The Force is strong with Idaho Falls lightsaber shop

IDAHO FALLS — The “Star Wars” lightsaber has captured the imaginations of millions since it first appeared onscreen in 1977. Many fans have been inspired to build their own versions of this elegant weapon and Custom Saber Shop of Idaho Falls offers everything these would-be Sith or Jedi Knights might need.

Custom Saber Shop is the brainchild of Tim Yaskus, who had the initial spark for the idea after seeing the “Star Wars” Prequels in the early 2000s.

“My son Tyler and I went to the Prequels in 2004 or 2005,” Yaskus told EastIdahoNews.com. “We came home and got on the internet and my son said ‘Look, Dad. We can buy a lightsaber for $400.’ And I said ‘Well, we could probably build one.”

Yaskus’ built his first saber out of items like a sink drainpipe and rubber bits from windshield wiper blades. After opening his shop in Washington state in 2005, Yaskus began to build up a Custom Saber Shop customer base and grow his business, moving to Idaho Falls around seven years ago.

The business? To be a one-stop shop for all your saber-building needs.

“We make parts for people to build their own sabers because the Jedi way is to build your own, not buy one from a store,” Yaskus said. “We retail batteries and switches and everything that goes inside a saber. At the same time, we also manufacture our Modular Hilt System line of parts. We also do some full-hilt kits.”

Customers can go to the Custom Saber Shop website to order their parts and use the site’s 3D builder to create a virtual mock-up of their saber. The website is also linked to the shop’s forums, where over 100,000 members share important tips about building sabers and newcomers to the saber scene can find all the information they need to get started.

As the saber scene has grown, so has Custom Saber Shop. Thanks to strong word of mouth from satisfied customers, their increased profile has afforded them opportunities to work on Disney “Star Wars” projects like the Galactic Starcruiser hotel and The Jedi Training Academy at Walt Disney World Florida.

“We started out pretty small, only making one or two products,” said Yaskus. “Then we started making our own parts and I started working with some manufacturing companies. It’s kind of a family affair. My brother-in-law works here, my daughter’s boyfriend works and two of my sons work here.”

“We’ve just been growing it slowly over the years and it’s been a pretty fun ride,” he added.

Yaskus says the public’s continuous fascination with lightsabers is what makes Custom Saber Shop possible.

“People will do the blasters from the movies and they just don’t sell compared to the lightsabers,” he said. “Lightsabers are just fun, especially with the tech in them today. You can do all kinds of stuff. You can put full LED screens you can play video games on if you want to. Lightsabers are just cool. Everybody loves lightsabers.”

You can find Custom Saber Shop online at their website and their Facebook page. The public is also welcome to come in for a tour of the shop at 1105 E Iona Road in Idaho Falls to see how the saber parts are made.