200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review - Laser Pointer Forums

styropyro · 05-02-2008, 02:48 AM

To start off, I really do like this laser. I am going to be picky and point out flaws, but this is a good laser and I do like it.

DealExtreme 200mW Red laser

The Basics
I really enjoy this laser. This is probably the best burner I own, It burns just as well as an open can metered at 211mW. I am sure it is near 200mW as it is noticeably brighter than a 16x burner laser diode running at 200mA. This laser feels like it is well built, it doesn't feel like it is going to fall apart when you set it on a table. The fact that it has an on/off tail cap clicky switch is a huge plus, this makes it super easy to just set down the laser and burn from across the room. Unlike what other people have said, the focusing lens is not loose, it is nice and sturdy. But the biggest advantage of this laser over other lasers is that is $53.80 shipped, this is 20% the price of WL's pulsar and it is near twice the power. To be honest, this thing beats many of the DIY lasers sold here for the same price!

Shipping/Packaging
Shipping for this laser took about three weeks, but it was free and I was expecting that so I'm not going to complain. But I am going to complain about the packaging, it sucked! For a trip from China to here, I was expecting decent packaging. It came in a paper envelope! Here is a picture of the packaging:

At least the laser was wrapped in bubble wrap though.

Don't worry, the laser turned out fine. There were no scratches on it or any physical blemishes.
Here is the laser, it doesn't look as bad as the DX pictures show it as:

One thing I found odd was that the warning sticker on the laser was the exact same sticker that is on some Aixiz modules. This gives me a theory that this laser could be manufactured by the same company that manufactures Aixiz modules!

Visibility
This thing is about as bright as my DX30 from up close. One thing to note is that this thing seems to be able to go much farther distances than my DX30, this might be due to the fact that you can dial down the divergence to pretty low. DX is totally BSing everybody on the fact that this thing has a visible beam in daytime though. The beam is pretty dim at night, it is noticeable but it is dimmer than a 5mW green. There is also a line through the dot, it is like that of many of our DIY lasers, but this is only noticeable when you set the laser down and walk up to the dot from 10 feet away.

Burning
Now for the reason why most people buy this thing: burning. This thing is a great burner! It lights white matches with a breeze, and I can light matches at 12 feet in just a few seconds, even when my hand isn't steady. At 15 feet it pops balloons near instantly. Sharpied/black matches light the INSTANT the dot is put on them if you focus the dot to a point. You can just wave a black match through the focused part of the beam and the match lights, I'm not even kidding. Electrical tape is like a joke to this thing, it cuts it like a knife. It even burns my white, pasty skin. At this power goggles are a must, I can't believe the power of this thing, and I only paid $54 for it! This thing would whip a weak Pulsar ANY day, and it is only a fifth of the price. Instead of paying $250 for 125mW of red from wicked, you could buy 1000mW of focusable red light from DX. I also enjoy engraving stuff into wood with this thing. Here are a few videos of the laser, the videos are around 8MB to 11MB a piece.

Lighting 3 matches near instantly

Lighting a WHITE match

Popping a a balloon at 15ft:

Lighting some Black powder

For all of those people who said this was going to be a "worldwide sigh of disappointment" you were proven wrong ;D

Video:

I RESCUED THIS FROM GOOGLE'S CACHE!! Google, I love you.

Murudai · 05-02-2008, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by styropyro

I RESCUED THIS FROM GOOGLE'S CACHE!! Google, I love you.

Wow, really?

Man, that would take up SO much hard drive space to do all this caching.

VillageIdiot · 05-02-2008, 11:31 AM

Man, I sooo want a Dilda right now. You're right, the DX pictures are unflattering.

styropyro · 05-02-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VillageIdiot

Man, I sooo want a Dilda right now. You're right, the DX pictures are unflattering.

Oh just buy one ;D Don't give me any crap about how you are tight on money now, you KNOW you want one ;D

Crossfire · 05-02-2008, 06:16 PM

I <3 my DX200 red. *I submitted a review of the laser on DX. *I'm waiting for it to be posted.

Now that I got rechargeable CR2's (thanks DX), I can bring the burning on anywhere! *

I have two sets so I've always got fresh batteries.

VI - Just get one. *$53.80 is dirt cheap.

