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Hello everyone,
In this review I am reviewing Kenom's Kryton Aluminium Laser Barrels.
For you good people who are in a hurry, let me give you a pros and cons list:
Pros:
The Packaging
Okay, after the MONTHS that it took to get these things made, I was greeted by a sturdy cardboard box on my front door. Realising what this was, I grabbed it and tore up to my workshop(bedroom). I then ripped the box open - or at least tried to, but these were so well-packed that I needed a knife to break into the thing. Once I broke in to the box, I found two foam-wrapped kryton laser barrels (one with an open can diode press fitted in as per my request) and all their related gubbins.
The Looks
These things look awesome. No question. I opted for the "Polished clear" finish and with the sillicon inserts it looks fantastic.
The Installation/Set-Up
The installation/set-up of the Kryton was dead easy. I chose the ultra high quality lavadrives as my driver option and it was as simple as soldering the driver on, adding the battery spring, shorting the - or the diode to the case and adjusting the pot. The only tricky bit I had with my Kryton is the battery spring as it shorted out against the side, and also got hooked onto the battery, but with a bit of creativity I solved all those problems. I also had to assemble the switch but thanks to Kenom's instructional videos it was a piece of cake.
The Quality/Feel
These things feel really, really good, with the battery in they feel nice and heavy but not to the point that it weighs you down. The threads are cut very nicely and with a drop of oil are really smooth. With the anodisation they are scratch resistant too. The lenscaps are a bit iffy as they have a tendency to snap off but I am careful. The lenscaps also go down too far but I have modded mine not to be the case. The other iffy component is......
The Switch *shudder*
The switches feel good, and the parts that Kenom did, i.e. the machining and retaining parts are fine. The switches themselves in operation suck. Badly. They fail really quickly. I have done my own mod to swap it with a keyswitch - this works like a charm and is safer. I recommend others do the same.
The Performance
I think I have a freak good diode but with an open can I am getting a power of 355mW (current unkown, Aixiz glass lens) and it is relatively stable thanks to the super cooling of the Krytons. The battery life is good and the lenses are fine (although I will be getting a spring for my lens like the Aixiz to reduce lens rattle. Also, if anyone has a spring from an aixiz module spare I would be happy to pay postage for one).
The customer service
This is a hugely important factor for me. Kenom is a fantastic seller and has not only helped me with my Krytons, but has helped me with questions about lasers even before I was one of his customers. He is one of this forum's best in my opinion.
Conclusion
These are the Rolls-Royce of laser barrels in my opinion. For anyone serious about building a powerful diode laser that has not only fantastic performance but also looks, this is the only way to go. I can't praise these highly enough.
I give this a 100% rating as these are simply brilliant.
Good job, Ken.
In this review I am reviewing Kenom's Kryton Aluminium Laser Barrels.
For you good people who are in a hurry, let me give you a pros and cons list:
Pros:
- Superb quality
- Excellent customer support
- Great price
- Good cooling for laser diodes
- Uses 18650 cells
- Looks Fantastic.
- Included clicky switches are of poor quality as one arrived broken and one failed within one day of use - these are DX ones so it's not Kenom's direct fault, but I needed something to put in my cons section
The Packaging
Okay, after the MONTHS that it took to get these things made, I was greeted by a sturdy cardboard box on my front door. Realising what this was, I grabbed it and tore up to my workshop(bedroom). I then ripped the box open - or at least tried to, but these were so well-packed that I needed a knife to break into the thing. Once I broke in to the box, I found two foam-wrapped kryton laser barrels (one with an open can diode press fitted in as per my request) and all their related gubbins.
The Looks
These things look awesome. No question. I opted for the "Polished clear" finish and with the sillicon inserts it looks fantastic.
The Installation/Set-Up
The installation/set-up of the Kryton was dead easy. I chose the ultra high quality lavadrives as my driver option and it was as simple as soldering the driver on, adding the battery spring, shorting the - or the diode to the case and adjusting the pot. The only tricky bit I had with my Kryton is the battery spring as it shorted out against the side, and also got hooked onto the battery, but with a bit of creativity I solved all those problems. I also had to assemble the switch but thanks to Kenom's instructional videos it was a piece of cake.
The Quality/Feel
These things feel really, really good, with the battery in they feel nice and heavy but not to the point that it weighs you down. The threads are cut very nicely and with a drop of oil are really smooth. With the anodisation they are scratch resistant too. The lenscaps are a bit iffy as they have a tendency to snap off but I am careful. The lenscaps also go down too far but I have modded mine not to be the case. The other iffy component is......
The Switch *shudder*
The switches feel good, and the parts that Kenom did, i.e. the machining and retaining parts are fine. The switches themselves in operation suck. Badly. They fail really quickly. I have done my own mod to swap it with a keyswitch - this works like a charm and is safer. I recommend others do the same.
The Performance
I think I have a freak good diode but with an open can I am getting a power of 355mW (current unkown, Aixiz glass lens) and it is relatively stable thanks to the super cooling of the Krytons. The battery life is good and the lenses are fine (although I will be getting a spring for my lens like the Aixiz to reduce lens rattle. Also, if anyone has a spring from an aixiz module spare I would be happy to pay postage for one).
The customer service
This is a hugely important factor for me. Kenom is a fantastic seller and has not only helped me with my Krytons, but has helped me with questions about lasers even before I was one of his customers. He is one of this forum's best in my opinion.
Conclusion
These are the Rolls-Royce of laser barrels in my opinion. For anyone serious about building a powerful diode laser that has not only fantastic performance but also looks, this is the only way to go. I can't praise these highly enough.
I give this a 100% rating as these are simply brilliant.
Good job, Ken.
