DX 200 Versus Nova X105

After buying a DX 20mw and later a DX 50mw i was going to get a DX 200mw,but i am thinking maybe i should get a Nova X105 instead.
I know its almost twice the price of a DX 200 but the reviews make it sound worth the difference in build quality and output.
Anyone think  its the right choice?
PS.. anyone from the uk had any experience of UK customs charging duty on Nova lasers?  Thanks again for  a great forum
PPS.. where's the best place to get protective glasses?

Spend the extra money and go with the x105. Although mine is not a great burner, the quality is top notch.

Rob - I thought you had that issue solved with new batts ? If not, I suggest you call them and find out what is wrong with it !

As far as preferences go, the Nova will be more durable, and higher quality - not to mention the amount of neat stuff tehy sell to accessorize it !

AND if you use the forum's discount code - you can get 5% off...I recently got an X-85 that peaks at 110.3, avgs out at 100.4 SO.....I guess I can call it an X-100 ? LOL They always seem to "undersell" their lasers - you always get MORE than the specified power levels when dealing with them

G !

Not to sound like a Nova Fanboy...but my 2 cents...

Go for the Nova....and get the case!!!

for 229.00 you will have one SUPER NICE setup!!!

I bought a Newwish 20 Mw....(DX sells newwish I believe) and spent 80 bucks on it not knowning any better!!!

It's a complete DOG!!!!!

It lases beautifully for @ 15-30 seconds..you can see the beam perfectly..then it just drops to NOTHING...<5 Mw.....

If I place it in the freezer for a few Min....Bang...back to nice and bright!

My nova on the other hand is 100 % stable all the time...and burns like a banshee!

In fact I was out on the labor day weekend with my wife at a campground...
We were sitting in lawn chairs doing some star mapping with the Nova....

A guy came over from a couple of cabins down, and asked if it was Us with the green laser...

I told him Yes..and he said..we are over there by that campfire..(easily 50 yards away), and could see this bright greel beam going up into the air!..

He asked what kind of laser pointer it was, so I told him...well..it really isn't a normal laser pointer....it's actually a full blown laser...not a toy pointer...

He asked to hold it...and I had to decline...

He asked "Why".....

So I pulled out a black balloon from my pocket (really I had been poping balloons before the sun went down and still had half a pocket full).

I blew it up...tied it off....held it out in my right hand took the laser in my left (@2feet apart)

Hit the power, and the balloon almost instantly Popped!

I believe the guy's reply to that was .....Ummmmm..Holy.....DOODOOO (he did NOT say DooDoo however)....

He asked what it cost...I told him, and he walked back to his campfire.

Ohhhhhh..Yessssss....I was a Proud Daddy that day!!!!!...hehehehehe



Get the Nova!!!! AND GLASSES!!!!!!

Larry

not owing a nova i cant say any thing aobut them but i have a dx200 and i can say its nice tho its not built as soldi as a lead light but it dose its job its nice and brigh with a fresh set of nimh battreis and i would say its output is atleast 100mw caus its about 2-3x bright then my dx50. the only problem i have with my dx is the beam dirvergens is about 2.2 when i get the checne tho i am going to try to re focus it hopefully i dont break it but anways for 120$ you cant go wrong in my oppion but then agian i havent held it on for more the 40seconds and always let it cool for about 10-30 seconds is taht a good duty cycle? but anways ya its a great laser iw ould buy it again if this one ever broke and ir dosent seem to be a probelm i tryied it with my night vision and didnt see any thing around the dot even held the dot out of the night vision so it wount over brighten it ?(no idea what a good word for tha towuld be but the dot was right out side the fild of vision so i coul dmake shure their was no ir and that the powerfull dot wasnt blocking it). anways ya i like the dx but sicne i have only ownd leadlights and newwish lasers the only quality i kno is leadlight standers  and the newwish isnt that far behind  just my .03$

edit* o ya you got to check out my match lighing pic on the dx200 page lol its cool it light the match in the flask and the smoke was stuck in their and it lookd like a green plasma lol then i tried it a second time and the match created so much presure it blue the top off kinda scary glad the glass didnt blow up*

The only person I have known order from Nova in the UK got stung with custom charges but from what I hear if you speak to nova they will lower the value to get it past, the only downside to that is if it goes missing it wont be insured for the full amount.....

