Review of Damiensaber Crossguard Xeno 3.0
FX Lightsaber Star Wars Replica

Introduction

A few months ago, I covered one of the new Xeno 3.0 light sabers from Damiensaber, a company that produces a range of sabers from various Star Wars movies and shows. Tonight I'm checking out another newer release, the Crossguard Lightsaber.

With the new Ahsoka show hitting just last week, this style seems particularly relevant. While many might remember the crossguard saber that Kylo Ren had, this one is based on the version found by Ezra in Star Wars Rebels, which of course ties in with the new live action show. Who knows, we might just see this saber again...

This is the Xeno 3.0 version, which is running $279 right now at their site. There's also a more basic version that costs $189 - their site will give you the lowdown on the differences.

And if you'd like to see me go all Star Wars Kid with this thing to give you a better idea of the sound and light features, check out the short video here.

Packaging - N/A
There's no special packaging here - just a large cardboard box. There are instructions however, and they've improved these over the last release I received. The app is also extremely useful - more on that in a later section.

While the box is plain, it does do the most important job well. It keeps the saber and components safe and sound while it makes its way to your porch.

Sculpting/Construction - ****
Obviously, this is a largely metal piece, with excellent machining and quality. It has a nice heft to it, and while there are a few plastic bits - like the collars for the sabers - these are extremely high quality as well. The hilt itself is aluminum, and very solid. Nothing here will break easily, dent easily, or wear out under normal use.

The blades are held in place in the three collars using small Allen screws. They include a wrench, as well as a few extra screws just in case.

The hilt can be disassembled at various points, where the pieces are threaded and screwed together. You can expose the internals, but it's not necessary - the port for charging is on one side, right above the button used to turn the saber on and off.

The three blades are a dense polycarbonite material, very sturdy and great for diffusing the LED light. This saber is a competition quality weapon, and while I haven't tried using it against another person wielding their own saber, it does feel like the build quality is such that it would work extremely well.

Paint/Finish - ****
The bright aluminum finish is beautiful, and the black sections add depth and visual interest to the overall finish. Mixing up the color with a dash of gold along the hilt also creates a lot of pop. I had no worries about scratching the surface while I was messing around.

While there's not a ton of small detail work, I did love the pattern included on the on/off button.

Control/App - ***1/2
One of the cool eraspects of these sabers is the phone app that controls many of the features, as well as the saber actions. You can download the app here, or search for it on the store.

You connect to the saber with bluetooth - which is one of the options for upgrading the saber as well - and control many of the features. You can use the app to create the drag effect, or flash on clash, or blaster effect, and you can use it to change the sensitivity of the motion, intensity of light, color palette, and just about anything else.

Of course, the power button on the saber also controls many of the effects. Depending on how long you hold it down, you can get a blaster effect, or a drag effect, or a burning effect, etc. There are a number of color/sound combinations that are preset with names - "Dark Lord Revisited" for example - and you can cycle through these by holding down the power button for a longer period. It's even possible to change colors on the presets this way, although getting just the right touch on the button to access the various functions is trickier than using the app.

And have no fear - get too far down the rabbit hole with adjusting things and want to go back to the beginning? One button in the app will do a complete factory reset.

Speaking of 'control', they've improved the motion controls, so swinging the saber fast and slow will make a noticeable difference in the pitch of sounds. And they also listen to their users. For example, they now allow you to turn off the Flash on Clash effect, after users told them it was causing them to lose points in competitions.

Accessories - N/A
I'm not giving them a score toward the overall here, but I did want to include this section to point out that they do include a few extra screws, a charging cable, and an Allen wrench or two.

Light Feature - ****
Of course, it's the lights and sounds that really make the difference here. And boy, do you have choices.

The saber has a number of blade effects, including Steady, Pulse, Rainbow blade, Candy blade, Unstable, Cracked blade, Fire blade, and Flash blade. There are also 12 different ignition or blade styles that include Standard blade, Velocity blade, Torch blade, Blaster blade, Ghost blade, Broken ignition, Stack ignition, Photon ignition, Warp ignition, Phaser ignition, Scavenger ignition and Hunter ignition. Combine all of this with the unlimited color palette you can create by adjusting the colors through the app, and you have an extremely customizable experience and look.

The light is also SUPER bright and clear. You can see in my video how bright it is in a normally lit room, including colors like red and green. Your nerdy friends will definitely be impressed when you push the button and this baby ignites.

Sound Feature - ****
Also critical to a light saber like this is the sound effects. There are 34 sets of sound fonts included, and you can upgrade and add more through the microSD card. The sets include sounds for all movements and features, from dragging to burning to fast movement. With this many choices, you'll spend tons of time just finding the set that's perfect for you.

They've added some sounds for high and low pitch waving, as well as improving the trailing sounds, which creates an even better effect.

The speaker is another area that's been improved, with greater volume and clearer sound. The volume can be adjusted in the app as well.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Whether you're clashing with an opponent or out for a night on the town, this saber will look fantastic. It's a ton of fun to work with it, and makes even an old man like me start acting like the Star Wars Kid. How fun is that!

Value - ***
At $279 for the XENO3.0 version you see here, it's a solid value. You're getting a very nice light saber, with a ton of features, great sound, and terrific handling for far less than we had to pay once upon a time when Master Replicas were really the only game in town.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I did find that factory reset button useful, especially when I started messing around with altering the preset colors.

Overall - ****
It's getting that time of year, when you have to find the perfect gift for the Star Wars nerd in your life. With Ahsoka getting her live action show, and with Ezra being a part of that, this particular cross guard saber is the perfect surprise. Much like Sabine, they'll never see it coming.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - N/A
Sculpting/Construction - ****
Paint/Finish - ****
Control/App - ***1/2
Light Feature - ****
Sound Feature - ****
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
You can pick up this saber directly from the Damiensaber website right now on sale for $279. If you're looking for fewer features, they have options as low as $189.

Related Links -
I covered one of their Luke Skywalker sabers earlier this year.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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