Is Star Wars Land’s $200+ Lightsaber Worth It?
Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers is one of the most popular things in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This review offers photos & video from this build-your-own lightsaber shop, reservation details, spoiler-free info, and whether it’s worth the high price. (Updated January 27, 2023.)
Savi’s Workshop is an unassuming storefront located in the middle of Black Spire Outpost next to Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities and Droid Depot. Under the guidance of the Gatherers, guests are ushered into a covert workshop where they are using unusual parts to build lightsabers amidst the First Order.
Originally, we planned on skipping Savi’s Workshop. To be honest, I laughed at the idea of a $200+ lightsaber, and might have used the word “sucker” to describe our friend who wanted to do it. This is no knock at Star Wars fans (well, I guess it is), but I spend money on plenty of things others would consider silly or frivolous, so to each their own. Since you’re seeing this review, we did end up doing Savi’s Workshop, so there’s also that.
January 27, 2023 Update: It appears that the price of Savi’s Workshop has decreased at Disneyland, falling from $249.99 back down to $219.99. When it comes to Disney, any drop is a big one, as prices typically only go in one direction–up. This $30 reduction is an especially steep drop, but was precisely the cost before the increase last year on October 11. That’s still up from the $200 price tag on the Savi’s Workshop lightsaber building experience when it first debuted, but pretty much everything at Disneyland is more expensive than it was 3+ years ago.
As for the reason for the decrease, there are a couple of possibilities. The first is that demand dropped for the Disneyland version of Savi’s Workshop after the price increase, and this is a way of fixing that. The second is that it’s a website error–a reversion could’ve been accidentally made to an old version of the site. I’m skeptical that’s the case, as the price of Droid Depot also dropped to its pre-increase price at Disneyland, and those are different pages. Two separate website errors seems unlikely.
At present, no changes have been made to pricing at Walt Disney World–Savi’s Workshop there is still listed as costing $249.99 per lightsaber, plus tax on the official website. Same goes for Droid Depot at Walt DIsney World–it’s still showing the higher price that took effect last fall.
Honestly, this is not a huge surprise. Savi’s Workshop is still a hot reservation, which is unlikely to change anytime soon at Walt Disney World thanks to a steady stream of new tourists. By contrast, Disneyland is more dependent upon a local fanbase. It’s thus likely that the California park has largely exhausted demand for lightsaber building among locals, and is now reliant on the smaller slice of tourists that visit Disneyland.
With the 2023 price decrease at Disneyland addressed, let’s turn to the normal one and start with the titular question. Despite that title, this really isn’t expressly about whether the lightsaber itself is worth $220 or even $250. I cannot envision a single scenario in which I’d view a lightsaber as holding that amount of value.
Perhaps once the technology gets to the point that it’s an actual tool I can use to carve a Thanksgiving turkey or defend myself against the First Order, but even then, it’d be a tough sell. To someone, I’m sure a lightsaber could be worth more than $200. I am not that person, though.
With that said, the lightsaber itself has heft to it, is substantial, and feels really good in the hand. Then again, I’ve never wielded a high-end lightsaber, and am comparing this (no joke) to the industrial design of my DSLR camera lenses. For all I know, this could be on the low end of replica-caliber lightsabers. I do know that it’s significantly nicer than anything I’ve ever seen in Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
For me, the question about whether this is “worth it” comes down to the hand-built lightsaber itself plus the overarching experience at Savi’s Workshop. As you’ll read in the review that follows, we were absolutely blown away by the show component of Savi’s Workshop and have zero regrets that we did it. The workshop itself along with having a nighttime lightsaber battle below the Millennium Falcon rank highly among the things we did in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
However, value is in the eye of the beholder and it’s very much a your mileage may vary type of thing. Ultimately, you’re looking at a 25 minute experience plus a lightsaber for $250, plus the effort of snagging a reservation or waiting in line to do Savi’s Workshop.
This brings us to the capacity of Savi’s Workshop, which is abysmal. There’s a lot to be said for the intimate environment of the workshop, which definitely enhances the show. Nevertheless, the decision to make this a single room (rather than modeling it after multi-room meet & greets) is a puzzling one. The result is a shop with an hourly capacity of under 50 lightsabers.
