Received a >50mw from kaidomain yesterday

I have always been fascinated by green lasers but they were always way out of my price range. That was until last month when I found dealextreme, I couldn't believe how cheap these were. After about a week from research I decided on the true 30mw and 30mw kaleidoscope. I also ordered a 67 LED head lamp. This was on August 15th, the lasers were back ordered until the 22nd. I checked the site many times a day, trying to hope that it would get here before 9/12 when I leave to go for a camping trip.  On August 18th I checked dx.com and saw that they had banned shipping to the us. I was heartbroken, but kept hope that they would still ship, well on August 20th they pushed the back ordered until date to the 29th. I asked for a refund and received it the next day.

I was in a panic and started doing some more research but I could only find shady looking sites that were charging 4-5 times as much as the dx prices for identical items, while the independent companies were charging 10-30x more for less powerful lasers, I am sure they are high quality but I just can't do that. I was looking to start out small, buying one every other month or so, building up a collection of rechargeable batteries, and then maybe by next summer I could start getting into some >100mw lasers. Now, after doing some research, which I must add this forum was very helpful, I decided on kaidomain. I settled on this laser...
kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1196
spectrareviews.com/index.php?review=kaidomain_green_50mw_cr2

Now, I was skeptical, since what I read about KD's long shipping times and bad customer service, I should add that I only received one email confirming payment. But none the less yesterday in my mailbox was a package from china, signature required(haha). Not bad considering it got here in 9 days from when I placed the order including a weekend.

I also ordered the 30mw kaleidoscope laser that I wanted from DX off of ebay for about a dollar more than what DX wanted on August 23rd after reading many positive reviews about fast shipping and good service. The power rating wasn't listed on the description, but it was the same one, and you could barely make out the >30mw sticker on the pictures if you knew what you were looking for. I immediately received a tracking number and the package made it from Hong Kong to queens New York in 3 days, then to the midwest in another day, I am expecting to have it in my mailbox today based on where it is. That is amazing.

I must say that I am very impressed with KD and the ebay seller so far. I don't understand why DX wouldn't send my led headlamp out while I waited a week for the lasers to be in stock just for them to be pushed back. Oh well, they lost my business on that transaction. Just thought I would share my story and maybe this will help someone who is in the same situation, trying to do research.

I think this ban will put a serious hamper on something that I was wanting to pursue as a hobby. I can't afford paying $200-$1000 on lasers from the other companies. I really don't understand what all the fuss is about. I can buy a gun at wal-mart( I am 22), but not a laser? I am disappointed that I wasn't aware of these sites earlier, but also very very relieved that I acted quickly, was able to find information, and received one of the last US shipped lasers from KD and have another on the way. This whole experience has been nerve racking. Hopefully something else will be possible so that I can build a collection and wow my friends when I go camping and at music festivals. So, does anyone know of any other alternatives?

Yes, you can buy a gun at Walmart, but are you allowed to purchase semi-automatic "hunting rifles" with shortened barrels?  No you're not, because there are regulations banning such configurations, mostly because they're dangerous.

Likewise there are regulations on lasers.  They're not guns, but they are dangerous equipment outside their "safe" ranges.  I do lament that cheap high-powered lasers from DX cannot be purchased anymore, at least for myself, but they're banned because they simply don't meet FDA safety regulations.  

In all honesty, I'm somewhat happy that these kinds of dangerous lasers are not as easy to obtain.  The thought that stupid 13-year-olds (no offense to the non-stupid ones that may inhabit this forum) can buy these things and take them on the bus to cause some "practical jokes" is not so far-fetched.  What do kids do when they have flashlights?  They shine them at their parents' faces.  They do that with laser pointers too... you know, the "safe" ones?  Now $20 for a 30mW green laser, sent to your doorstep, paid with PAYPAL--it kind of scares me.  $43 for a 200mW one?  Can you imagine the headlines?  "Kid blinds classmates with cheap burning laser bought online from China.  Knee-jerk authorities pass laws banning the sale, construction and possession of unlicensed laser modules, with criminal penalties."  No more land of the free-to-hold-lasers anymore.  It'll start looking like Australia.

