A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
There were three friends who shared a love for Star Wars, the original trilogy:
- Jason Ngiam, who had a deep fascination for starships in the films;
- Kris Kanokvaliwongse, a serial entrepreneur who had a crazy idea; and
- Dane Khoo, who had a lifelong desire to wield a lightsaber.
Like many other fans who grew up with Star Wars, their interest in the franchise never really left them.
So much so that they ended up banding together and investing RM150,000 of their savings to start Sabertrio, a business focused on just one Star Wars component—lightsabers.
And at its peak, they closed more than RM10 million in sales. Here is Sabertrio’s story.
Turning childhood dreams into a reality
Back when Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) was set to premiere, Kris approached Jason with a wild random idea. What if the two of them started a new venture selling custom lightsabers?
It wasn’t too crazy as the pair were already big Star Wars enthusiasts. From their experience, the average quality and features of a custom lightsaber were relatively mediocre despite carrying a high price tag. Not to mention how much of a hassle it was to acquire one.
So, Jason didn’t need much persuasion. He believed that this gave them the chance to address all these issues while adding more value to the community.
But he knew they’d need more help and found that in Dane, his long-time good friend from college.
That’s how the duo became a trio, hence the brand’s name “Sabertrio”.
Sabertrio started out from the respective bedrooms of both Jason and Dane, where they’d allocate several hours in the evening to tinker about. They each had full-time day jobs and this was more of a passion project that scratched an itch.
“The goal was just to have a fun side-hustle, something to call truly our own, and make some extra pocket money,” the co-founders shared candidly. “We had no idea what was awaiting us.”
Tailored to the individual saber wielder
For those that aren’t well-versed in Star Wars, lightsabers are essentially laser swords. It can be used to cut through blast doors or enemies alike in the film franchise.
But Sabertrio’s products aren’t exactly the same ones you see in the movies.
Every single lightsaber is an original Sabertrio design, though they’re made to seamlessly reflect the aesthetics and feel of the Star Wars universe.
“We do this because we strongly believe in embracing individuality, and our goal is to provide that through lightsabers. Why try to be someone else when you could be a version of yourself in the galaxy far, far away?”
This is also why the brand focuses on creating high-quality, customisable lightsabers that capture the unique personality of its wielder.
Some aspects that can be customised by customers include:
- Saber configuration
- Hilt design, including colour and finish of the hilt
- Blade length and grade
If you’re a mega fan that wants to take things to the next level, you could opt for a more specialised lightsaber from its sub-brand, MASTERPIECE by Sabertrio.
However, if you’re someone who faces decision-paralysis and finds all the customisations too overwhelming, Sabertrio has Ready-to-Ship (starts from US$299) offerings too.
These are ready-made and pre-customised lightsabers that need a shorter lead time to produce. The brand currently sees an almost equal demand for both ready-made and custom lightsabers.
At present, all of Sabertrio’s lightsaber hilts are made of aircraft grade aluminium. Doing so helps mimic how a real lightsaber should feel in your hands, the team explained.
Their blades are made with polycarbonate which is highly impact resistant and suitable for heavy duelling. That’s right, you can reenact combat scenes in your own home with these.
Once the lightsaber’s platform and internals are done, the next step is to put in the visual and sound effects to make it more lifelike.
For the hardware, they use open-source lightsaber technology that they’ve improved upon. The software that controls the functions of the lightsaber is also Sabertrio’s own work. As an OS (operating system), the products can gain periodical improvements over time via online updates.
An average of 10 hours is needed to create just one lightsaber, assuming that everyone on their team drops their current work to focus on this specific task.
Go big or go home
Kris, Jason, and Dane knew from the get-go that Sabertrio would not be able to sustain itself if limited to only the Malaysian market.
Since Star Wars remains such a global phenomenon, they looked beyond local borders and concentrated on international markets. This strategy really paid off.
It wasn’t long after debuting at the annual Jaya One event organised by Star Wars Malaysia Fan Club (SWMFC), that orders began pouring in. Some lightsaber enthusiasts from the USA discovered the brand’s Facebook page and that was the start of it all.
“Ever since then, our main source of sales originated from overseas,” the co-founders told us.
This a smart move considering just how capital intensive the production process is. Majority of their electronic components are sourced from Shenzhen, China, while the soundboard technology is of American and French design.
That said, all designs and engineering behind Sabertrio’s lightsabers are 100% done in-house. From assembling to packing, they’re proud to declare that everything’s done in Malaysia by a fully Malaysian team.
May the force be with you
Despite investing RM150,000 capital into the business, none of them realised how crazy Sabertrio’s growth would be.
“At its peak (during the pandemic), we closed more than RM10,000,000 in sales for the year,” the co-founders exclaimed.
The global lockdowns propelled their growth rather exponentially that if they averaged it out, Sabertrio shared that they’re looking at around 20% growth per annum. Safe to say, they’ve found their niche.
They’re not stopping just there, either.
The team plans to continue developing new lightsabers to cover every niche in the Star Wars universe. Maybe someday you’ll find a curved saber hilt, lightsaber whips, or even a duel-ready fully retractable lightsaber blade.
As for their bigger goal, it’s simple: to grow Sabertrio into a global brand that has a retail presence in key countries.
“The dream is to have our very own physical store where the public could experience our custom sabers first hand, build and customise it in person, and wield it in an environment that truly brings out the very best of it.”
Featured Image Credit: (From L to R) COO Dane and CEO Jason, both co-founders of Sabertrio. Kris has since become a sleeping partner to focus on managing his other businesses in Thailand / Sabertrio