Scarcity is the other reason why the question of value is nearly irrelevant. With such a low number of daily time slots for Savi’s and such a high number of Star Wars fans with surplus disposable income (or willing to save and splurge for something special), Savi’s could charge double its current prices and never have a problem filling up. (Not to give Disney any ideas…)
When we did Savi’s Workshop, it did not offer reservations. This mean that a line formed each morning and you had to wait to sign up, then return and have your group called to enter Savi’s Workshop took a lot of time. (Sort of like how Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance works now.) Consequently, we had nearly 2 hours of “lost time” as a result of the system.
The good news is that Savi’s Workshop now offers advance reservations online and via both the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps. At both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, reservations are available 60 days in advance. For both, we highly recommend making reservations ASAP before your travel dates.
This system streamlines the whole process, but the downside to that is it means you can get shut out entirely if you don’t think to make reservations well in advance of your vacation. Typically, reservations typically fill up faster at Walt Disney World than at Disneyland. If you aren’t able to score your desired slot early, keep checking the system–especially the day before, as cancellations do occur.
If you’ve already decided you want to do Savi’s Workshop and are only not going to do it in the event that something discourages you, stop reading now. This is not going to be that “something.” We loved the experience, would do it again if money were no issue, and would highly recommend going in without having anything about it spoiled for you…
Again, to avoid spoilers, stop reading/scrolling now.
Seriously. Don’t ruin this for yourself if you plan or want to do it.
For now, Savi’s Workshop truly is a ‘covert’ location: there’s no discernible signage, and save for the long line, crowds, and cash registers outside, it doesn’t even appear to be a storefront in keeping with the design-style of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Prior to paying, you’ll select one of the four themes. These are Peace and Justice (with salvaged scraps from fallen Jedi temples and starships in Republic-era designs), Power and Control (forged by dark side warriors, using remnants from the Sith homeworld), Elemental Nature (embodying the Force and comprised of living things, like Brylark trees, Cartusion whale bones, Rancor teeth, etc.) and Protection & Defense (mysterious materials that reconnect users with the ancient wellspring of the Force).
These are a starting point, with the exact pieces chosen and assembled within the workshop. Pictured below is a full set from Elemental Nature:
After paying, you will be given your pin and a credential that will serve as your group number. The pin is your key to enter the secretive workshop and it also identifies which of the 4 lightsaber designs you’ve chosen.
Naturally, we chose Elemental Nature because one of the options for that is a Rancor tooth. We felt that’d give us the most street cred in intimidating the neighbor’s dog. (As we know from firsthand exposure, dachshunds are ferocious.)
Once your group is among the next to enter the shop, you’ll be allowed to enter a courtyard where you’ll wait to be allowed entrance by one of the Gatherers.
Here’s a brief video offering a snippet of the opening act inside Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers:
As you can see, inside Savi’s Workshop, introductions are made and a solemn tone is established for the ceremony of crafting a lightsaber.
The Gatherers go over Jedi history, lightsaber lore, and the power of the Force. It’s a good preface, and effectively sets the mood.
Following that, you choose a kyber crystal, which will give your lightsaber its color. The options are red, blue, green, or (for the Samuel L. Jackson fans out there) purple.
At “only” $13 each, kyber crystals are probably one of the best pieces of merchandise in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge; each one changes the color of your lightsaber blade.
You’ll also receive a hilt kit with the necessary parts to choose from to assemble your hilt. Each box of parts includes 1 hilt, 4 sleeves (pick 2), 2 emitters (pick 1), 2 pommel caps (pick 1), 2 sets of activation plates, and switches (pick 1 set).
Gatherers circulate to assist in this process, which takes several minutes.
We’d recommend finishing quickly to give yourself a few minutes to appreciate the themed design of the workshop.
As with everything in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the design of Savi’s Workshop is brilliant and moody. Savor it, because you’ll probably only ever be in here once.
