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Why can laser pointers be so much cheaper than the diode alone?

ronox

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Mar 20, 2012
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hello,

Ive been attempting to source laser modules and diodes lately for the purpose of reselling cheaply.
Lately though ive noticed that many high powered laser pointers seem to cost far less than the diode of that power rating and wavelength!
whats up with that?

ive confirmed with a few though, like a green 200mw pointer, that it can burn matches at 10m away, and burn things if held still, as could the collimated diode.
the difference being that the pointer costs like $35, and the diode is $>70, i dont recall exactly, but it was extremely high.

ive contacted a few wholesalers, a few of which have said, in large orders they might consider removing the module at no extra cost, so that i can legally buy the pointers. i wonder though, are they the same?
they have had the output beam measured in some cases and confirm their ratings, others simply are backed up with nothing more than factory specs.

Are these nothing more that inferior diodes in the laser pointers? and if so, what makes them so bad, despite giving out just as much power as another good one?

another reason i ask this is because ive found a new source of 1 watt 808nm laser diodes, at $29ea once postage is taken into consideration. the seller was very happy though to drop the price to $20ea if i bought over 30, and i didnt want to push my luck in finding out the rock bottom price.

another seller has told me their rock bottom price is $33ea,

i wonder, comparing these 3 diodes, which include the diodes i have now, which were supposedly made in the US and have a selling price from their seller of $13ea, when bought in lots of 5.
comparing that, the $28 diodes, perhaps the same as the first, and the expensive $33 diodes, how could they possibly differ?

the first one i beleive i was told might be hurriscience diodes or something.


its my end intention to sell reasonably priced affordable lasers, of both high and low quality, of course unlike that other guy, i will share the fact that they are of inferior design to others and let buyers decide whether they want to save $50 on a cheaper laser, rather than trick them.

Anyway, any insight would be most helpful, thankyou.
 





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Feb 2, 2012
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Don't forget green lasers don't use a direct green diode. It is called DPSS or diode pumped solid state and uses an IR diode to pump into a frequency doubling crystal to produce the green light. I am by no means an expert and am still new, but I would recommend doing a lot more reading and learn as much as you can before you sell lasers on here as the forum elders will not have much respect if you try and sell things on here before you know what you are talking about.

Just my advice...:beer:
 
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duzy

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Simple, you get what you pay for.

Don't expect the $35 greens to output that exact 200mW. Take into consideration the build quality, heat sinking and drivers used.

For all we know, they could just be cheap 50-90mW lasers that last no more than a few months and end up burning out or something.
 

DrSid

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Of course pointer is never cheaper than its module. If it looks like this, it simple means said diode is not inside said pointer.
 
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ronox

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i see this most commonly in red lasers. a red laser module , 200mw, costs perhaps $20 or so. the pointer costs the exact same. the diode however is $40+

also, i will sell on ebay, not here. many others here are able to aquire much finer lasers than i, and as you said, i wouldnt be respected much for selling the chap stuff. on ebay, people will buy whatever so long as its a good deal.

my wholesaler has told me the difference between the cheap and expensive model is that the expensive one has a "more stable output".

Any idea what is meant by this and why its good?

thanks
 
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ronox

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i think for the sake of my customers ill buy the more expensive model, as soon as i have proof it isnt the same thing as the cheap one
 
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One of the answers is that the cheap diodes in the cheap lasers are overdriven. By using good heatsink you can overdrive a diode to produce more output than it was intended for. So a 500mW diode can be pushed to 1W or even higher but the build quality, heat sink etc needs to be good.

If you plan on selling lasers then bear in mind that you probably need some darn good liability insurance and that it may not be legal to do so for much longer given the nature of the hobby (bad selling practices, children getting their hands on them, etc).
 
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i see this most commonly in red lasers. a red laser module , 200mw, costs perhaps $20 or so. the pointer costs the exact same. the diode however is $40+

We pay ~$7 for that 200mW red diode. If you bought in bulk at the source you'd pay ~$4.

Also the people that make the pointers are paid next to nothing, and use child labor. Plus they order diodes by the thousands. Thats why they can sell cheap pens for less then what you or I will pay for just the diode.
 
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We pay ~$7 for that 200mW red diode. If you bought in bulk at the source you'd pay ~$4.

Also the people that make the pointers are paid next to nothing, and use child labor. Plus they order diodes by the thousands. Thats why they can sell cheap pens for less then what you or I will pay for just the diode.

