RPL or Herc? Still cannot make up my mind.

I'm still not sure whether I should go for an RPL or Herc after reading the reviews.
The day that I have to make the decision is coming nearer. (and I tend to lean towards the RPL)

This is what i know so far:

Herc Pro's :
No duty cycle on full power,
More visible beam due to larger beam diameter(I guess)

RPL Pro's :
Better burning capabilities(although I don't know how big this difference is)
Longer warranty period.
More portable. (which is less important for me)

Which one has a better divergence?
If you adjust the power of the RPL to a lower setting at which output do you have a full duty cycle?
Is it true that the beam of the Herc is more visible than the RPL?

Is it safe to leave the RPL on(full power) until it shuts itself down?

And finally, Is is worth the Money the go for RPL300 instead of 260 or Herc300 instead of Herc250.
I think it doesn't matter if it's about visibility but is there a noticeable difference in burning power?
For example? are they both capable of lighting a cig and igniting a fireworks fuse or lighting a match under water(the trick Windstrings did with his Herc300)


I know it's a lot of questions but these lasers are quite expensive and I want to make sure I don't regret my decision later.

Hi Solar00,
I'll try to answer your questions for you.
Yes, the Herc has no duty cycle.
The spec on the Herc beam diameter says it is >1.5mm, the same as the RPL. If this is so, they would be about equal on beam diameter.

The RPL does have lower divergence, it is promised to be less than 1.0 mrad and is usually <0.9mrad. The herc spec is less than 1.2mrad. Provided the herc beam diameter and output power are equal to the RPL, at close distances of 6-10 feet the burning power will be about the same. Where the difference will be noticed is in the longer distance burning ability.

The adjustable RPL has the ability to tune the amount of IR diode current so that the optimum amount of IR goes to the crystal. If more than the optimum amount of IR hits the crystal, the crystal becomes over saturated and 532nm output no longer increases. Olny more heat is produced and infact this can cause output to decrease some.
When the RPL laser is tested, the optimum current level setting is noted in the customer documentation and this is the same current level that the average output power tested and recorded for the customer. Most of the time, this current level is #4 or #5 and adjustable RPLs sold after 2/1/2007 will run until the battery dies at this level (no duty cycle). The reason we give a recommended duty cycle of 5 minutes on and two minutes off is that some users will buy the non-adjustable model and it's current cannot be tuned.

It is safe to leave the RPL on until it shuts itself off, in fact that is what the battery proction circuit is for. The shut off is to protect the battery from excess discharge/low voltage as this can be dangerous for lithium-ion cells. The RPL diode is never ran at more than 80% of it's rated operating current, so as long as the ambient room temperature in the spec does not exceed 30C, the diode will be not be thermally damaged by extended use.

You mentioned the size does not matter, but that is what a portable laser is all about. If the portability is not important; you might want to consider an even more powerful 1.0Watt lab laser and configure it to run on batteries, this would be cheaper and give you even more power. If you want something that you can just in your pants pocket and carry around with you, an RPL would be your best choice.

The RPL power level of 260 vs 300 is up to your budget and what you want to do with the laser. Visually they won't look much different unless you were comparing a 260 and a 300 side by side at the same time, the differences will be in burning power and distance of burning.

Email me if you have more questions about the RPL as I don't always have time to visit LPF everyday. I'll make sure if you get an RPL that you are completely satisfied with it.
Don't forget the 7.5% LPF member discount to get as well.

Have a good weekend
Jack

bootleg2go said:

If you want something that you can just in your pants pocket and carry around with you, an RPL would be your best choice.

Click to expand...

*Note: MC Hammer pants recommended.

pseudonomen137 said:

[quote author=bootleg2go link=1191675126/0#1 date=1191682338]If you want something that you can just in your pants pocket and carry around with you, an RPL would be your best choice.

Click to expand...

*Note: MC Hammer pants recommended.[/quote]

LOL!!!! "can't touch this..."

Thanks for the info Jack,

I've made up my mind partially, I will go for the adjustable RPL.
That 1W lab laser also sounds very tempting but I think my wife will kill me if I buy a class IV laser... ;D
And I still want to be able to take it with me on holidays.(with car)

However I'm still undecided whether I choose the RPL260 or 300. :-/
But I still have 2.5 months to decide.

I doubt if you bought the 300 you would look back and say..

"Man this is too powerful...I should have gotten the 260"...


LarryQ

RPL 350! ;D
And if it's ever to powerful ship it over to me, okay?

Id go for the RPL simple for the 12 months standard warranty id also buy the extra 6 if i was you.

while personally i'm saving for an RPL and even if they were the same price that's still what i'd get, the hercules does apparently have the quite nice feature of being able to remove the battery compartment (making it's size about half) and running it off of an AC adapter. just thought that might be helpful to mention! though i would have thought that a laser of the same power with a bigger beam would be visually dimmer, due to the energy being spread over a larger area?