Styro - You're still my hero. *

spyrorocks · 05-02-2008, 06:31 PM

I love the pictures of the laser on those instructions.... I broke out laughing when I saw them.

quadcam · 05-02-2008, 09:40 PM

I need one of these in the worst possible way.

VillageIdiot · 05-03-2008, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by styropyro

[quote author=VillageIdiot link=1209696536/0#2 date=1209727886]Man, I sooo want a Dilda right now. You're right, the DX pictures are unflattering.

Oh just buy one ;D Don't give me any crap about how you are tight on money now, you KNOW you want one ;D[/quote]

I didn't give you any crap lolz. But your point is perfectly valid *buys*

Murudai · 05-03-2008, 09:40 AM

Yay! The DX200 I ordered a week ago has just got shipped!

Just a few more weeks to go now ;D

VillageIdiot · 05-03-2008, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murudai

Just a few more months to go now ;D

fixed it for ya ;D

styropyro · 05-03-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VillageIdiot

[quote author=styropyro link=1209696536/0#3 date=1209733150][quote author=VillageIdiot link=1209696536/0#2 date=1209727886]Man, I sooo want a Dilda right now. You're right, the DX pictures are unflattering.

Oh just buy one ;D Don't give me any crap about how you are tight on money now, you KNOW you want one ;D[/quote]

I didn't give you any crap lolz. But your point is perfectly valid *buys*[/quote]
Well, that's what everybody's excuse is, so I was predicting something like that out of you. ;D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murudai

Yay! The DX200 I ordered a week ago has just got shipped!

Just a few more weeks to go now ;D

You should get it by the end of next week.

Murudai · 05-03-2008, 01:58 PM

Well, the last thing I ordered from DX took around 2 weeks to get here. So I'm expecting the same thing

But as usual, shipping is free, and you can't complain about free stuff

It'll be here when it is. (can't wait).

You know, this is funny really. I remember seeing this red laser a month ago before I started in my laser hobby. Saw it when I was looking for wireless network adapters. I remember thinking 'that thing has got to be a pile of junk' but the reviews for it are just so good. And now... I've bought one :-X

nikokapo · 05-04-2008, 02:32 AM

ordered one too!!
the sad thing, i didnt order rechargeable cr2's

styropyro · 05-04-2008, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikokapo

ordered one too!!
the sad thing, i didnt order rechargeable cr2's

So then make a another order for CR2s then ;D

Murudai · 05-04-2008, 03:10 AM

Heh, yeah. I ordered the batteries and the charger but forgot that American power plugs are different to Australian ones.... >_<

So I just ordered the adapter separately. I mean, shipping is free, so it makes no difference ;D (Plus, as a stroke of luck, some other things I ordered may need that adapter, and as it is shipping separately I don't have to wait for the laser to be ready to ship. So in the end, I win!)

fabifri · 05-04-2008, 08:50 PM

dear members,

i am new to this forum. i am from austria, and i just ordered one of these great buning laser pointers at dealextreme.
yesterday my green laserpointer from ebay arrived. it cost only 1€ + 24€ shipping - and so it is a cheap one. (for my first laserpointer)

at the moment i am learning much about lasers, to get into the whole topic. so i have now a so called "50mW"-Green-Laserpointer, which is probably at max 10mW output and the diode is also low quality. (i assume...)
for a 200mW-Laser, the DX is a great device for that price. i don't expect a high quality laser, but i think it's the right one to learn with.
i also ordered 4 rechargeable cr2-batteries and the cheap charger. the adaptor for europe i couldn't find on the website, but i hope the charger is capable of working with 230V, and so building an adaptor myself isn't difficult.

now i have to look for googles because i want to do my laser experiments safe and carefully. i also assume that my cheap green laser don't have an IR-Filter, which is also not good for the eyes.

thanks for your review and for all those beginner-threads.

regards
fabian

VillageIdiot · 05-04-2008, 11:54 PM

Yeah, you should probably pick up some goggles for your 200mW there. Also buy some matches or optics sets, or you'll get bored with it rather quickly. Welcome to the forum.

fabifri · 05-05-2008, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VillageIdiot

Yeah, you should probably pick up some goggles for your 200mW there. Also buy some matches or optics sets, or you'll get bored with it rather quickly. Welcome to the forum.

can i gat googles at an optician near me, or do i have to order some googles over the intenet? Which ones are recommended? Are there any special think i should look at.