Good points TJ.
 

Fiddy

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We pay ~$7 for that 200mW red diode. If you bought in bulk at the source you'd pay ~$4.

Also the people that make the pointers are paid next to nothing, and use child labor. Plus they order diodes by the thousands. Thats why they can sell cheap pens for less then what you or I will pay for just the diode.
YouDaManJesus.jpg
 

Encap

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What are you going to do with 808nm diodes cheap or expensive?

Make 808mn infrared pointers?

Simple answer economy of scale and cheap labor.

It takes a lot more than an 808nm diode to make a good and stable 532nm green or any other color DPSS ---an excellent 808nm diode is the least of it---that is why almost no hobby people make them.

If yu want to know bottom line prices for diodes find out who makes what you are thinking about and go to directly the manufacturers for prices---no sense asking resellers especially when they can't even tell you who made the device.

There is no way you can compete price wise without a serious large investment in thousands of pieces of parts or finished lasers.


You say "its my end intention to sell reasonably priced affordable lasers, of both high and low quality, of course unlike that other guy, i will share the fact that they are of inferior design to others and let buyers decide whether they want to save $50 on a cheaper laser, rather than trick them."

If you are in the USA you better find out what the it takes to get FDA approval of a laser pointer and what you can and can't sell and to whom, legally.

Chances of you being able to do better than is being done already are slim to none without a huge financial investment---what do you need the headache for?

Do you know anything about the real market for what you are talking about---the smallest part of any business is having something to sell ---- the largest part is being able to tell people you exist and why they fork over their hard earned money to you as opposed to someone else.
 
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ronox

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Im in australia, and here we have no laser wholesalers, and very few resellers, all of which charge bucketloads.

My intentions for the 1W 808nm where to build into pre-built modules, for hobbyists to use however they wanted to, for burning and such.

So far, i am getting much more attention with my auctions for 70mw green modules, people will pay the extra money to buy a laser already in australia, because theres no chance of seizure, and they get it in under 5 days, for only a dollar shipping.

I only will sell modules, but never pointers.

Buisness is going well, my only issue is sourcing at reasonable prices.
the point of the housing + driver is to increase the laser value, so i make a profit, but also so im selling for less than others would generally sell.
 

SOG

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I know it's not legal to import lasers in Australia... but are you sure it's legal to sell it online? better check with local law to make sure that it's ok to do so?

I know from experiences that you can't say "I didn't know of such law" to avoid getting charged... so better check.



Im in australia, and here we have no laser wholesalers, and very few resellers, all of which charge bucketloads.

My intentions for the 1W 808nm where to build into pre-built modules, for hobbyists to use however they wanted to, for burning and such.

So far, i am getting much more attention with my auctions for 70mw green modules, people will pay the extra money to buy a laser already in australia, because theres no chance of seizure, and they get it in under 5 days, for only a dollar shipping.

I only will sell modules, but never pointers.

Buisness is going well, my only issue is sourcing at reasonable prices.
the point of the housing + driver is to increase the laser value, so i make a profit, but also so im selling for less than others would generally sell.
 

ronox

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I researched it and the only laser laws apply to laser pointing devices. aka , pointers, which i do not sell. its even illegal to import pointer housings, regardless of whether or not they contain any laser device.

I dont import, nor sell pointers, just diodes and modules, which there are no laws against importing or owning, otherwise cd/dvd/blue ray players and burners and laser light projectors would be illegal.

owning and using pointers here is illegal without a permit, selling is totally forbidden without a permit, to other people also without permits, except for low power lasers of course.

but really, the rules on modules are the same as for any cd player ect
 

Fiddy

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Im in australia, and here we have no laser wholesalers, and very few resellers, all of which charge bucketloads.

My intentions for the 1W 808nm where to build into pre-built modules, for hobbyists to use however they wanted to, for burning and such.

So far, i am getting much more attention with my auctions for 70mw green modules, people will pay the extra money to buy a laser already in australia, because theres no chance of seizure, and they get it in under 5 days, for only a dollar shipping.

I only will sell modules, but never pointers.

Buisness is going well, my only issue is sourcing at reasonable prices.
the point of the housing + driver is to increase the laser value, so i make a profit, but also so im selling for less than others would generally sell.

Why are people obsessed with IR diodes?
 




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