Focus or not focus

That´s the question

I guess it seems to be kinda stupid for you guys, But I am now to high powered lasers, and I don´t know what do I need and what to think about it.

I´m preparing to buy some Green high powered laser from Rayfoss.
Deciding between these two:
www.rayfoss.com
www.rayfoss.com

The first one is weaker, it´s equipped with focus lens, while the second one is stronger without focus lens. I´d like to have it for pointing, photography and burning. Faona just said me, I need no focus on such a strong beast.

The question to answer is - What more can I do with focusable one, when and where will focus take great advantage?

IMO, I'd get the un-focusable "BEAST" just for showing off how far & how bright you can get the GREEN BEAM to be / go. Then I'd buy one of the 'DILDA' style RED lasers from O-like, (200mW's) for burning & other such laser 'tricks'. The DILDA is only ~ $44.00, & come in 2 different host bodies, the Original, & the 'NEW' style. I have the ORIGINAL, changed battery types, & added a LARRYDFW HI-POWER LENS, (or you can use a Jayrob G-1 lens), & she'll really burn stuff GREAT. rob

Crashpc said:

That´s the question

I guess it seems to be kinda stupid for you guys, But I am now to high powered lasers, and I don´t know what do I need and what to think about it.

I´m preparing to buy some Green high powered laser from Rayfoss.
Deciding between these two:
www.rayfoss.com
www.rayfoss.com

The first one is weaker, it´s equipped with focus lens, while the second one is stronger without focus lens. I´d like to have it for pointing, photography and burning. Faona just said me, I need no focus on such a strong beast.

The question to answer is - What more can I do with focusable one, when and where will focus take great advantage?

Click to expand...

Well, first of all, laser does not have 'focus', and every laser is equiped with focus lens.

You are asking wether to get FOCUSABLE or ordinary one.

Well first, even a 100mW green laser will burn stuff, because their beam is very thin , usually 1 mm at aperture exit. Not like 5 mm on red and bluray lasers.

So, the 350mW green you selected, is FOCUSABLE, means you can change the focus.
When focused to a pinpoint, it's burn anything , and burn very good.

400mW one you also linked, is unfocusable, but at such power it does not need to be.
It will light matches well over 1 meter if true to specs.


Now here is another thing you should know.

You won't ever recieve a power stated, precisely in mW.
Sometimes you get up-to-spec (within 10% of advertised power), sometimes you get overspec (more power than advertised), sometimes if you are unlucky or just cheap, get underspec lasers. One guess what those are


If you would ask me to choose for you, I would definetly go with 350mW.
At such powers, 50mW is not visible difference, only measureable with LPM.
Second, it will burn better than 400mW if properly focused.

Third, KICKASS looks.
One of the best looking lasers I have seen so far. Really. Maybe even the very best.
No annoying LED, no safety pins of keys to be inserted near the switch to ruin the symmetry and esthetics of the thing, key is inserted in the back of tailcap.

I would so totally buy that one if I could. All the silver rims on heatsink and gold button makes me drool.

I think the beam will be awesome anyway. Especially against others friends “50mW china pen like lasers”. So I´m not interested in the nicest beam, but the same way about burning. I just don´t know.

The focusable lens would be cool for burning “harder to burn” or further objects I guess(i.e. 10ft).

The power – yes, I read this forum few weeks, and I understand electronics very well, so I know what you mean. You can see this “issues” all over known electronics (here opto-electronics). I saw some reviews here on Rayfoss, and they seems to be up to/on specs. If I get more power, I´ll be happy – maybe not, because I will not have a chance to feel the difference, and I still prefer lifetime before output power.
The Kickass looks – Yeee. It looks so nice, I see. Only what bothers me is shorter duty cycle time(on). It will be really difficult to decide which one.

Crashpc said:

I think the beam will be awesome anyway. Especially against others friends “50mW china pen like lasers”. So I´m not interested in the nicest beam, but the same way about burning. I just don´t know.

The focusable lens would be cool for burning “harder to burn” or further objects I guess(i.e. 10ft).

The power – yes, I read this forum few weeks, and I understand electronics very well, so I know what you mean. You can see this “issues” all over known electronics (here opto-electronics). I saw some reviews here on Rayfoss, and they seems to be up to/on specs. If I get more power, I´ll be happy – maybe not, because I will not have a chance to feel the difference, and I still prefer lifetime before output power.
The Kickass looks – Yeee. It looks so nice, I see. Only what bothers me is shorter duty cycle time(on). It will be really difficult to decide which one.

Click to expand...

You should also know that named on/off times are also HIGHLY inaccurate and does need to be respected with a stop watch in your other hand.

Shorter duty cycles are apsolute worst scenario = 40° Summer time without any kind of air movement or something similar.

When outside in -10° Winter time, raining coherent hell never stops.

BTW, noticed the heatsink on the thing?

Don't take such written instructions for granted.
Hell, current draw noted "650mA" in 300mW or more power lasers.
It'll draw well over 2 A.

So description is highly inaccurate either way.
Duty cycle also too strict, to prevent a lot of noobs taking noted stuff for granted and leaving the laser on 2 minutes straight in hot summer - and claiming the RMA afterwards.

The casing, and the heatsink. These are two different things. Ok, I´ll not look at duty cycle - anyway I don´t want to burn someting for hours. But as you talk to me, You just clear of every unique thing about each model, which could make me decide.
Only what lasted is a divergence and the looks. Non-focused laser will have better beam, and nicer casing will be just nicer Which to choose. Better beam or casing?

Crashpc said:

The casing, and the heatsink. These are two different things. Ok, I´ll not look at duty cycle - anyway I don´t want to burn someting for hours. But as you talk to me, You just clear of every unique thing about each model, which could make me decide.
Only what lasted is a divergence and the looks. Non-focused laser will have better beam, and nicer casing will be just nicer Which to choose. Better beam or casing?

Click to expand...

Who says you cannot have a good beam with focusable one?

I won't lie to you, I'd really like to see a review of that unit by you - because that is what I'd do in your position.

BTW, term "Host" is commonly used here, instead of "case".

When I get my FGB I'm making a review but it's the 200mW version though.

I want to put a focusable lens like the first laser linked onto a spartan 1w any1 know how to do that?