Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W Review by Jaxz

I received my Spartan 1W on the 21st of December 2010. Here are some photos of the review:


Package unopened:



Package opened. Two bubble wraps as cushions:



The Spartan 1W wrapped in Bubble wrap on the ground. The other empty rolled from a square into the box. No other sort of cushions or anti-bumps noted. Just simply bubble bag:



Unwrap to see how well the product is protected #1:



Unwrap to see how well the product is protected #2:



Spartan 1W unwrapped from Bubble Wrap and taken out from Anti-static bag. Over all no blemishes, the black coating is perfect compared to y previous RMA'ed Spartan:



Peeling off the Sticker on the Cover Cap. Over all no blemishes notices on this current Spartan 1W. My previous RMA'ed Spartan has some spots of incomplete coating:



My Tenergy's 3.0v 750mAH with Charger:



Batteries fully charged:



The End-Cap of the Spartan 1W Laser dismount. The End-cap feels very tight when unscrew initially. Subsequent screwing and unscrewing of Tail-cap, the screwing smoothen. Very happy with this Spartan compared to the previous RMA'ed Spartan. This one feels like it is freshly baked from the oven.:



Photograph of the end-clicky, works fine. Compared to the previous RMA'ed Spartan, the Rubber Switch of the End-cap seems mis aligned and slanted. Presently, this Rubber Switch of the End-cap I have is very straight. I am very happy with this End-cap.:



Setting up my Nospin Thermopile LPM at 50mm distance from aperure of the Spartan 1W to the sensor of the thermopile:



Ready to measure:




The output power of my RMA'ed Spartan 1W peak at 1 Watts for more than 2 minutes. Then it dropped to 0.9 Watts before the 3rd minute. Frank at Dragon Lasers don't recommend to switch on the laser for more than 5mins. At the end of the 5 minutes run, lowest output power measured is about 0.95 Watts.

Temperature of the exterior host of the Spartan 1W after a 5mins run is roughly about 40 degrees celsius. I use an IR thermometer I got from Dealextreme to measure. I am currently staying in Singapore, so the room temperature is about 29 degrees celsius.

Feels warm to touch, but not scalding hot. Looks like it is heat-sinking well. Diode should last.


Here is the screenshot of the whole video recording showing the approximate peak of the Spartan 1W:



Here is the link to the video of the whole measurement process:
YouTube - Dragon Laser Spartan 1W review by nospin's thermopile LP






Beam Shots:














Spartan 1W during 1pm in the afternoon sun:







Over all I am very happy with my product. Kudos to Dragon Lasers.

Feel free to comment. All inputs are welcome, thanks for looking.

Re: Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W (RMA'ed) Review by Jaxz

Nice review.

Good to see its power being measured.

How do you rate that nospin LPM?

I'm seriously looking at getting one if they're still available.

Re: Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W (RMA'ed) Review by Jaxz

Thanks.

Review for nospin LPM:

1) Ease of use: 5 out of 5.
2) Size: Small and compact. 5 out of 5.
3) Portability: No function of using batteries internally. Externally, yes, but it becomes a separate module out of the box. 3.5 out of 5.
4) Reliability in readings: Using Real thermopiles instead of TEC cooled sensors. 5 out of 5.
5) Design: I love simple design 4.5 out of 5.
6) Functions: Provides basic function of reading. No zero'ing capabilities. No Data-logging capabilities, but what amenities comes with a prices, so compared to costing, it is only fair for it's given capabilities. 4 out of 5.
7) Service: So far so good. Communication is clear and always respond. 5 out of 5.
8) Delivery: Not too fast, not too slow either for shipment that cost US$45. No tracking given. But comes in a wrapped box with lots of cushion peanuts. Very well protected. 4 out of 5.
9) Surface blemishes: Some slight rusting of the fasteners are noticed. But not crucial anyway. Very satisfied with the product. A branded Thermopile LPM cost thousands of dollars. 4.5 out of 5.



Over all 4.5 out of 5. Over all very satisfied with the product.
I would recommend it for the price of US$285 + shipping

Re: Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W (RMA'ed) Review by Jaxz

Why is it "RMA'ed". Did you have to send it back because the first one you got was defective? I recently sent mine back because of a multitude of problems that i was having with it (lowered power, "flashing" before warms up, batteries not making a connection by themselves...)

Re: Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W (RMA'ed) Review by Jaxz

Great to see the one you have now is working so well!

Re: Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W (RMA'ed) Review by Jaxz

SpaceCase said:

Why is it "RMA'ed". Did you have to send it back because the first one you got was defective? I recently sent mine back because of a multitude of problems that i was having with it (lowered power, "flashing" before warms up, batteries not making a connection by themselves...)

Click to expand...

He previously posted about it apparently being faulty, and how DL were just another bad Chinese firm, but it then turned out there was nothing wrong with it, and the problem was with batteries.

