which hand held laser to buy...?

hello, my name is Jan and I am new to this site. I have a few lasers already but mostly just modules and I would like to purchase a handheld high power, either blue or green. I have seen several around 1W lasers available in different price ranges. Maybe you can help me and give me some advice. I have read comparisons between the Spartan and the S3 Arctic. I like the Arctic's body and style, however I am not a fan of the multi function switch and the beam does not seem very well focused. Not sure about their quality. The Spartan seems less flashy however seems good quality. Both companies seems to have some experience in lasers. I also ran across the AwesomeLaser Cobalt 2000. Seems a lot of money for having to self assemble the thing. Seems a bit like a unprofessional company...? And I also saw SurvivalLaser. Seems professional but didn't read them on any reviews...? How about the company named Warnlaser...? Are they any good? Then I found some other non brand name lasers like 1000mW 447nm Waterproof Adjust Focus Blue Laser Pointer Pen (1 x 18650 Battery) - DinoDirect.com and 1000mW Adjustable Kaleidoscopic Flashlight Style Blue Laser Pointer (2*16340) - Tmart.com and lastly this one 1000mW 532nm Flashlight Style Green Laser Pointer Black (1*18650) - Tmart.com, which seems to be a great deal considering the specs and the package they offer. Can anyone tell anything about these?
I mainly want to use the laser for fun, pointing at things but also burn small stuff...
How much does the quality differ from one of the later ones to one of the brand name lasers like the Spartan for example?
Do I really get more if I spend more? Also, how trustworthy are the power output specs. If they write 1000mW, can it be assumed to be 1000mW?
Thanks in advance to all of you!!
Jan

There are many good companys that sell lasers just look at any of the
banner add's on this forum and you will find some pretty good lasers for sure

Welcome Jan to the forum :wave:
Have fun and be safe

thanks a lot. one more question, comparing blue with green laser now, for burning purposes does a 1W green laser have the same effect as the 1W blue laser. or can one or the other burn better...?
this one seems a really good deal...but not too many specs especially of the manufacturer given...1000mW 532nm Flashlight Style Green Laser Pointer Black (1*18650) - Tmart.com
do you know the seller? is it a trustworhty seller? I live in Eruope and therefore have never heard or Tmart...
Thanks much!
Jan

hello everyone I would like to state one more time maybe a little clearer and organized.
Of the listed lasers below, which ones can any of you recommend, which ones not and why...?
-http://www.dragonlasers.com/product.php?productid=16456&cat=357&page=1
-http://www.tmart.com/1000mW-532nm-Flashlight-Style-Green-Laser-Pointer-Black-118650_p114568.html
-http://www.awesomelasers.com/cobalt2000.htm
-http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Spyder_III_Pro_Arctic_Series-96-37.html
-http://www.warnlaser.com/445nm_laser.html
-http://www.warnlaser.com/445nm_laser.html

Does anyone know if the Cobalt2000 from AwesomeLaser really outputs 2W? Seems hard to believe?

Thanks much for your advice in advance.
Jan

Avoid those companies you listed except for Dragon Lasers. Dragon lasers sells CNI lasers which are basically the the best quality lasers around, which is why the lasers are so expensive.

Avoid large Chinese stores. The 1000mw t-mart laser is probably outputs around 300mW.

Try o-like.com or rayfoss.com. Both of those companies have reasonably priced mid-grade lasers. You could also buy a laser from a trusted member of the forum in the BST section.

hey thank you very much. this really helped a lot. i was browsing on CNI's site for the first time exactly at the time you sent me your reply...
i had not hear of the other two companies o-like and rayfoss.
i am looking for a high power laser.
it seems as Spartan Series 1W Blue Handheld Laser, Rectangle Beam :: Blue Handheld Laser ----- 447nm Laser ----- Spartan Series Lasers :: Handheld Lasers :: Dragon Lasers
is the best deal i came across and seems good quality with good feedback as well. what do you think about this laser. i dont feel like making my own. i just want a sturdy finished product to bring along...
so CNI is one of the best lase diode manufacturers according to you...right?
what are some other good price/quality ratio diode manufacturers you know?
i have had my first laser about 20 years a go but never really got too deeply involved; so this is pretty exciting for me to get hooked for the second time...
so you don't believe in awsome laser's 2000mW output?
thanks much
Jan

Hi Jan,

Spartan is a very good choice. I wouldn't for a second believe the awesomelaser claim of 2W. Read up on reviews for them on this forum, there are many better companies out there.

CNI is top quality...