Once everyone is finished assembling their hilts, Gatherers help attach the hilts into assembly pods at each building bay. This is when the bonding ceremony begins, which is the highlight and wow moment of the whole experience at Savi’s Workshop.
At the conclusion of this, the blade of the lightsaber is ‘magically’ attached and everyone raises and activates their lightsabers in unison as the voice of Yoda enters the chamber.
I had the Yoda portion of this spoiled for me prior to this (as I never thought I’d do it), and my initial reaction was disappointment that it wasn’t a hologram of Yoda making an appearance.
While that would’ve undoubtedly been cooler, it’s impossible to put into words just how cool the culmination of this ceremony is.
Savi’s Workshop hits all of the right emotional notes; there’s a sense of urgency, solemnity, and pride upon completion. Yeah, you’re just assembling a glorified toy lightsaber, but it feels like so much more.
We both agreed that this was a really powerful experience, and we say this as people who are not heavily invested in Star Wars. I can only imagine how moving it would be for someone who grew up on Star Wars, and has a strong nostalgic bond.
Ultimately, we have zero regrets dropping $200+ to do Savi’s Workshop. I’m actually glad we didn’t go with the original plan of only me entering (for free) to watch our friend build his lightsaber, because my reaction to Sarah upon exiting would’ve been, “you have to see that.” In fact, Sarah’s reaction upon exiting Savi’s Workshop was, “we have to do that again and get another lightsaber so we each have one.”
To be clear, we definitely are not going to do that–it was simply Sarah’s reaction in the heat of the moment. The point here is that our first impressions–even as frugal people who aren’t hardcore Star Wars fans–were so satisfying and the end result so cool that we were fine having dropped over $200 on it.
However, Savi’s Workshop now costs $50 more than when we did it. While I’m glad we got the chance to do it once and found the experience to be incredibly memorable, it’s tough to say the already-high price we paid would be worth $250 to us. It’s a close call, but I’d probably do it for the first time even at $250. Again, value is in the eye of the beholder–and what you’re getting here is not just a fancy lightsaber.
Even at the $250 price-point, Savi’s Workshop is truly something special–an experience to be savored and remembered long after the lightsaber breaks or dies. This is one of the most popular Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge offerings at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and for good reason. It’s not going to be something that everyone can afford to do in terms of time or money, but it’s something we recommend as a splurge for those who can do it. You won’t regret it.
If you’re planning on visiting the new land, you’ll also want to read our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Guide. This covers a range of topics from basics about the land and its location, to strategically choosing a hotel for your stay, recommended strategy for the land, and how early to arrive to beat the crowds. It’s a good primer for this huge addition.
Your Thoughts
Have you stepped inside Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers? Is it something you’d like to do, or is the $250 price tag a non-starter for you? If you’ve done it, do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Think it was (or will be) worth the money and time commitment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Been there, had to wait over 20 minutes past allocated slot.
Experience was good for a long time Star Wars fan.
Sabres are solid and heavy, works ok with movement and start up, but keep batteries renewed.
Overall good experience but could do with longer and more interaction.
I had my 1st Savi experience back in Feb. 2 this year. While the new scrap pieces were updated also I was told that the price got reverted back to $219 instead of $250 like in the Disney World. So I took that chance and decided to aim the new Power and Control. But I had to wait for the other’s review to see how they made. My experience was a bit special and kinda let down at the same time.
Special part was one of the cast member(later on who lead the ceremony) suggested me to buy the different color crystal(not the one they provide) and use it for the ceremony. Which is I immediately rush to Dok Ondar and bought a white crystal. (My original plan was to get the purple one from the experience.)
The let down part was the lack of people with ceremony. On my reservation time(2:30 PM), there was not much people to participate(Less than 5 participants with their family to watch). I could call it lucky but it was a bit anti-climatic moment.
But then again, unlike what I seen in the video, I felt like I was the only one who used the different crystal. So.. like the cast member said, it was indeed a great moment like all the people who tried at least once. But I wouldn’t have done this if the price was still over $250.
