#firesaber

So after much debate and research, I believe the best answer to what this new lightsaber is..a firesaber.

Firesaber

The crystals in this variation on the single blade are misaligned just enough to keep the solid core of the saber but cause the energy around it to flare out. Although not as effective a cutting tool as a regular lightsaber blade, the firesaber is still able to block other sabers and are often known to "spit" when struck - spilling lightsaber energy randomly to burn whatever is nearby. Often this kind of saber can cause as much damage to the user as it does to the enemy if they have no way to compensate for it. The sheer collateral damage the combatants endure from the firesaber during a duel tends to make any fighting brief. Firesabers can be very unstable, blowing up in their user's hands or simply having the blade die in mid-combat, unless they're built to exacting specifications. Sivter briefly used this type of blade until the weapon was destroyed on Juoi. Darth Maleval is also a known user of the firesaber.