If you're looking for something on more of a budget, O-like 1.2W tactical is a very good choice, extremely sturdy host, though I hear that the beam characteristics of the spartan are better. Still spartan doesn't have focusing capability so that's kind of a minus.

If you haven't really played with laser for a long time, I would highly recommend starting out with some less powerful lasers. For this one goggles are absolutely a must for burning things, and a single reflection will do permanent damage. So factor goggles into the cost of the laser you get.

Hey wow I didn't see the tactical on the O-Like site. great stuff.
i already have a few ~5mW pointers in red and green and a module in red 150mW and one in 500mW so I really want to get something a little more powerful. I just meant that I haven't done too much research before of what is good quality and what not. I just bought them off of Ebay...But I was totally shocked to see that 1000mW handhelds are now available at such low prices, considering that like 15 years a go this was all a movie myth...
they are great gadgets/tools to have...
I will definitely wear eye protection. i already get paranoid about blind spots on my 150mW red laser...
ok so i guess i am down to either the spartan 1000mW blue or the o-like 1200mW tactial blue...anyone? I have heard a lot about the spartan, mostly good. but nothing yet about the o-like. focusable on the o-like is definitely a plus. is a great shame that they built such a great product with the spartan but w/o focusing capability. i have not yet seen an o-like tactical 1.2W video and there are not feedbacks posted yet but i am curious about its burning capabilities...anyone?
thanks much!!
Jan

I believe the O-like laser came out about a month ago and I saw one review for it.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/tactical-1-2w-445nm-o-like-62040.html

I have ordered 3 lasers from O-like and each one works as well as stated on their website.

I think the O-like has a bigger heatsink and is focusable making it good for burning. The spartain laser has a smaller heatsink, is fixed focus, but has more time put into building it. According toInfinitusEquitas the beam specs are better than the o-like tatical.

I guess it comes down to wether you want a clean beam (for this diode) or a medium quality beam with better burning capabilities. Keep in mind These 1W diodes have bad beam specs since the diodes are multimode.

Actually there have been a few threads and a couple of videos on the o-like tactical

My laser with focusing and waterproofing lens, comes in at around 1W stable, and I feel very safe running it for a couple of minutes without without worrying that it will overheat, although it does get warm. Chances are I could run it for much longer, but I don't really need to.

As far as burning capabilities both lasers should be very good, but for up close stuff the o-like should be better since you can focus the beam.

I was also choosing between the o-like and the spartan. The reason I went with the O-like is that even if it's somewhat underspec, you're still gonna get a 1W laser. I've read reviews on the spartan and they are very positive. Generally the laser is around 1W some are overspec, some are under, but there is less of a margin built in.

To me the deciding factor was the host - I really like the design and the o-like host is very sturdy/heavy - and the price. I figured in terms of performance the lasers would eb about the same, and for the most part they are.

There is also the issue of the price. With the spartan, to get any kind of focusing capability you would need to get the diffuser, which isn't cheap, and i think it isn't even available right now. Shipping is also cheaper with o-like.

Overall, if money is not an issue, I would go for the spartan+beam diffuser. If it is, get the o-like, it won't disappoint. (And you can get another cheaper laser for the difference )

Out of both of these options though... I would instead consider buying a laser from one of the veteran builders on this forum. Most of them don't do it as a way to make money, but rather as a hobby, so their quality control is a lot better.

P.S. - So far I have heard nothing but good things about Garoq / Yobresal 's survival laser.

chaos1267 said:

I believe the O-like laser came out about a month ago and I saw one review for it.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/tactical-1-2w-445nm-o-like-62040.html

I have ordered 3 lasers from O-like and each one works as well as stated on their website.

I think the O-like has a bigger heatsink and is focusable making it good for burning. The spartain laser has a smaller heatsink, is fixed focus, but has more time put into building it. According toInfinitusEquitas the beam specs are better than the o-like tatical.

I guess it comes down to wether you want a clean beam (for this diode) or a medium quality beam with better burning capabilities. Keep in mind These 1W diodes have bad beam specs since the diodes are multimode.

Click to expand...

I can guess but what do you mean by multimode diodes and how do you know that the o-like uses them and not the spartan?
thanks
Jan

Basically for our purposes it means the diodes can support multiple levels of output. I wouldn't worry about that part of it.

InfinitusEquitas said:

Basically for our purposes it means the diodes can support multiple levels of output. I wouldn't worry about that part of it.

Click to expand...

I understand, so once the threshold is reached they can be driven at different currents to achieve different output powers...instead of a diode that is specced to be used just at one particular power setting. makes sense. thanks