from time to time. At any rate, there’s still so much more customization for me to explore with this newly added lightsaber to my Star Wars collection. It’s practically a new hobby, one that may keep away from more official lightsaber replicas for quite a while.

Click Here To Purchase Padawan Outpost’s Hunter Combat Saber