WTB: Handheld laser @>250mW

HerrSticks said:

well at the end of the day I feel better having some one on this website build it.
Not only would a privately build laser be cheaper, I also feel like the actual act of building a laser will benefit some one here more. By benefit i mean they may learn something, hone their skills more, and most likely will enjoy it as its a hobby rather than their livelihood.

So i guess I will repost in a week or so looking for one of two options
option 1. Green laser @ ~200mW
option 2. Blue laser ~600+ mW

Am I wrong or mistaken to look for a laser built on an order to order basis by a hobbyist in his garage, with tender loving care, with love of lasers driving them? Or should i be looking in retail land where its mass produced and the profit is the driving force?

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You definately can't go wrong buying a unit from a fellow member. I have bought three here and I am totally satisfied. However for a high power green, storebought will be the way to go

HerrSticks said:

Not only would a privately build laser be cheaper...

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I DO think I should point out that this probably isn't a correct assumption.

While it IS true that most builds here would be cheaper than a $300 Arctic, I think that's mostly because WL is overpriced.

I've seen 1W blues for $150 from chinese gadgets shops. Most of the lasers you will find build by folks here, are going to start at that price range also.

Quality is the difference. You'll get better quality here, than you will from a cheap chinese gadget shop. At least, that's my feeling.

by "group buy" I am assuming he more or less just gets everyones orders and buys in bulk?

I'll PM him about this but before I do, can anyone give me a tad more background info?

Usually when buying in bulk you are limited to one item, IE you cant buy 5 of item a, then 5 of b, 5xC, 5xD and then get a 20 item discount, you are forced to buy 20 items of A to receive any bulk discount.

Does this distributor/manufac not do this?

I guess I just want any and all info I can learn about these "group buys" before i PM him and make my self look like an ignoramus.

EDIT: I tried to go to Jetlasers webpage, it seem to be down. I stumbled across a website called DinoDirect. They seem to have a fairly decent selection of lasers at a variety of colors and outputs. Unless I can find a laser built here chances are thats where I will go.
Has anyone done business with them?
Edit #2 : Dino Direct has gotten terrible and good reviews, I wonder how many of them are plants. Anyone suggest a good laser retailer/distro should my needs not be met by the community?

With a group buy through Hak, you can get any item that's in stock, regardless of what others buy. Haks integrity is impeccable. Also, the owner of Jet is a member here, his username is Gray. Gray does alot to insure his customers happiness. If you look up Grays name using the search function, I believe he has a link to Jetl. If you want some idea as to the discounted prices, you would need to look at one of the previous group buy threads. Unfortunately, I forget which one it is listed in. You could also PM Hak, he would have a good idea. He is generous with his time. I am going to be in the next group buy, 600mw green. I can't wait!

As for Dino, I don't have any experience with them. However, through what I have read about them, I would not buy a high power green from them.

As for other retailers that have excellent products, depends on your budget.

so im looking at lasers on ebay and on other places.

I have a question for Madog specifically, but im sure others can chime in and answer as well.
you say you "super 100" hits 130mW?
The same seller is also selling another "super 100" but he lists its output at <5mW.
Is this due to the legal restrictions?
How often do people just outright lie and downplay their output to get away with the sale?
I'm a little concerned i may buy a "5mW" laser "expecting" it to be more, then i receive said laser and its actually only 5mW

EDIT: Not to mention when you look at these "5mW" lasers their cases clearly show they are not 5mW, unless some case/host manufac is really overdoing their cases....
Some of these have similar housings to a multi hundred mW laser. I cant imagine why they would stick a 5mW laser in a housing designed to fit a 200mW

Ebay won't allow lasers over 5mW to be listed and sold....There is your answer.

Coherent Light said:

Ebay won't allow lasers over 5mW to be listed and sold....There is your answer.

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that answers nothing, considering ebay rules are inline with the US law, which i am already well aware of.

Not to mention there are lasers over 5mW listed on Ebay. Hell i can buy a WL Arctic Spyder for 250, listed as such.

i'll restate my question, "is lowering stated output a common practice when selling lasers in the US". If it is I will start to take laser listings with a grain of salt.

Any suggestions other than judging by the host/case what its actual wattage is when the stated output is low?

No the usual practice is to inflate the power output figures. Ebay pulls listing that violate their 5mW policy whenever someone reports the listing or when they catch it themselves. People from LPF have had their listings pulled on Ebay. US law does not prohibit the ownership of class 4 lasers, but does place import restrictions on lasers unless they meet all of the FDA guidelines for that class of laser. Many hosts are common to a variety of manufacturers who in turn use them for multiple wattage lasers, so that host design means nothing in relation to power expected.

Go with this one and you´re going to be happy
200mW transformable green laser/adjustable [OLV6200] - $129.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products

DPSS laser are the best to point at far way objects (like stars) cause they have a better beam profile than diode lasers. Other DPSS wavelengths are 473nm, 589nm, 671nm for example. But the green is the cheapest and most visible one.

I think you guys are making this too difficult for HerrSticks.
He sounds like he wants to support our hobby and he wants a laser that can be used both for star pointing and for some light burning. I recommend a 200 mw green as it does both of these and is relatively safer than a 1000mw 445nm laser. (Safety precautions definitely still need to be taken, even 200mw is not to be taken lightly when it comes to protecting your eyesight). That O-like laser is a good purchase, but there are also always people selling 200mw+ greenies on this board. HerrSticks, I recommend that you either look around this board a little to see if someone is selling what you are looking for. If you can't find one, then the o-like laser should be sufficient or maybe someone will post their for-sale laser here.

Either way, I recommend safety glasses. Although Minnesota may license you to carry a firearm, the dangers of lasers can be much less intuitive. (Any specular reflection has the potential to cause permanent eye damage.)

I hope you find what you are looking for!

Hey HerrSticks, didyou read my private message?

200mW transformable green laser/adjustable [OLV6200] - $129.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products

DJNY...I am one mouse click away from ordering that one. Do you know the LPM rating on it ? Is it a real 200mW ?

frankwi said:

200mW transformable green laser/adjustable [OLV6200] - $129.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products

DJNY...I am one mouse click away from ordering that one. Do you know the LPM rating on it ? Is it a real 200mW ?

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Mine was over 200mW. It is a very good laser, also MUCH less temperature sensitive than the other green lasers I had.

madog said:

With a group buy through Hak, you can get any item that's in stock, regardless of what others buy. Haks integrity is impeccable. Also, the owner of Jet is a member here, his username is Gray.
@madog- Gray is a salesman at JETL. Not the owner (yet, lol) He has to answer to his bosses. His username here on LPF is JETLASERS.

Best buy per buck IMHO is the JETL Pl-C 532/250mW. Some have peaked over 350mWs. I have an extra one I need to sell for $$ to build my RGB projector. $400 with lots of extras thrown in.(in the BST board) thanks Madog for the kind words




Gray does alot to insure his customers happiness. If you look up Grays name using the search function, I believe he has a link to Jetl. If you want some idea as to the discounted prices, you would need to look at one of the previous group buy threads.
GB price list is in the OP of GB#2 and GB#3. also there is a link there showing the regular prices.


Unfortunately, I forget which one it is listed in. You could also PM Hak, he would have a good idea. He is generous with his time. I am going to be in the next group buy, 600mw green. I can't wait!

As for Dino, I don't have any experience with them. However, through what I have read about them, I would not buy a high power green from them.

As for other retailers that have excellent products, depends on your budget.

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DJNY...thanks for the quick response. I think that seals the deal for me to order one.