And for sure i will get some optical stuff. with my green laser i only want to point around, and with the red one i'm going to light some matches and burn other things.

Thanks for you short answer. (probably this is not the correct thread to discuss about googles)

best regards
fabian

fabifri · 05-14-2008, 04:40 PM

sorry for the double-post. but i got my laser today.

i tried nearly everything - but i can't get the laser to burn anything. the laser cannot even burn a black electrical tape. i have focused it correctly, tried different distance - no burning power. after 10seconds of pointing at a match, it get warm, but that's it.

what am i doing wrong?

thanks for your help

fabifri · 05-14-2008, 04:59 PM

^^ overhasty post

managed it now, that the laser burns. what a great device!

lights the match even in under one second

SenKat_Stonetek · 05-15-2008, 04:29 AM

Excellent

If you are still looking for goggles, check out my shop

Make sure you toss out the batteries that came with it, if they are the "el-cheapo" alkalines...I had one get stuck in the battery tube of a DX 50mw greenie....back when they were over $100.00 each....uhm - suffice it to say that I did not want the battery to leak everywhere, so I destroyed the battery tube....looking back, awe crud...ANYWAY you look at it, that was pretty darn stupid of me ! Eh - I now have a 50mw green module to install in something cool sometime :P

Petrovski · 05-15-2008, 07:50 PM

This review is the main reason I ordered one too. Just checked the track&trace, status is shipped. Curious when the unit will arrive.

xJumper · 05-16-2008, 09:14 PM

The reason why I don't want is is because it looks like a freaking dildo, I usually don't take off the warning sticker but its an ugly sticker on that one so I would take it off, then some friends would come in one day and they would be like "WTF is that big black dildo shaped thing over their?, wait! It is a dildo, this guys gay!" so it would be better if it was flat tipped. Next, what kind of diode is it using, your standard 16x DVD burner thats been pushed to the limit or a good quality diode.

If its a good quality diode than I might buy.

daguin · 05-16-2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xJumper

The reason why I don't want is is because it looks like a freaking dildo, I usually don't take off the warning sticker but its an ugly sticker on that one so I would take it off, then some friends would come in one day and they would be like "WTF is that big black dildo shaped thing over their?, wait! It is a dildo, this guys gay!" so it would be better if it was flat tipped. Next, what kind of diode is it using, your standard 16x DVD burner thats been pushed to the limit or a good quality diode.

If its a good quality diode than I might buy.

thejunkmonger flattened the "nose" of his. It was solid aluminum. It is NOT part of a heatsink. It is just screwed onto the lens of the module. Buy it and then file, sand, lathe, saw the nose flat. The best of both worlds.

