From the very first time kids in the late '70s left movie theaters playing Star Wars: A New Hope all the way up to the release of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and beyond, kids of all ages have wanted to wield lightsabers. Specifically, the ability to push a button on a hilt and have a blade automatically extend from the base -- just like the films.
While science hasn't quite delivered on this promise and Disney's efforts were limited to live theater, there's a new kid-focused toy in stores now that has quickly become my go-to gift for the younglings in my life.
In many ways, Power Sabers are incredibly familiar toys. Those kid lightsabers you can flick and have segments of saber come together to form the full blade have existed for decades at this point, and are great for offering a lower cost and relatively durable option. And while Disney is quite careful about making sure only official products are able to be called lightsabers, there are very few kids in the world who will see this toy and not immediately know what to do with it.
As soon as you pick up this particular plastic saber, it quickly becomes clear this has something more than the others in the toy aisle. It's heavier than you'd expect, and offers a pair of buttons on the side. Press the black power button and push up on the activator switch, and the magic happens.
It takes about 2 seconds for the multiple sections of this blade to extend and stay in place, during which sound effects and lighting come together to really bring this to life. The saber hums with play energy, and as you swing the hilt in your hand the sound changes to match. If your saber blade hits something, a familiar clashing sound will erupt from the hilt.
While there aren't any sound effects associated with stabbing the saber into something, this Power Saber blade will collapse safely to avoid causing harm. Also, it just looks cool when you stab something with a lightsaber and the blade disappears into your target.
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There are plenty of remarkably advanced lightsabers out there, with big price tags to match. Some are built for fencing-style combat, while others attempt to be flawless replicas of the sabers from film and TV.
More advanced versions of the features seen in these Power Sabers typically increases the price of a lightsaber hilt to well over $200, but the kid-friendly nature of this design manages to keep a fair bit of that magic for only $50. The only real limits outside of your imagination are the colors: Power Sabers currently only come in the classic green and red for now.