In the end, it's not like you can't have a high powered laser for cheap.  Sure, it won't be green, but there are other cool colors you can have, namely red and violet.  No, they won't look like light sabers... but they're still cool in their own right, especially the violet ones.  Then when you've sunken enough money into the hobby that you feel the need to own a high-quality laser, you can plop down whatever hundreds of dollars for the green laser you actually wanted... not some shoddy-ass, underspec'ed, green laser retrofitted into a flashlight like you'd end up with at DX.

Kids shoot out their eyes with pellet guns, you can't control individuals and you should be upset that your civil liberties are being taken away. I own an SKS assault rifle I purchased for $550, it is high powered and semi automatic and yes I have gone hunting with it. If you buy your kid a laser and let him shine it in his eyes, that is your fault for not educating your child. You are supposed to be 18 to use paypal anyway. Old enough to die in a war and vote, but no lasers? Car accidents kill more people than almost anything, guns are responsible for a lot of violence in the wrong hands, I don't support gun control because it won't change anything. The "protect the children" line is played out. I just want some lasers because I think they are cool.

Hmmm, anyway, I got the kaleidoscope laser about an hour ago. It is awesome. Can't wait to shine it on some huge limestone bluffs at night, it's going to look insane. No way is it 30mw, Probably half or less, im thinking the 50mw is around 40 mw, maybe brighter, it puts out a nice beam in a lit room, is really bright, and puts heat on black stuff. Haven't tried a balloon but I am impressed. The design is solid and the strap is nice too.

Be cautious of the "At Risk Fallacy" here.  If only one person in a population mis-uses something -- say a kitchen kinfe, baseball bat, firearm, laser, car etc----------  It means that government considers the whole population to be at risk of doing the same.  Pass laws, take freedoms, levy fines on the responsible people --- but DON'T EVER punish the offender.
So much for liberty and freedom. Let BIG government ring...................

Mike

i just tested 2 of the 50mw green KD's and both were around 25-30mw. just FYI.

still a nice laser tho.

-kendall

good to know, im a noob to all this, so i really have no idea, i switched out the batteries on the kaleidoscope and its way brighter than the KD now.

someguy said:

Kids shoot out their eyes with pellet guns, you can't control individuals and you should be upset that your civil liberties are being taken away. I own an SKS assault rifle I purchased for $550, it is high powered and semi automatic and yes I have gone hunting with it. If you buy your kid a laser and let him shine it in his eyes, that is your fault for not educating your child. You are supposed to be 18 to use paypal anyway. Old enough to die in a war and vote, but no lasers? Car accidents kill more people than almost anything, guns are responsible for a lot of violence in the wrong hands, I don't support gun control because it won't change anything. The "protect the children" line is played out. I just want some lasers because I think they are cool.

Hmmm, anyway, I got the kaleidoscope laser about an hour ago. It is awesome. Can't wait to shine it on some huge limestone bluffs at night, it's going to look insane. No way is it 30mw, Probably half or less, im thinking the 50mw is around 40 mw, maybe brighter, it puts out a nice beam in a lit room, is really bright, and puts heat on black stuff. Haven't tried a balloon but I am impressed. The design is solid and the strap is nice too.

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You can have lasers. Just like you can't legally own a fully automatic iteration of that SKS, you can't have these (to draw a metaphor) sawed off shotgun and fully automatic assault rifle lasers. You can have the ones that have the appropriate safety hardware.

We might not like it, but there's nothing that can be done about it.

We might not like it, but there's nothing that can be done about it. [/quote]

When they come to take your lasers, give up. The people are powerless before the government. What a sad day.

Mike

Hemlock Mike said:

We might not like it, but there's nothing that can be done about it.

Click to expand...

When they come to take your lasers, give up. The people are powerless before the government. What a sad day.

Mike

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This really made no sense. Are you one of those big government conspiracy theory people?

Granted I have one high powered laser, but aside from that one laser, none of mine are anything that will draw attention, and were all purchased as IIIa lasers with documentation to prove it, despite actual outputs being higher. Besides, I use all of my lasers legally, and if there were restrictions ever placed, I would spend whatever money that would be necessary to legally own them.