I ask this: what do you want to do with it?

IF you're going to be stargazing, for isntance, it's a complete waste to get either - but the DX will be fine (I've heard the word fragile tossed around a lot - not a laser to carry in your pocket) I'm told that the nova is well-built and sturdy, but keep in mind that doesnt mean you shoudl play catch with it on the highway. DPSS means it's fragile, so keep in mind that no ammount of armoring will make it impervious.

As I saiod really it depends on how you will use the laser

Personally If you want burning pwoer I think you should stick with your lower-pwoered greenies and get a red, but that's just my own opinion and YMMV

ya i'd say go with nova!people have said that the DX200's power is all over the place!

Ashton said:

I ask this: what do you want to do with it?

IF you're going to be stargazing, for isntance, it's a complete waste to get either - but the DX will be fine (I've heard the word fragile tossed around a lot - not a laser to carry in your pocket)  I'm told that the nova is well-built and sturdy, but keep in mind that doesnt mean you shoudl play catch with it on the highway. DPSS means it's fragile, so keep in mind that no ammount of armoring will make it impervious.

As I saiod really it depends on how you will use the laser

Personally If you want burning pwoer I think you should stick with your lower-pwoered greenies and get a red, but that's just my own opinion and YMMV

Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree with your statement about stargazing...
If you have ever tried looking at someone else pointing at a star with a low powered greenie...once you get only a few degrees of seperation from the pointer, you will loose the beam very easily!

I've watched people with 30 Mw pointers 10 -20 feet away point to something, and I had a HARD time picking up their point!~

If the laser is in your hand..it will point very well..you're looking right down the beam!
The farther away from the person pointing you get..the harder it becomes to actually see the beam.

In all reality..I consider 85-100 Mw of real useable green light (IR is useless) to be a realistic minimum for effective star pointing!

My degree isn't in astronomy...but I can tell you what I see in the real world!

Whatever you decide....good luck, and enjoy your laser safely!!!

Trust me when I say to get the case and a pair of goggles if you decide on the Nova.....

Feel free to P.M. me if you want more info!

LarryQ

@ larryq: ah, I see your point, I was thinking about a tight group of 2-4 people, not a large group, I've never done much stargazing with lasers so I dont have much experiance. but yes, looking down the beam increases the visibility dramatically; I could "stargaze" with my old 100mw red pulsar if it was dark and I was looking down the beam, though move it a few feet and I woudl loee it, of course.

the lasrger the group, the lasrger (more pwoerful) the laser needed. my appologies, blame it on my noobishnish that's not worn off yet *laughs uneasily*

Rob I have an x65 and it's a burner. I think you should take SenKats advice and give nova a jingle.

I ordered an x105 quite soon after nova came officialy "on the scene". I got hit with nearly £40 ($80) customs charges.
To my annoyance i found out that you could ask them to declare it at a lower value AFTER I HAD ORDERED! :'(

Oh well, we live and learn.
However in general dealing with nova was a pleasure.

Thanks for everyones advice. I intended to use it for stargazing and generally having fun with smoke and fog and prism effects. I think i will order a Nova and ask them to reduce the price on the customs declaration.
PS i will remember to use the warp5 ? forum code for 5% discount thanks again.
PPS wheres the best place/price for goggles?

Make sure you use the forum discount code, so you can save 5% !!!!

G !

sychnant said:

Thanks for everyones advice. I intended to use it for stargazing and generally having fun with smoke and fog and prism effects. I think i will order a Nova and ask them to reduce the price on the customs declaration.
PS i will remember to use the warp5 ?  forum code for 5% discount thanks again.
PPS wheres the best place/price for goggles?

Click to expand...

I got the Wicked Lasers Lasershields.....

http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Green_532nm_LaserShades-48-16.html

Nice glasses that still let you see the dot so you can know where you are aiming....

Larry

sychnant said:

PPS wheres the best place/price for goggles?

Click to expand...

Try optotronics, when shipping comes into play they are cheaper than Wicked!