Padawan Outpost Qui-Gon Jinn Lightsaber Review

Lightsabers are a huge part of the Star Wars franchise. As the classic weapons of both the Jedi and the Sith, they’re certainly one of the most common items in collections of merchandise and collectibles from the galaxy far, far away. Having fallen in love with the Star Wars saga from a very young age, I have more than a few lightsabers hanging on the walls of my office and leaning against corners. However, I’ve never loved a lightsaber more than the Qui-Gon Jinn Combat Lightsaber from UK seller Padawan Outpost.

The Phantom Menace is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, having been released in 1999 when I was four years old. As such, there was no one more exciting to me from that movie than Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). Qui-Gon’s simple yet elegant lightsaber featured a glowing green blade, and I remember being so excited to have my own plastic version as a 6-year-old with its collapsible blade (even though it was actually Obi-Wan’s hilt with a green blade). Fast-forward two decades later and I feel like that kid again thanks to Padawan Outpost who sent me one of their Qui-Gon Jinn Combat Sabers to review.

Qui-Gon Combat Saber: Box Contents And Light Assembly

The Saber Can Be Fully Taken Apart

Carefully packaged with the blade wrapped, it’s quite clear that Padawan Outpost takes great care with its products, ensuring that their various custom and character lightsabers travel to their destinations intact. I was also quite pleased with the shipping time with my new Qui-Gon Combat Saber lightsaber arriving from the UK to my US household two days earlier than was estimated. The lightsaber also came with both an instruction manual and a list of all the multiple functions and several features that can be activated with the impressive blade (which can also be found on Padawan Outpost’s website digitally).

While arriving fully intact, Padawan Outpost also sent the necessary tools so that the hilt can be fully taken apart and to tighten the screws needed to attach the blade. The ability to completely dismantle the Qui-Gon Combat Saber is quite nice, especially seeing as how I initially had some issues charging the lightsaber until realizing that the internal killswitch was turned on, most likely to protect the saber during travel. I was also sent a display stand for the lightsaber that required some very easy assembly (with instructions featured online as well).

Taking apart the saber is also necessary for those who want to upload new styles and custom sound fonts to the SD card housed within, the true beauty of the saber’s LED Neopixel blade along with the hilt’s Proffie soundboard, one of the best on the market for replica lightsabers. Charging is also quite easy with the port featured on the bottom of the hilt which is exposed simply by unscrewing and taking off the endcap. Here are the full specs and details courtesy of Padawan Outpost:

While the Proffie version with the Neopixel blade is regarded as one of the best models due to the quality soundboard and customization options, there are other options such as a more affordable base lit model as well as one that has a Neopixel blade, but doesn’t feature a Proffie board. The Qui-Gon Combat Saber (Proffie Model) is currently priced at $422.

Click Here To Learn More About Padawan Outpost’s Lightsabers

Qui-Gon Jinn Lightsaber Hilt Overview

An Elegant Weapon…With An Impressive Soundboard

The hilt itself is quite impressive. Looking incredibly screen-accurate to the version seen in The Phantom Menace, the all-metal lightsaber has a weight I found to be very satisfying. I also really appreciated the iconic red button which essentially operates via a plunger mechanism that’s connected to the custom core of the hilt. The blade of the lightsaber also features the classic Covertec wheel so it can be attached to a belt clip (as seen with all prequel-era Jedi lightsabers). This makes it perfect for cosplay, a canonical and functional feature included with a wide variety of Padawan Outpost’s lightsabers.

Compared to the standard Neopixel lightsabers, the included Proffie soundboard allows for an incredibly rich sound as well as more sounds in general. While this naturally includes very screen-accurate lightsaber hums, clashes, and the sound of incoming blaster fire deflections, this also includes classic quotes from the Star Wars franchise, as well as iconic music tracks with the vast majority of the presets already loaded onto the blade. As much as I love Qui-Gon Jinn, I was very happy to discover that I didn’t just have a singular color and sound to enjoy.

Wielding Qui-Gon’s Lightsaber Is An Epic Star Wars Experience

As Close To Wielding The Real Thing As Possible

While there are some solid lightsaber replicas made by Hasbro and Disney (of which I own a few), they truly don’t hold a candle to the incredibly bright and vibrant colors, Smooth Swing technology, clash effects, and more features that are on display with this Combat Saber. A simple twist of the saber can turn the blade on and off. The right click and downward motion create a tip drag effect, and a strike and button combo initiates a prolonged clash when locked in combat with another duelist. I was practically giddy exploring all the options available.

Learning How To Wield A Neopixel Lightsaber Takes Some Time

Having never wielded a Neopixel/Proffie lightsaber before, I will admit that it did take some patience before I was able to figure out how to navigate all the features available. After all, the entire saber is controlled by the hilt’s single button along with motion controls. That means it’s important to read the provided materials to know which set of clicks and presses are needed to change blade styles, sounds, effects, and so forth.

The Qui-Gon Neopixel Blade Is Also A Lot Brighter Than Disney Lightsabers

To compare the Qui-Gon Combat Saber with one of my Legacy Lightsabers from Disney, it’s obvious that the Neopixel is the superior model when it comes to blade brightness and vibrancy. While the camera does make the difference more distinct, it’s not by much. Likewise, while the Legacy Lightsabers or Hasbor’s Black Series models are still impressive with their own features and levels of screen accuracy, the Neopixel/Proffie have so much more to offer for Star Wars fans when it comes to color, sound, effects, and pure customization. I was honestly astounded.

The Amount Of Possibilities For Lightsaber Customization Is Huge

The Preset Styles and Sound Fonts Are Just The Beginning

Exploring some of the other presets that came preloaded, there are so many fun options to explore such as the sequel trilogy’s Kylo Ren with his unstable blade. A good number of the various presets like Kylo’s can be identified either by classic quotes from characters or with signature blade names that are provided. I laughed out loud at the rainbow Sailor Moon lightsaber style, complete with quotes and music.

Rey’s Yellow Lightsaber Sounds Exactly Like It Does In Rise of Skywalker

I was rather impressed by Rey Skywalker’s yellow lightsaber preset, complete with the very unique and screen-accurate ignition from The Rise of Skywalker. However, there were other exciting options as well such as Darth Revan’s purple lightsaber from the Old Republic with very low hums. I also laughed out loud once I found a rainbow lightsaber style inspired by Sailor Moon, complete with quotes and music.

I Absolutely Love The Music Selection With Darth Maul’s Lightsaber Font

In a similar vein, discovering that I could make John Williams’ “Duel of the Fates” play while wielding a Darth Maul blade style was a major highlight. I also appreciated the blaster deflection sounds with the iconic sound of a Naboo security pistol. It definitely makes the style even more screen-accurate beyond the already iconic blade hums while swinging the crimson blade around (and trying not to hit picture frames).

I Can Even Recreate The Opposite Of My Childhood Lightsaber

I also found it quite amusing that I could also create the opposite of the plastic lightsaber I had as a kid. Rather than my Obi-Wan hilt with a green blade, I now had Qui-Gon’s simple yet elegant black hilt with a blue blade. In a very cool way, this brought my lightsaber journey of 25 years full circle, albeit with one of the most realistic and impressive lightsabers I’ve ever had the pleasure of wielding as a Star Wars fan and collector.

Click Here To Purchase Padawan Outpost’s Qui-Gon Comabt Saber