Feeler: basic build kits

Hello all, I recently finished machining a heat sink for my first build (a 200mW 405nm 6x build) and I rather enjoyed it. I have seen a variety of kits and heatsinks go on sale in the forums here for a variety of prices, so I decided to send out a feeler and see what people think.

I realize that I'm new here, and I have no credibility or rep power, which is why I wanted to start small, and put out a feeler before I put any actual money/time into this.

Would anyone have any interest in the following host heatsink combo, if I made some and put them up for sale?
Host:
UltraFire L2 Flashlight Torch Body Tube Host Black - DinoDirect.com
with a custom aluminum heatsink, accommodates standard aixiz 30mm module, set with allen wrench set screw. Host accommodates 1x18650 or 2xCR123a batteries.

I know it would be a shot in the dark for anyone ordering from me, I have no history of selling, so I wanted to keep the cost, and thus potential risk to the buyer low. Then maybe I can accumulate some rep power in the process and move on to some less basic kits

Theoretical price would be:
Heat sink + Host $30 USD shipped anywhere in the US.

I have attached some pictures of my personal build, it will give you a good idea of what the final product would look like:

Any ideas/requests or suggestions that you feel would increase your interest would be greatly appreciated. :thanks:

Hate to burst your bubble man, but jayrob already offers it.

I think that's a good endeavor. I don't think the lack of rep / post count should be TOO huge of an impediment, once you get past the first few sales, and especially given the low cost of your transaction.

If I could make a couple suggestions:

- Think about offering just the heatsink alone as an option. The L2 comes in a number of different combinations / colours, some of which are cooler looking than the all black (just a personal taste thing). It would be great to be able to buy the heatsink, and place the host order ourselves. Moh has done this with some of his kits, and I think it's a great idea. Some people will argue that there's too much variability between hosts. Yet at the same time, C6 heatsinks are sold left, right, and center without the actual hosts themselves on-hand to test heatsink size. So I think selling the heatsink on it's own is a winning proposition (or at least offering the option). A good price-point for the heatink would be around $15. More or less Moh's rate (I think), and on par (or a tad above) the C6 heatsink price from SL. Though yours probably has more mass than a C6 heatsink, so I think $15 is a good fair price.

- Don't restrict shipping to the US, when small items like this can usually be shipped to Canada for about the same price. There are lots of Canadians on this board.

bhwollen said:

Hate to burst your bubble man, but jayrob already offers it.

Click to expand...

My bad - didn't know that when I gave him my thumbs up.

Though if you did heatsink only, people could choose their own L2 host. Like this beautiful chrome option:
UniqueFire L2 Cree XP-G R5 320Lumens LED Flashlight - Silver(2*16340/1*18650) - DinoDirect.com

Thanks for the input!
@bhwollen, I know joyrob offers quite a few different kits, which is why I wanted to see if there would be any interest left out there. If there isn't any, then no big deal. If there is and I can help people get some heat sinks they need, all the better.
@rhd Thanks for the advice, I would gladly extend shipping to Canada, I would need to check on shipping rates, but I think you're right, the price would probably be largely unaffected.

To revise the original post, would anyone have any interest in a custom aluminum heatsink for an ultrafire L2 host? Price would probably be around $15 shipped, US and Canada. :yh:

Other advise/suggestions are still welcome!

firelight said:

To revise the original post, would anyone have any interest in a custom aluminum heatsink for an ultrafire L2 host? Price would probably be around $15 shipped, US and Canada. :yh:

Click to expand...

I would!

If you have a PayPal transaction setup, I'll jump in as your first pigeon on a host & sink for $30. PM me an invoice & we'll see what happens to build up your sales rep.
No payPal, NO deal.
If you want to offer a unique product, how about milling radial fins on the heatsink?
Or, I've been waiting for someone with a lathe to offer a sink with a 18mm bore to accept the o-Like module....

Everyone has Paypal

I'd jump on a heatsink alone. Would be nice to have a chrome L2.

I had originally intended to see if I could get about 10 people interested, this would merit me buying some new aluminum. However, if just one or two people would like heatsinks, I think that would be a good way to get my feet wet, and have some positive references. I have some 1.125" aluminum rod in stock, which is suitable for the L2 heatsinks. Since there would be no initial investment cost, I would have no problem (besides finding the time) with making a few heatsinks.

@rhd- Thanks for your interest, if I end up deciding to make some, I'll PM you :thanks:

@123splat- Yes, I do have a paypal account, no worries there. Thanks for your interest in the host+heatsink combo, I will PM you if I decide to make them. As for the heatsink for the 18mm O-like, would you be interested in that for the L2 host, or something else? Either way, If you send me the dimensions, and the largest outside diameter is 1.125" or less, I would definitely consider making one for you

As an important disclaimer to both of you: my work/school schedule has me working weekdays and weekends for the next three weeks. If I make anything this summer, it would have to wait until July. If anyone would like the host and heatsink, the wait would of course involve however long it takes for the hosts to show up from DD/DX.

If anyone else has interest, let me know :beer:

Oh, if those are your timeliness, its a bit of a different scenario.

I don't think many users here would be accustomed to waiting a month for work to begin. I think you'd be much better off not taking orders / getting commitments until you're actually available and able to make the items.

I figured that much, and that's why I just wanted to gather some information for now. Thanks again for your input!

Good luck with school. Let us know when you are ready. We'll see what happens.

Thanks! normally my summers would be more free, but I'm taking 7 credit hours in a summer session, and working 9 hours per day on weekdays. However, I'm very much enjoying lasers as a hobby. Thanks for the support, and I'm sure I'll be back when I have the time to give costumers the attention they would expect.

firelight said:

Hello all, I recently finished machining a heat sink for my first build (a 200mW 405nm 6x build) and I rather enjoyed it. I have seen a variety of kits and heatsinks go on sale in the forums here for a variety of prices, so I decided to send out a feeler and see what people think.

Click to expand...

There's one untapped area you may want to consider. That's beam expanders ( minus the lenses) housings and mounting adapters for the various diameter lasers housings. There are two types Keplerian and Galilean.