The best part was holding this saber and the Darksaber together in the night. Shame that the Disneyland hour was only til 8PM due to the Valentine events.
And starting that day, I decided to make this savi saber into Sith/Darksaber style.
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Besides the great experience, now here is the critical part: Dealing with the quality/defect. Like your review, the saber is overall: Advanced version of ‘Build your own lightsaber’ from Star Trader.
During the covid season and the difficulties of quality control or defect issues since day 1 of the Galaxy’s Edge, I had to check 3~4 times with the cast member with my savi saber to make sure everything is working perfectly. Gladly the cast member managed to help me out.
But after a month, some of the functions are starting to having a funny issues. Like blade wobbling in the chassis or crystal stops working. Pretty shame for a overpriced product. Gladly Disney sent me a replacement and it turned out okay. But I have to keep an eye on it.
My negatives are the functionality with the chassis. Like leaving the crystal in the chassis will drain the battery faster. But taking out the crystal or battery pack is a hassle work that can ruin the experience.
Also Disney should really consider update their electronics/LED power by now. With their current price, it’s not an excusable reason to keep increasing the prices due to the inflation. Which many people are starting to turn their eyes on with the custom sabers with more realistic LED power with reasonable price.
But is it worth it to make another? – I have been thinking because getting a separate parts can cost more than what we pay for. But the new scrap pieces are indeed wonderful and we have to admit that the quality has indeed improved from the 1st generation scraps. Now I can believe that the experience was indeed worth it and it is recommended to try at least once in our lifetime. But the price is something they should address it. It would great if they revert it back to the original price ($199).
I have built two at WDW. I hate AAA batteries, they have very little capacity and suck royally. And they run down because the lights inside keep flashing. But if you remove the blade from your saber and leave the power switch on, the batteries don’t drain like crazy.
Not worth it in my opinion. The reservation time is not met. They keep you sitting around for another half hour or so. The Decor looks cool but the money you spend is not worth it. The $40 toy has more sound effects like clashing and they are more durable. If you’re looking to spend more like the $250 range which Savis work shop is, you’re better off buying one from the starwars store in Disney springs which are a bit better in quality.
It’s not worth it. My family brought me one back and we were all so excited to see the saber. So disappointing. Every time I pick it up, it doesn’t work. I have to fiddle with it for half an hour of taking it apart and back together for 30 minutes before the light will come one. They spent over $200 for a gift that is a piece of crap.
Built and enjoyed for the second time. We were there February 13-15. Our group built 5 the one I built had issues and when we exited an employee asked me to let them check it and carried it back inside. When they came back out it seemed to work. Got home and checked it and it will not work. You can hear it turn on but it doesn’t light up. The two I bought in the store work fine. Any suggestions on what I need to do with the one that doesn’t work. Thanks
Change the batteries and then once you reinstall them you can wiggle the battery housing it will light up the Crystal and then you put it back together
your what I guess you might call low light photographs are just amazingly beautiful moody and clear,.. somehow better looking than reality in the same manner all art aspires to represent reality in the abstract,.. if you don’t mind my appraisal
Omg – when entered into the workshop I was overwhelmed with emotion. Who knew 40 years after seeing Star Wars New Hope I would be making my own saber. It even brought a tear to my eye when we chose the crystal and then when they are ignited. So worth it!
Hi, Do these lightsaber have sound and flash on clash lighting?
Yes they do have sound effects when turned on
the light saber is not one you would want to duel with. they even tell you not to drop it LoL. the sound is just a repeating font. it is what called a neopixle
On a 4 day park hopper trip when is the best time to make the light saber. (is it better at night because then you’re not carrying it around all day). currently there are tons of reservations on anytime is open.
It’s really up to you. We made ours middle of day and carried it around, as it comes with a carrying case.
Also all Disney resorts will ship any purchases for you with your sales receipt. Disney parks do not do shopping from store anymore.
It’s nice to come out of Savi’s at dusk or early evening and take pics of your new glowing saber in front of the Falcon.
Just built mine this past Thursday, October 13th, at Disneyland, and as a die-hard Star Wars fan, the experience was worth every penny! It was $237 after tax, so the price hike was not in effect quite yet. The whole process was deeply moving, and I will gladly build another the next time I go.
