OK, I ot my sample of the 1.575" diameter clear acrylic rod (the fiber opticish stuff).
The picture above was taken in my closed shop (but I do have windows and flourescent lighting) during the daytime hours. It is a close approximation of how the saber would look shown off in a room during daytime. Obviously in direct daylight, it will not appear as bright.
The above picture was taken in the exact same spot only at night with the lights out. It is pretty bright. Because of the nature of the rod, it does spill a lot of light out of the end and does light up the room pretty good. Adding a mirroed tip does not add much to the brightness of the blade. It does help a little, but you would have to experiment to see if gives you the look you want. Personally, I will probably add some sort of tip just to minimize the light coming out the end of the blade - it acts like a flashlight.
I like how this blade looks so I am going to offer it as a blade option. Now, the trouble is this: The clear acrylic blade is 1.575" (+ or -). The colored acrylic blade is 1.512" (+ or -). Thats a diameter difference of .063" (roughly). In order to use the clear acrylic, I have to bore the blade holder much larger than I would for the colored acrylic - that means a spacer will be needed. I am pretty sure I can use some 1.625" od 1.509" id tube to make a shim sleeve out of.
So what I am going to offer is this:
There will be two choices for the primary blade - clear acrylic and colored acrylic. If you choose clear acrylic, the blade holder will be larger for the clear acrylic blade. If you choose colored, the blade holder will be bored for only the colored acylic blade. Likewise, if you choose the clear acrylic blade, the 1" blade adapter will fit the larger diameter bore and if you choose the colored blade, the 1" blade adapter will fit the smaller diameter bore. If you choose the colored acrylic balde as your primary blade, you will not be able to use the clear acrylic blade.
If you choose the clear acrylic as your primary blade, you can also purchase an extra (or more in different colors if you choose) colored acrylic blade and I will include the shim sleeve to reduce the emitter bore to accept the colored blade.
You are free to choose which option best suits your needs. I am personally going to select a clear blade for showing off the LED aspect of the saber during the day and at night, and I will also be getting a colored blade for when I display the saber on the wall. That way, I get the best of both worlds.