Looking for info on Spartan Series 5mW Orange Handheld Laser

Hello everyone,
My tax return is coming in tomorrow so I'm gearing up to grab myself my first Yellow Laser this coming Monday. I've been reading and searching everything I could find both here on LPF and on the net to make an informed purchase but have come up short on one thing:

DragonLasers "Spartan Series 5mW Orange Handheld Laser". http://www.dragonlasers.com/catalog/Spartan-Series-5mW-Orange-Handheld-Laser-p-16232.html

It is listed in the parent directory as 589nm but not directly stated on it's product page. There is no mention of duty cycle, beam diameter, divergence, operating mode, or transverse mode. However, if it really is 5mW of 589nm it is the cheapest 5mW 589nm available at $400. I emailed DragonLasers two days ago with questions on the above specifications but have not received any reply.

There are no reviews on this laser on LPF and from what I can tell it has only come up in a post once when it was first put up on the site for sale. The quality and validity of dragonlasers came in to question and the answer given was that it is a safe place to buy from. No actual info or discussion of the laser was given though and the thread died.

If I can't find info on this laser I will most likely go with LaserGlow's Rigel-6 593.5nm pointer (also $400). The 589nm version - Rigel HV 6 is pulsed and not CW, $100 more, and out of stock; all cons in my book. I know I'll be happy with the wavelength, output, and quality of the LaserGlow pointers but I always prefer beefier handheld style hosts, which is why I am interested in this 589nm Spartan. If it wasn't for my preference for a more subtantial host there would be no doubt in my mind for the Rigel 6.

I'm pretty sure they order from CNI and test these lasers themselves (PGL-A?). Apart from that I think 589nm beam specs (on average) are shockingly good for being multi-wavelength pumped lasers. I opened a chat with their live support and can have an estimate "by the end of the day" (not sure where their location is, so I'll personally say by tomorrow)

You also can get 35-40mW (rated) 589nm from CNI for $540 + shipping, knowing CNI it'd probably be overspec.

Zraffle, I don't know where you got your idea that you could get it for that cheap a >30mW 589nm from CNI costs around $700 or so (at least mine and RHD's did, and we got a "bulk" discount and the fact that RHD has a reputation with CNI).

I have the e-mails to prove it if you'd like

593.5nm is warmer and very pleasing to look at. I had considered the Spartan 589nm but decided against it when they failed to reply to a few of my emails asking some of the same questions you're asking, I feel their website needs an update or ten, the only option they give you is buy now...

In hindsight I'm glad I went with the Rigel and I have to say the beam specs on mine are just incredible, by far the best beam specs of any laser I've owned.

Zraffle, Please do post/quote their email, because I also asked CNI directly (I asked for price quotes on the highest output 589 and 593.5 units per series - they sent the GLP pointer info) and was given very different prices:

Dear Sigurthr,
Thanks for your email and your interest in our laser pointer, please find the quotation of the laser as below:
GLP-589nm-5mW/Unit USD450.00
GLP-593.5nm-2mW/Unit USD375.00
The shipping cost for one laser is USD45.00
The insurance charge is USD5.00
The delivery time is 3-4 weeks.
Please let me know your opinion on the laser.


Please contact me without any hesitation if you need any help.


Best regards;
Ava ZHENG

Click to expand...

Thanks, Wood. I had suspected that someone else besides me must have inquired about the product before, and it looks like I was right. Indeed, I know I prefer 593.5nm (actually 594.1 HeNe, but the DPSS wavelength is close enough) and it reminds me of a golden sunset's color, but I've heard that 589nm is much, much brighter so that piqued my interest a bit. I have never seen 589 in person though.

Beam specs are very important to me, which is why I didn't buy Styro's WL 2mW 593.5 for $175 when I had the chance (mode hopping, non TEM00, unstable output).

I'm starting to think that all these portable 589's are pulse-mode operation, has anyone seen a CW 589nm handheld/pointer?

I'm pretty sure wolfman's was CW, right?

arg the picture itself doesnt work, click on the thumbnail please.

Ah - maybe they decreased the price because they are guaranteeing 35-40mW, no more

RHD and I got more a grab-bag sort of thing. Mine, while specced to >30mW, is actually outputting ~85mW of nice coherent, 589nm light.

Anyway, remember that $540 for >30mW is without shipping. Shipping is ~$60, and then there is duty tax, depending on where you live. That's at least $600, probably more, including other fees.

united states, Not so sure what a "duty tax" is. Probably something the US has in place haha

Oh, naw, we don't get duty tax then, as far as I know. Maybe? All I know is that ours cost extra because it was shipped to Canada first. But I'll have you know - CNI does not ship to the US anymore.

Wow, really? I didn't know that and it was not indicated in my email from them. That is interesting...

Also, I may have just sourced a 3mW 594.1nm HeNe for $350...

Wait... they're FDA compliant aren't they? Why *wouldn't* they ship to the US?

Just because they are FDA compliant does not mean that they are FDA approved. Hell, WickedLasers is FDA compliant, in that they have all of the safety features necessary on their Spyder III series. However, in order to get an accession number from the FDA (required for legal import into the US), one needs to provide what the laser will be used for, etc. It's a whole long process, and I guess CNI just decided to stop shipping illegally to the US because they were fed up with having issues.

Fair enough. Now to find a way around that.... maybe ask someone from laserglow to have it sent to me?

Well, I'm going to make a decision this weekend and place an order on Monday. Right now I'm leaning towards the Rigel 6 since its highly spoken of and highest output per $. Since there isn't any responce or info on the Spartan it is basically out of the running unless new info emerges (unlikely). If I don't end up going with the 3mW HeNe I will release the source in case someone else wishes to grab it (it's not a huge secret anyway, 30min of searching and it would be found).

Thanks for your replies everyone. Feel free to chime in with any more info, developments, or thoughts. I'll keep tabs on this thread until Monday.

Well, Raffle, you could always just purchase directly from LG. They get accession numbers for all of their lasers, and they definitely ship to the US.