You see them at the stores, on TV, and occasionally during police activities, but how do they really work?
Check out the nice full detailed article at HowStuffWorks.com for an inside look at these fascinating and flexible devices. They go into detail not only on the theory and construction, but also into examples of both self defense (keeping an attacker at bay) as well as domestic (re-warming your coffee) uses.
Interested in one for yourself? Make sure you mosey over to Park Sabers and check out their full line of custom built lightsabers.