Were your problems also battery related?

By the way Jaxz, as your previous experience with this laser led to you concluding it wasn't faulty, and simply down to battery usage, then it seems a bit misleading to have the reference to it being "RMA'd" as that suggests it was faulty when it wasn't.

Just a suggestion for the sake of accuracy

Mine seems bulletproof, and of the very few accounts of apparently bad ones, I've not read a single reliable account that didn't end up being user error, or misunderstanding.

Re: Dragon Lasers Spartan 1W (RMA'ed) Review by Jaxz

edited

Enjoyed the detailed explaination of the unwrapping!

madog said:

Enjoyed the detailed explaination of the unwrapping!

Click to expand...

Yea, me too. If I got a Spartan I would be so lost as what to do after unwrapping step #1, luckily he added step #2

millirad said:

Great to see the one you have now is working so well!

Click to expand...

Thanks bro. (;

bbshamsa said:

He previously posted about it apparently being faulty, and how DL were just another bad Chinese firm, but it then turned out there was nothing wrong with it, and the problem was with batteries.

Were your problems also battery related?

By the way Jaxz, as your previous experience with this laser led to you concluding it wasn't faulty, and simply down to battery usage, then it seems a bit misleading to have the reference to it being "RMA'd" as that suggests it was faulty when it wasn't.

Just a suggestion for the sake of accuracy

Mine seems bulletproof, and of the very few accounts of apparently bad ones, I've not read a single reliable account that didn't end up being user error, or misunderstanding.

Click to expand...

Thanks for helping to explain.

Also noted with thanks, title amended.

@SpaceCase, the problem encountered with my previous Spartan 1W is because of my lack of knowledge of how Lithium-Ion battery works. I only have one full charge and proceed to use it and expect it to last, and when it didn't, I RMA'ed my laser. It was reported it is working fine when it arrives and the personnel at Dragon Lasers tested it. As explained by Dragon Lasers, I need to wait until and charge/discharge my batteries at least 4-5 times on my Tenergy's before my Spartan will operate at full capacity. Right now my Batteries is only at 2nd charge, I still won't know if 1.08W is the best capacity of my Spartan can output. Though the current Spartan is at 1.08W Peak as compared to my previous Spartan which peak at 1.2W, I'm already happy because my Spartan is as advertise, is outputting at least 1 Watt of power. I made a decision to purchase a product as advertise so I have no complaints even if the output power is lesser as compared to my previous Spartan 1W.

madog said:

Enjoyed the detailed explaination of the unwrapping!

Click to expand...

weidmark said:

Yea, me too. If I got a Spartan I would be so lost as what to do after unwrapping step #1, luckily he added step #2

Click to expand...

Thanks for comments. I am not good in English. Wordings amended. Please check.

Hey does it come with the batteries and charger?

xxalexxx25 said:

Hey does it come with the batteries and charger?

Click to expand...

nope sorry to say, it doesn't come with batteries or charger. You got to buy them from another source.

Jaxz said:

Thanks bro. (;



Thanks for helping to explain.

Also noted with thanks, title amended.

@SpaceCase, the problem encountered with my previous Spartan 1W is because of my lack of knowledge of how Lithium-Ion battery works. I only have one full charge and proceed to use it and expect it to last, and when it didn't, I RMA'ed my laser. It was reported it is working fine when it arrives and the personnel at Dragon Lasers tested it. As explained by Dragon Lasers, I need to wait until and charge/discharge my batteries at least 4-5 times on my Tenergy's before my Spartan will operate at full capacity. Right now my Batteries is only at 2nd charge, I still won't know if 1.08W is the best capacity of my Spartan can output. Though the current Spartan is at 1.08W Peak as compared to my previous Spartan which peak at 1.2W, I'm already happy because my Spartan is as advertise, is outputting at least 1 Watt of power. I made a decision to purchase a product as advertise so I have no complaints even if the output power is lesser as compared to my previous Spartan 1W.



Thanks for comments. I am not good in English. Wordings amended. Please check.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I didn't understand.

Did DL replace your Spartan or didn't they? From your description it sounds like they did replace your Spartan but you saying it was batteries problem doesn't make sense with it. If it were a batteries problem, why did they replace your Spartan?

Please explain.

snoutke said:

Sorry, but I didn't understand.

Did DL replace your Spartan or didn't they? From your description it sounds like they did replace your Spartan but you saying it was batteries problem doesn't make sense with it. If it were a batteries problem, why did they replace your Spartan?

Please explain.

Click to expand...

Then you must ask them for their rationale. They say it is thier policy to replace all laser unit return to them with new ones. I did offer to tell them to return with the same unit but they said I will get a new one so I didn't insist. My original unit reach 1.2w peak. My current one only has 1w peak.