I’ve just returned from Florida for my holiday. We were supposed to go in 2020 and had my lightsaber booked but was cancelled due to covid. I managed to phone Disney direct and booked my build for the 29th but because of hurricane Ian, the parks were closed. When on Saturday and explained what had happened and I managed to get in. MY GOD is was worth thr wait. I know 250 dollars is a lot of money but it’s worth every penny. I was very emotional when i actions saber for the first time. If you can get a booking, do it. You won’t be disappointed. Had no problems getting it home through us and uk customs.
Is that Josh Humphrey in the photo with you & Sarah in the email holding lightsabers?
When my wife and I stumbled into Savi’s Workshop, we saw that there was two prices, but with a wheelchair we didn’t get up close enough to check what the difference was. Now that I’m all spoiled, I’ll ask to confirm: is the kyber crystal an *optional* add on?
You can purchase different crystals after the work shop
I’m really hoping my reservation i made when it was $220 is honored… but since these aren’t pre-paid like dessert parties and stuff, i think it’s definitely not a guarantee… anyone getting one soon, please report back!
Received our official email today, effective 10/18/2022 price increase so our reservation 11/16/2022 has been updated to reflect price change.
So the only big question here is do I put this in checked luggage or carry on for the flight home?
I used to refer to TSA saying that you should disassemble your toy/replica weapons if you carry them on, but somebody got a waiver:
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/light-saber
I’d consider wrapping it and packing it in checked luggage, especially if you don’t have time to get hung up by security, but at least you have that option of carrying it on.
In July 2022 our three teenagers were allowed just to take their lightsabers as an extra piece of hand luggage on British Airways to London from Orlando. Once onboard the cabin crew kindly put them in their own locker out of the way. We got the impression it was not an uncommon experience!
My son and I made our lightsabers in March of 2022. We have taken them out a few times to show family and friends. We decided to buy a wall mount to showcase them, but when my son opened his the light, which was purple, showed red then changed to pink. It made a weird noise then turned off. So, though the experience was fun, be careful about what you spend $200 on, it may not last!
Brian,
The batteries in your lightsaber are dying. It’s 3xAAA batteries in the hilt. There’s a bunch of YouTube videos which will show you how to replace them
I have one question is it worth the money cause I’m going the day after thanksgiving
It is WORTH… EVERY… CENT…
Just went with my son (27 yo) and built one each (naturally) on the 24th of July.
It is sitting on a display stand next to me on my desk now. It is awesome.
Same experience as others. The saber worked long enough to get past the warranty period then stopped working. After some quick, easy research it is obvious Disney knows that Savi’s sabers are junk. Disney was not interested in making it right. If your looking for a $200 experience, this isn’t it.
Why is it impossible to get a reservation at Savi’s I’m Disney World and wide open at Disneyland?? I am staying on sit at WDW and was blocked from making a reservation at my 60+ day mark woke up at midnight 60 days out from out HS date nothing, 5:45 am nothing, 6 am nothing, called the reservation line nothing? If I was booking Disneyland I could literally get them for today! What’s up with this??
I drove to Disneyland from Colorado. I built and paid for a Savi’s workshop saber and upgraded sheath. Within a week, the saber was not working correctly, and no dueling with it. I looked up the problem on Disney’s website and saw others had had the same problem. They advised to take a video of the problem, and eventually Disney would exchange the saber. Unfortunately, they don’t tell you that you only have 30 days to exchange my nearly $300 investment. My trip was extended for months, and when I finally returned home, I called and they said “sorry, you’re out of the exchange period”. I explained it started failing within a week, and I took a video of what the faulty saber was doing, and it’s timestamped from the day I took the video. Again, “sorry, you’re out of the 30 day exchange period.” What a disappointment for a lifelong Disney and Star Wars fan. I agree, you’re paying over $200 for an experience, and not a working saber. Buy a saber for cheaper elsewhere if you want one that works! So disappointed in the happiest place on earth.