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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

DRAGONLASERS vs SKYLASERS ?

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I'm looking to buy a higher power 532 (hundreds of mW). Narrowed it down to Dragonlasers and Skylasers. Very interested in Sky. After reading reviews here and e-mailing Skylasers I have some questions. As you know green appears brightest, and a high power one will complete my collection:

* SciFi 445 1.6W = for burning & appreciating seeing the beam (Rayleigh Scattering)
* Dragonlasers 637 90mW = for thin beam & great divergence
* SciFi 650 with 3-element lens = not purchased yet, but should have best beam & divergence.
* HIGH POWER GREEN = for supreme brightness visiblity and awesomeness.

I'll have lasers for crazy burning & a killer beam, lasers for extremely good beam specs, and the green for pure brightness. I'll also own all basic colors & be satisfied...for some point. :san:



After owning cheap 532s and my own research, I'm familiar with DPSS, stability/temperature issues, and TEM modes. I am looking at 200mW-300mW+ 532. Have narrowed it down to:

* Skylasers (laserbtb) HL/PL series
* Dragonlasers Spartan

For me, the Dragon 300mW is too expensive to justify another 100mW of brightness compared with the 200. So it's down between the Dragon 200 or Sky HL 200/300.


DRAGON
+ fantastic support, dealt with them before & fully trust them
+ 7-day no-questions refund policy
+ uses 18650, not 16340
+ ???better quality???
- higher price
- forced ~$25 shipping

SKYLASERS
+ great prices
+ high quality host with safety features
- 16340

As for Skylasers, I emailed them with host questions and got an immediate response. Sent another email and have not gotten a response in almost a week. I really want to pull the trigger on Skylasers. I want more power (200-300mW) but want to be be aware of a sacrifice in stability or divergence. So I'm trying to understand the internal differences.



1. When comparing 200mW to 300mW, is there a larger 808 diode used or are the DPSS crystals simply better quality? At what point is a larger 808 used, and at what point does divergence/stability suffer? Are the components in the HL vs PL series different? Would a 300mW PL give better beam than the HL?

I understand each company is different but curious your thoughts. I asked the 808 size question to Optotronics a while ago (green pen pointers); he told me the same 808 is used, just different driver settings and better DPSS crystal quality as you "increase" in power. But they go to ~175mW. Here we are talking 200, 300, etc. I know at some point the internals have to get beefed up, and I'd hate for that point to be 300mW, then I buy that laser and get a worse beam, where if I got the 200 it would have been better. In that situation the 100mW brightness increase wouldn't be worth the worse beam (I think).

Both have the same beam diameter at aperture. Dragon divergence is <1.5, Sky is <2.0. Dragon duty cycle is 2min, Sky says 8min... :thinking:

***Overall they both look like great lasers, with Dragon maybe being a step above in quality? It also uses an 18650 which I like.


2. I have searched the FDA Red List and not found anything for lasers. Talk on LPF seems like a grey area...I'm thinking it should pass? They declare them as "flashlights" or "gifts" etc. And I have not found a single post that said their Sky got siezed. Just wondering your thoughts.


Thanks very much guys. It's a tough choice. I am itching to buy the Skylasers 300. The brightness must be KILLER.
 





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Both lasers are fantastic options and will last you for years to come. The differences are as follow:

Quality
Both are fantastic quality, but Dragon Lasers units come from CNI, which when you get down to it are better then the lasers skylasers offer. Don't get me wrong, both are good quality but Dragon Lasers unit a step above the ladder.

808 Diode
As you increase the output power of 532 you need, you need to use a higher powered 808 diode. Sure, quality crystals will help you achieve better efficiency but that can only go so far. At one point or another, you'll need a stronger pump source to achieve a higher 532 output.

Bottom Line
If I were you, I would go with whatever unit makes you happy. Everyone has different views & opinions and only you really know which one you like over the other. If it were me, I would go with Dragon Lasers since those are CNI quality units and most tend to be pretty overspec! Have fun with whichever one you chose :)

-Alex
 

gozert

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I own a DL 200mW 532nm and I can say that it's of very good quality. The laser is super bright, beam is thin and it has very low divergence. The host feels very nice too. I can't say much about Jetlasers as I've never had one of their lasers, but they seem to have good quality lasers too.

Keep in mind that DL lasers usually are quite overspec, so a 200mW could get you nearly 250mW in some cases.
 
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I own a DL 200mW 532nm and I can say that it's of very good quality. The laser is super bright, beam is thin and it has very low divergence. The host feels very nice too. I can't say much about Jetlasers as I've never had one of their lasers, but they seem to have good quality lasers too.

Keep in mind that DL lasers usually are quite overspec, so a 200mW could get you nearly 250mW in some cases.

I vote dragon lasers. Simple solid and good customer service..it takes a,while to get there about 3-4weeks but worth the wait.
 

gozert

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I vote dragon lasers. Simple solid and good customer service..it takes a,while to get there about 3-4weeks but worth the wait.

Shipping time depends on your location. It hasn't ever taken more than 4 days to get to me. I'm in The Netherlands which is halfway across the world to China. Last time it took them 2 days to ship it and 4 days shipping time. So 6 days total if you count the processing time in.
 
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Shipping time depends on your location. It hasn't ever taken more than 4 days to get to me. I'm in The Netherlands which is halfway across the world to China. Last time it took them 2 days to ship it and 4 days shipping time. So 6 days total if you count the processing time in.
its our customs port where world wide shipping is delayed.
 