Peace,
dave

thejunkmonger · 05-16-2008, 09:22 PM

LMAO *;D *LOL

05-02-2008, 02:48 AM	#1
styropyro Class 3B Laser Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,368 Rep Power: 161	200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review To start off, I really do like this laser. I am going to be picky and point out flaws, but this is a good laser and I do like it. DealExtreme 200mW Red laser The Basics I really enjoy this laser. This is probably the best burner I own, It burns just as well as an open can metered at 211mW. I am sure it is near 200mW as it is noticeably brighter than a 16x burner laser diode running at 200mA. This laser feels like it is well built, it doesn't feel like it is going to fall apart when you set it on a table. The fact that it has an on/off tail cap clicky switch is a huge plus, this makes it super easy to just set down the laser and burn from across the room. Unlike what other people have said, the focusing lens is not loose, it is nice and sturdy. But the biggest advantage of this laser over other lasers is that is $53.80 shipped, this is 20% the price of WL's pulsar and it is near twice the power. To be honest, this thing beats many of the DIY lasers sold here for the same price! Shipping/Packaging Shipping for this laser took about three weeks, but it was free and I was expecting that so I'm not going to complain. But I am going to complain about the packaging, it sucked! For a trip from China to here, I was expecting decent packaging. It came in a paper envelope! Here is a picture of the packaging: At least the laser was wrapped in bubble wrap though. Don't worry, the laser turned out fine. There were no scratches on it or any physical blemishes. Here is the laser, it doesn't look as bad as the DX pictures show it as: One thing I found odd was that the warning sticker on the laser was the exact same sticker that is on some Aixiz modules. This gives me a theory that this laser could be manufactured by the same company that manufactures Aixiz modules! Visibility This thing is about as bright as my DX30 from up close. One thing to note is that this thing seems to be able to go much farther distances than my DX30, this might be due to the fact that you can dial down the divergence to pretty low. DX is totally BSing everybody on the fact that this thing has a visible beam in daytime though. The beam is pretty dim at night, it is noticeable but it is dimmer than a 5mW green. There is also a line through the dot, it is like that of many of our DIY lasers, but this is only noticeable when you set the laser down and walk up to the dot from 10 feet away. Burning Now for the reason why most people buy this thing: burning. This thing is a great burner! It lights white matches with a breeze, and I can light matches at 12 feet in just a few seconds, even when my hand isn't steady. At 15 feet it pops balloons near instantly. Sharpied/black matches light the INSTANT the dot is put on them if you focus the dot to a point. You can just wave a black match through the focused part of the beam and the match lights, I'm not even kidding. Electrical tape is like a joke to this thing, it cuts it like a knife. It even burns my white, pasty skin. At this power goggles are a must, I can't believe the power of this thing, and I only paid $54 for it! This thing would whip a weak Pulsar ANY day, and it is only a fifth of the price. Instead of paying $250 for 125mW of red from wicked, you could buy 1000mW of focusable red light from DX. I also enjoy engraving stuff into wood with this thing. Here are a few videos of the laser, the videos are around 8MB to 11MB a piece. Lighting 3 matches near instantly Lighting a WHITE match Popping a a balloon at 15ft: Lighting some Black powder For all of those people who said this was going to be a "worldwide sigh of disappointment" you were proven wrong ;D Video: I RESCUED THIS FROM GOOGLE'S CACHE!! Google, I love you. __________________ http://www.youtube.com/user/styropyro - My Youtube Channel, #1 Ranked "Laser" Channel on Youtube! I have tons of reviews, tutorials, and clips of lasers in action! styropyro.com - My laser website with all of my reviews/tutorials LPC-815 Sleds for $4.45! << Contains 300mW red laser diode, check out this GB! Last edited by styropyro; 02-01-2010 at 12:00 AM.

05-02-2008, 06:16 PM	#5
Crossfire Class 2 Laser Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Florida Posts: 306 Rep Power: 5	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review I <3 my DX200 red. I submitted a review of the laser on DX. I'm waiting for it to be posted. Now that I got rechargeable CR2's (thanks DX), I can bring the burning on anywhere! * I have two sets so I've always got fresh batteries. VI - Just get one. $53.80 is dirt cheap. Styro - You're still my hero.

05-02-2008, 06:31 PM	#6
spyrorocks Class 3R Laser Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,535 Rep Power: 110	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review I love the pictures of the laser on those instructions.... I broke out laughing when I saw them. __________________

05-03-2008, 09:40 AM	#9
Murudai Class 3R Laser Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 2,237 Rep Power: 62	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review Yay! The DX200 I ordered a week ago has just got shipped! Just a few more weeks to go now ;D

05-03-2008, 01:58 PM	#12
Murudai Class 3R Laser Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 2,237 Rep Power: 62	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review Well, the last thing I ordered from DX took around 2 weeks to get here. So I'm expecting the same thing But as usual, shipping is free, and you can't complain about free stuff It'll be here when it is. (can't wait). You know, this is funny really. I remember seeing this red laser a month ago before I started in my laser hobby. Saw it when I was looking for wireless network adapters. I remember thinking 'that thing has got to be a pile of junk' but the reviews for it are just so good. And now... I've bought one :-X

05-02-2008, 11:31 AM	#3
VillageIdiot Class 3R Laser Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,415 Rep Power: 76	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review Man, I sooo want a Dilda right now. You're right, the DX pictures are unflattering. __________________ The wild VillageIdiot is a land-dwelling mammal which is rarely seen these days. Some fear that the VillageIdiot is going extinct - others, think he's busy with other stuff. o_o

05-04-2008, 02:32 AM	#13
nikokapo Class 4 Laser Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Argentina Posts: 6,059 Rep Power: 238	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review ordered one too!! the sad thing, i didnt order rechargeable cr2's __________________ I like cereal. Review Compilation - All Reviews In One Thread! Diodes Compilation - All Diodes Data In One Thread! Driver Compilation - All Drivers Data In One Thread!

