Question: There had been non-Jedi/non-Sith dabbling with lightsabers a bit. General Grievous swung a bunch around like crazy. And I do recall there had been some kind of stick weapon that the lightsaber bounced off in the prequels.

But in Star Wars 7:

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> Finn (no-force) battles Kylo (Sith) to a draw even injuring Kylo with a lightsaber. This is the same Finn who almost gets dispatched by a simple stormtrooper with a lightsaber proof baton.  
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> So if we have non-Jedi, non-Sith grabbing lightsabers and standing equal with Jedi and Sith, and every stormtrooper has an anti-lightsaber baton that they can just about beat a Jedi with, then in what sense is a Jedi with his lightsaber a fearsome sight?
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Has anyone picked up on anything or heard Lucas or JJ talk about it or knows of good counter examples?

Answer: 
There are a group of weapons called [Vibroblades](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Vibroblade) in-universe that have the ability to parry and other wise act like a lightsaber whilst being a physical object. In the EU there were various daggers and axes in addition to swords. This is due to a method of weapon creation called [Cortosis-weave](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Cortosis-weave), which is very expensive due to the use of rare components. This may be where the baton came from.

As for the effectiveness of the weapon, that lies in the ability of the wielder. The stormtrooper and Finn both had basic melee training, but there's serious differences, which is why Finn had so much trouble - he was used to using heavier things, so using this very light saber (ha!) actually was against his training. Similarly, Rey attacked Emo Ren using the lightsaber as though it was a staff, at first, until letting the force guide her. General Grevious was able to use them with machine-accuracy, in addition to sith training. 

Are Jedi still terrifying? Certainly. The force allowing them to react faster than the speed of blaster bolts is a literally deadly skill, plus the many, many abilities that the force makes available to them. Just like a random postal worker with a hunting rifle is a scary stereotype, but it wouldn't hold a candle of effectiveness to a veteran military sniper.
The light saber is a symbol mostly of Force-sensitivity.

Also the fact that a lightsaber is not a common device in the galaxy. They are each individually designed, built and used by the same Force-user almost exclusively.

The one exception is the Skywalker family as Anakin has his saber passed down to his son, from which he eventually designs his own. 

Yes General Grievous wielded four, they were all stolen from Jedi he killed. Finn wielded one but that was more or less given to him to give to Rey. 

The fact a non-Force-user can use them isn't relevant. As any sword can be picked up by any man and be used, albeit poorly. If Ben was better trained then he wouldn't need a broadsword.