I ran into the same problem with breeding my dogs. The county decided to enforce a bunch of crazy licensing laws for breeders in an effort to cut back on pit bulls and other dogs ending up in shelters. So, it costs 200 per unaltered dog to register to own, and 250 per dog to get a breeding license. I happily paid it, and now I am still completely legal to continue breeding my German shepherds.

I make just under 50k a year, so I'm hardly loaded by any means with a house, a car and a bunch of random debt.

I really don't see how people can be so god damn butthurt about the government finally actually enforcing the same damn laws that have been on the books since the beginning of (laser) time.

I'm not talking about "protect the children." I'm taking about protecting society from idiots, no matter what the age group, using unsafe, cheap, and portable high-powered lasers. The 13-year-old example was used because kids of that age are really immature, even worse than their younger selves. A portable high-powered laser is also quite a bit more dangerous than a pellet gun because: 1) it's portable andeasily hidden, 2) it's hard to identify, whether as a low-power pointer or pen, 3) they cost less and can be sent directly to your home (especially with DX ones), and 4) kids don't understand the dangers of them like what is already apparent in a gun.

The worst part, as Hemlock Mike and I have already highlighted, is that it only takes one stupid incident to get these lasers banned, or requiring licensing, like guns. Look at what happened in Australia. They can't even have 5mW laser pointers. They must all be Class 2 lasers (1mW or less). Any higher-powered lasers requires a permit. Unlike gun owners, there are no "NRA"s or other interest protection groups who can argue with any kind of credibility, that people have a right to own lasers. Because who does? What kind of useful purpose is there in letting ordinary citizens have high-powered lasers? To burn matches? Light tape? Other stupid things like that? Such lasers should remain in labs like they always have, right? No, it won't fly with them, especially with the real life risks of misuse such as kids zapping peoples' eyes, blinding pilots or car drivers, blinding themselves, and other stupid shit.

You can still buy these lasers too. They're not banned--yet. The ones you can buy are just FDA certified as they are all supposed to be. There is a five-point safety system that must be met: aperture shutter, 3 second turn-on delay, operation indicator light, key-lock switch, and remote shutoff connector. It's designed to keep these devices safe for their users and anyone in the area. Generally if a company has gone through the trouble of becoming certified, the lasers cost more and are higher quality. Sure, there's a price barrier, but given the idiots out there, that's not such a bad thing.

Bionic-Badger said:

I'm not talking about "protect the children." I'm taking about protecting society from idiots, no matter what the age group, using unsafe, cheap, and portable high-powered lasers. The 13-year-old example was used because kids of that age are really immature, even worse than their younger selves. A portable high-powered laser is also quite a bit more dangerous than a pellet gun because: 1) it's portable andeasily hidden, 2) it's hard to identify, whether as a low-power pointer or pen, 3) they cost less and can be sent directly to your home (especially with DX ones), and 4) kids don't understand the dangers of them like what is already apparent in a gun.

The worst part, as Hemlock Mike and I have already highlighted, is that it only takes one stupid incident to get these lasers banned, or requiring licensing, like guns. Look at what happened in Australia. They can't even have 5mW laser pointers. They must all be Class 2 lasers (1mW or less). Any higher-powered lasers requires a permit. Unlike gun owners, there are no "NRA"s or other interest protection groups who can argue with any kind of credibility, that people have a right to own lasers. Because who does? What kind of useful purpose is there in letting ordinary citizens have high-powered lasers? To burn matches? Light tape? Other stupid things like that? Such lasers should remain in labs like they always have, right? No, it won't fly with them, especially with the real life risks of misuse such as kids zapping peoples' eyes, blinding pilots or car drivers, blinding themselves, and other stupid shit.

You can still buy these lasers too. They're not banned--yet. The ones you can buy are just FDA certified as they are all supposed to be. There is a five-point safety system that must be met: aperture shutter, 3 second turn-on delay, operation indicator light, key-lock switch, and remote shutoff connector. It's designed to keep these devices safe for their users and anyone in the area. Generally if a company has gone through the trouble of becoming certified, the lasers cost more and are higher quality. Sure, there's a price barrier, but given the idiots out there, that's not such a bad thing.

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*standing ovation*

+1