05-04-2008, 03:10 AM	#15
Murudai Class 3R Laser Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 2,237 Rep Power: 62	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review Heh, yeah. I ordered the batteries and the charger but forgot that American power plugs are different to Australian ones.... >_< So I just ordered the adapter separately. I mean, shipping is free, so it makes no difference ;D (Plus, as a stroke of luck, some other things I ordered may need that adapter, and as it is shipping separately I don't have to wait for the laser to be ready to ship. So in the end, I win!)

05-04-2008, 08:50 PM	#16
fabifri Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review dear members, i am new to this forum. i am from austria, and i just ordered one of these great buning laser pointers at dealextreme. yesterday my green laserpointer from ebay arrived. it cost only 1€ + 24€ shipping - and so it is a cheap one. (for my first laserpointer) at the moment i am learning much about lasers, to get into the whole topic. so i have now a so called "50mW"-Green-Laserpointer, which is probably at max 10mW output and the diode is also low quality. (i assume...) for a 200mW-Laser, the DX is a great device for that price. i don't expect a high quality laser, but i think it's the right one to learn with. i also ordered 4 rechargeable cr2-batteries and the cheap charger. the adaptor for europe i couldn't find on the website, but i hope the charger is capable of working with 230V, and so building an adaptor myself isn't difficult. now i have to look for googles because i want to do my laser experiments safe and carefully. i also assume that my cheap green laser don't have an IR-Filter, which is also not good for the eyes. thanks for your review and for all those beginner-threads. regards fabian

05-04-2008, 11:54 PM	#17
VillageIdiot Class 3R Laser Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,415 Rep Power: 76	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review Yeah, you should probably pick up some goggles for your 200mW there. Also buy some matches or optics sets, or you'll get bored with it rather quickly. Welcome to the forum. __________________ The wild VillageIdiot is a land-dwelling mammal which is rarely seen these days. Some fear that the VillageIdiot is going extinct - others, think he's busy with other stuff. o_o

05-14-2008, 04:40 PM	#19
fabifri Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review sorry for the double-post. but i got my laser today. i tried nearly everything - but i can't get the laser to burn anything. the laser cannot even burn a black electrical tape. i have focused it correctly, tried different distance - no burning power. after 10seconds of pointing at a match, it get warm, but that's it. what am i doing wrong? thanks for your help

05-14-2008, 04:59 PM	#20
fabifri Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review ^^ overhasty post managed it now, that the laser burns. what a great device! lights the match even in under one second

05-15-2008, 04:29 AM	#21
SenKat_Stonetek Class 4 Laser Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: San Antonio, TEXAS !!! Posts: 5,936 Rep Power: 29	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review Excellent If you are still looking for goggles, check out my shop Make sure you toss out the batteries that came with it, if they are the "el-cheapo" alkalines...I had one get stuck in the battery tube of a DX 50mw greenie....back when they were over $100.00 each....uhm - suffice it to say that I did not want the battery to leak everywhere, so I destroyed the battery tube....looking back, awe crud...ANYWAY you look at it, that was pretty darn stupid of me ! Eh - I now have a 50mw green module to install in something cool sometime :P __________________ StoneTek Electronics, Your Laser Parts Store

05-15-2008, 07:50 PM	#22
Petrovski Class 2 Laser Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 475 Rep Power: 4	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review This review is the main reason I ordered one too. Just checked the track&trace, status is shipped. Curious when the unit will arrive.

05-16-2008, 09:14 PM	#23
xJumper Class 1M Laser Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Rep Power: 3	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review The reason why I don't want is is because it looks like a freaking dildo, I usually don't take off the warning sticker but its an ugly sticker on that one so I would take it off, then some friends would come in one day and they would be like "WTF is that big black dildo shaped thing over their?, wait! It is a dildo, this guys gay!" so it would be better if it was flat tipped. Next, what kind of diode is it using, your standard 16x DVD burner thats been pushed to the limit or a good quality diode. If its a good quality diode than I might buy.

05-16-2008, 09:22 PM	#25
thejunkmonger Class 2M Laser Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 510 Rep Power: 5	Re: 200mW Red Pen Style from DX - Detailed Review LMAO ;D LOL

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