L. Germain:

Rating

This item is a really neat addition to the Lightsaber Duel Game. The one issue with them is that they are too heavy and awkward for a child to hold and use with the Wii controller attached. The only way a child could play using the Lightsabers would be to hold it with two hands. This is not an option since they also have to use the nunchuck to play the game, which adds to the difficulty of controlling the lightsaber. Would not recommend for young children (under 8).

I. Mitchell:

Rating

Lightsaber controllers were one of my prime reasons for buying a Wii!

After reading all the reviews I could find I actually ended up buying two sets: these “Official” ones and the Thrustmaster Glow Sabers. Didn’t really intend to.. I bought these first and then Amazon had a Black Friday deal on the Thrustmaster Glow Saber Duo Pack which I couldn’t resist. (Hey, I’m a big kid)

Of the two I much prefer these “Official” sabers. They are about an inch shorter at the handle and almost four inches shorter along the blade so while the balance isn’t perfect it’s better than the Thrustmasters. In fact really can’t say that I’ve noticed it with these Official ones… I do with the Thrustmasters, which being almost five inches longer, are also more likely to accidentally whack some item of furniture. (And they have)

The Thrustmaster sabers do look better – comparable with the regular toy lightsabers you can buy – but I actually like the simpler, stubbier toon-ish look of the Official sabers. Build quality seems fine for both so it’s just a matter of aesthetic preference.

The Official sabers’ glow looks a lot better than the Thrustmasters: it’s brighter and more even. The Thrustmasters look washed out when the lights are on in the room and under all lighting conditions they appear to have bands of light at regular intervals along the blade where the Official ones just glow smoothly.

The quick release feature on the Official sabers is pretty darn nifty: the blade simply clicks into the hilt and when you want to remove it again you pull a ring at the blade end of the hilt and twist it slightly, allowing you to remove the blade. With the Thrustmasters you have to remove either one or two screws to remove the blade. (There are two different styles of hilt)

With both types of sabers you have to remove the Wii-mote to use the Infrared sensor on the end but that applies to every saber / sword I have a read a review of and so long as the games are written sensibly to allow menu navigation by buttons, which they seem to be, it only really matters when you are navigating the main Wii menus.

Both types of saber hold the Wii-mote snugly with no issues.

Knowing what I know now I would buy these Official sabers again in a heartbeat and not bother with the Thrustmasters. Your mileage, as always, may vary.

D. Murray:

Rating

The Wii Remotes Fits snugly into the Wii Saber Attachment (but note the Wii Remote infrared Port will be blocked by this accessory. So if you have to use the cursor on the Wii you will have to pull the remote back out of the attachment to do so. Luckly for most Star Wars games this is not an issue. It only becomes one when you have to navigate the main menu again).

The attachment allows ample room to feed the Nunchuck attachment through. It is very solid and has withstood quite a few accidental furniture strikes.

The main complaint that I have is that it is terribly balanced. Most of the weight is forward of the Wii Remote which can make the attachment a little cumbersome and uncomfortable to wield for long lengths of time.

The LED lighting Mechanism allows the 2 AAA Batteries a very long and extended life time. I have used this product now for 3 weeks and it is still as bright as when I first got it.

Overall I would recommend this product to the die-hard Star Wars fan these will make a nice addition to any collection. And make Dueling with a friend or family member even that more exciting and engaging.