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Thanks for the responses so far. :beer: I have the Dragonlasers Spartan 637 90mW. Took only 3 days to arrive and service is fantastic. Awesome laser. Nice weight, host, and beam. I've also heard about CNI and how DL uses their components.

Never used Skylasers (laserbtb). Their HL series prices are awesome and apparently still darn good quality. So this is a damn tough decision.

So the Dragon will have better divergence, what about stability you think? With better components I would think less mode-hopping, etc. But it's hard to say. I wish I could hold the two in my hand and use them for a minute. I would instantly know. :angel:
 

Encap

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Thanks for the responses so far. :beer: I have the Dragonlasers Spartan 637 90mW. Took only 3 days to arrive and service is fantastic. Awesome laser. Nice weight, host, and beam. I've also heard about CNI and how DL uses their components.

Never used Skylasers (laserbtb). Their HL series prices are awesome and apparently still darn good quality. So this is a damn tough decision.:

Dragonlasers just resells CNI made complete lasers, Dragon does not actually manufacture anythng.

laserbtb Sky does manufacture there own products --both the PL and the HL series are really very good the PL having a longer duty/cycle being more massive and both having some features the CNI/Dragon Lasers product doesn't have like ability to focus the beam.

You might also want to check out JetLasers they make thier own very high quality lasers with features nobody else offers in the case of PL-E Pro---both their Equality and PL-E Pro line are top shelf products and prices only a small amount more than some. see: JETLASERS.ORG

If you are on a tight budget and don't need extended runtime and duty cycle then I would go with a laserbtb HL532nmn-300mW with optional IR filter included is a bargain at about $165.00
 
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Pman

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Unless something has changed, the Spartan is not focusable if that matters to you (own 2 Spartans). Every Dragon and Sky unit I own are over spec and some by quite a high %.
 
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Dragonlasers just resells CNI made complete lasers, Dragon does not actually manufacture anythng.

laserbtb Sky does manufacture there own products --both the PL and the HL series are really very good the PL having a longer duty/cycle being more massive and both having some features the CNI/Dragon Lasers product doesn't have like ability to focus the beam.

You might also want to check out JetLaser they make thier own very high quality laser with features nobody else offers in the case of PL-E Pro---bith their Equality and PL-E Pro line are great and prices only a small amount more than some. see: JETLASERS.ORG

If you are on a tight budget and don't need extended runtime and duty cycles then I would go with a laserbtb HL532nmn-300mW with optional IR filter included is a bargain at about $165.00

Wow the Jetlaser hosts are really, really impressive... :evil: I still want to stick with something basic though and for a bit less money. I would look at their 445s if I didn't already own a SciFi 1.6W...I LOVE that thing.

Unless something has changed, the Spartan is not focusable if that matters to you (own 2 Spartans). Every Dragon and Sky unit I own are over spec and some by quite a high %.

Yup I own a Spartan red and love it!


Thanks again guys. :) My main concern is at what point do they move to a larger 808 diode, and what is the resulting change in stability and divergence. I know there are 1W 808 and pretty sure 2W ones exist also. Seems 200-300 would be using a 1W...(same diode).

For the Skylasers HL vs. PL, comparing the 200 to 200, and 300 to 300...are they using the same components in each you think? (I emailed them but haven't heard back in several days).

I really want to pull the trigger on the Sky 300mW...the Spartan 300 is pricey...
 
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My vote is for sky/laserbtbI, for price and quality. My "300mw" 532 (HL) peaks at over 500mW, and it was only ~150$ (though I got it in a group buy).
 
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My vote is for sky/laserbtbI, for price and quality. My "300mw" 532 (HL) peaks at over 500mW, and it was only ~150$ (though I got it in a group buy).

500mW of 532 must be killer. The most I've seen is 240mW 520 which is still crazy bright. According to the calculator it's ~identical to a 200mW 532. Is that a Skylaser 520 in your photo?

One thing I find strange: the Sky 300mW PL is $65.60 more than the HL.

But for the 200mW, the PL is only $16.40 more than HL. :thinking:
 
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Encap

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My vote is for sky/laserbtbI, for price and quality. My "300mw" 532 (HL) peaks at over 500mW, and it was only ~150$ (though I got it in a group buy).

Yes the HL 532-300mW is maximum laser for the price--value for dollar. 500mW of $150 --- almost unheard of.

500mW of 532 must be killer. The most I've seen is 240mW 520 which is still crazy bright. According to the calculator it's ~identical to a 200mW 532. Is that a Skylaser 520 in your photo?

One thing I find strange: the Sky 300mW PL is $65.60 more than the HL. But for the 200mW, the PL is only $16.40 more. :thinking:

Different more expensive host + 300mW 532 uses different 808nm pump diode and perhaps larger diameter module than a 200mW.

Either on HL or PL are nice---that you are getting a quality focusable 532nm green from a reliable sourcefor under $1 per mW makes them both an exceptional value
 

Pman

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Unless they have changed I don't know of any unit they sell that has the 5 second delay (own LP, HL and PL units).
Adding to what crazyspaz said, don't assume that if you buy the same powered nm in a PL vs an HL host it will be more overspec. Bought a 405nm at same rating in both and the HL has more power. I believe I have around the same output for that 532nm he mentions.
 
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