Foolish purchase...but found the light

New poster and new to lasers.

On an impulse I purchased this :

2000mW 447nm Waterproof Adjust Focus Blue Laser Pointer Pen

Don't have it yet, but wanted to get impressions of how bad of a waste of cash it was.

I have since seen some very nice products here, and if this is a bust, can it be used as a good host of a 405nm or 445nm laser with some forum vendor components ?

Thanks, and really enjoying the information here.

I think you will be lucky to get half the advertised power.

Live and Learn

Welcome to the forums.

Painful but true...thanks for the response.

I have the means to make a better one....do you thing the host would be worth converting or start from scratch ?

weidmark said:

I think you will be lucky to get half the advertised power.

Click to expand...

Very true: "Operating Current: 750mA < I < 1.2A"

Which probably means closer to 750mA than to 1.2A. Either way, with the optics on those hosts, and the extra layer of glass partially reducing output power, you're going to need to be luck to get 1,000mW of output. I think ~800mW is more likely.

That said, having a waterproof 445 is actually worth the decrease in power. They look phenominal in the rain, and it's pretty rare to have a DIY build that you wouldn't at least be a little bit concerned about when exposed to water.

Pigsnibble said:

Painful but true...thanks for the response.

I have the means to make a better one....do you thing the host would be worth converting or start from scratch ?

Click to expand...

Nope. You can get *similar* waterproof hosts (that use 16340 cells) for about $15. Plus, these hosts are not the easiest to convert. I could see turning it into a 2x 16340 build, with a 1.8A Mohgasm / Jib driver, but I really think you'd be better off keeping it for what it is, and getting your high power build from a second laser, with a larger heatsink, that's made for higher output powers.

If it's not too late, see if you can cancel the order and get your money back.

I do agree with rhd that waterproofing might be worth the premium, but I disagree that you will get 800mW.

Maybe ~700mW at best.

If you don't care about waterproofing you're MUCH better building your own, or buying off of a member here.

If you do want waterproofing...

LZSK - 445nm 1.2W Focusable Waterproof Blue Laser Pointer
Cyber 445nm - 1.2W Focusable Blue Laser Pointer Water Proof

Or o-like:

Tactical 1.2W blue 445nm laser /focusable/waterproof/Solid [OL-445-1.2] - $219.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce
Power Rock 1W Blue laser torch /Focusable/ waterproof [OL-PRBL1000] - $152.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

The o-like tactical offers by FAR the best build quality, but be forewarned that o-like considers output to be RAW optical, meaning before focusing lens and waterproof lens, leading to an overall lower output.

EDIT!!! Did you grab yourself a pair of good goggles?

Thanks so much for the information.

I do want it to be waterproof if possible.

I'm looking for something I can take along for long horse rides in remote areas.

It needs to be bright enough to see the beam in daylight, but should also be able to start a fire should I get lost.

I will put another post up in general to ask that question.