Short answer: for dueling, RGB. For display and film-accurate effects, neopixel. An RGB (baselit) lightsaber keeps its LED inside the metal hilt and lights a hollow polycarbonate blade from the base, so there is nothing in the blade to break when it takes a hit. A neopixel lightsaber runs a strip of LEDs the full length of the blade, which gives you scrolling ignition and brighter, more even light, at two to four times the price and with electronics inside the tube you are swinging at someone. If you are buying a first saber, a saber for a kid, or a saber you intend to spar with, buy RGB. If you want the closest thing to what you saw on screen and you will mostly display it, buy neopixel.
RGB vs neopixel at a glance
| RGB (baselit) | Neopixel | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the LED is | In the hilt, shining up a hollow blade | A strip inside the blade, tip to base |
| Blade | Plain polycarbonate tube; swap it for any 1-inch blade | Blade with its own LED strip and connector |
| Durability under impact | Best. Nothing in the blade to damage | Good on quality blades, but a hard clash can kill LEDs |
| Colour change | Infinite, on the fly | Infinite, plus blade effects (unstable, rainbow, fire) |
| Ignition | Whole blade lights at once | Scrolls up from the hilt like the films |
| Brightness | Bright at the base, fades slightly toward the tip | Even end to end, brighter overall |
| Sound | Smooth-swing, flash-on-clash, 12+ fonts on S-RGB | The same, plus more fonts and effects on Proffie boards |
| Price for the same hilt | $69.99–$175 at We Geek Together | Typically $250–$500 |
| Replacement blade | $20–$30 | $80–$150 |
What is a neopixel lightsaber?
A neopixel lightsaber has a blade with individually addressable LEDs running its full length, driven by a sound board in the hilt (Xenopixel, SN-Pixel and Proffie are the boards you will see named). Because every LED can be controlled, the blade can ignite progressively from the hilt, flicker, pulse, split into colours, and display effects that a single LED in the hilt cannot. It is the technology behind the “most realistic” sabers, and it is the reason those sabers cost what they do: you are paying for a blade full of electronics and a board that can drive them.
What is a baselit or RGB lightsaber?
A baselit lightsaber has one high-output RGB LED sitting in the emitter, inside the metal hilt. The blade is a hollow polycarbonate tube with a diffuser film that catches the light. The LED can mix any colour, so you can change the blade colour on the fly and get flash-on-clash and smooth-swing sound from the board, but the whole blade lights at once and it is brightest near the hilt. Every saber we sell at We Geek Together is baselit, on RGB S4, RGB S16 or S-RGB cores, and every one can be upgraded to a pixel core later if you decide you want the effects.
Which is better for dueling?
RGB, and it is not close. In a real duel the blades hit each other and the floor, and a baselit blade is a solid tube with nothing inside it: it scratches, it eventually clouds, and you replace it for $20. A neopixel blade carries an LED strip and a connector, and enough hard strikes on a cheap one will kill pixels along the strip. Good neopixel blades are built for contact and survive well, but they cost as much as a whole RGB saber to replace. Every saber club we know of duels on RGB or on heavy-grade neopixel blades that cost more than our entire hilt-and-blade kits.
Which should a first-time buyer get?
RGB. The Squire Saber at $69.99 is the saber we hand to first-timers and kids: a 260 g aluminium hilt, an RGB core with twelve colours and smooth-swing sound, and a 32" blade in the box. The Knight Saber is where adults who will notice hilt weight and sound should start. If after a year you want scrolling ignition, bring the hilt in and we will fit a pixel core and blade — you keep the hilt you already like.
Where to try both
We keep RGB sabers on the wall at our Provo and Sandy, Utah stores and a pixel-core demo behind the counter, so you can ignite both and decide with the saber in your hand. Everything ships from Utah, usually within a business day, or you can pick it up in store. See all dueling lightsabers · Lightsabers under $100 · Where to buy a lightsaber in Utah.