I purchased this lightsaber as a birthday gift for my son, and unfortunately what should have been an exciting gift has turned into a frustrating experience.
The speaker began failing, with the sound becoming severely distorted. I contacted Superneox about the problem, and their solution was to send me a replacement speaker and have me repair the lightsaber myself. I am capable of replacing the speaker, but that really isn’t the point. A customer buying a finished lightsaber—especially one being given as a birthday gift—should not automatically be expected to diagnose, disassemble, and repair a defective product themselves.
More concerning is that the speaker does not appear to be the only issue. On occasion, the lightsaber essentially freezes. The sound completely stops, but the blade remains illuminated and will not shut off normally. I have had to remove power from the saber to get it to turn off. Despite explaining this behavior, I was told that the problem was simply the speaker. A failing speaker may explain distorted or missing audio, but it does not adequately explain why the saber itself freezes and the blade refuses to shut off.
Superneox eventually said they were sending a replacement speaker, but it was shipped without a tracking number. I still have not received it, so at this point I cannot even attempt the repair they expect me to perform or determine whether it resolves any part of the problem.
The most disappointing part is that this was my son’s birthday gift. Instead of him simply being able to enjoy his new lightsaber, I’ve been troubleshooting it, backing things up, testing it, and now waiting for a replacement component so I can repair a product that arrived with problems.
I understand that electronics can occasionally fail, and I would have been willing to give Superneox the benefit of the doubt. My frustration is with how the problem has been handled. Sending a customer a component and assuming they will repair the product themselves is not the level of support I expected, particularly when the symptoms suggest there may be more wrong with the saber than just a speaker.
At this point, I still have a malfunctioning lightsaber, an undelivered replacement speaker with no tracking information, and no confidence that replacing the speaker will address the freezing issue.
For the price of these products, I expected much better quality control and after-sale support.