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Hi2all
Guess who's back with another review…
Fear not, I've decided to get on with "just the facts Mame, just the facts", this time 'round 
Intro
As I'm still a new kid on the block, I'm not going to pretend to know LikeitBright's entire history in the DIY-Laser community but the various "active" threads showcasing his work speak for themselves. First and foremost was his willingness to cater to the community with a form of "BYO" concept by allowing us to choose from a large variety of hosts - and then, building the appropriate heatsink / modules in BR & Red flavors.
Then came a popular Red combo, what I fondly refer to as his RomiReds (update thread) with one hell of a custom-machined Cu heatsink. Let's face it, I have yet to encounter someone who doesn't have a weakness for a Romisen host! Last but certainly not least, his latest venture into the 532nm arena (update thread)is exciting, to say the least
A red is a red is a…
I'll let you in on a secret; LikeitBright's not the only member to work with Romisen hosts. So why did I choose him? Well just look at any of the above threads. He has, to use his own words, "mad skillz". This will be immediately clear to anyone just after seeing any of his work. Communications-wise, I've come to the realization that he's a man of few words, choosing to be concise and "to the point". However, along with the limited written communication, he provides all his project-partners with actual imagery of their completed lasers and/or work-in-progress.
If this isn't a grand example of "actions speaking louder then words", I don't know what is!!!
Speaking of actions, turnaround time does play a roll. I know that this is a hobby for all of us here; no one needs a laser to survive and no one needs to build a laser to survive. None the less, when a builder states he can build it in x days, or when a builder says, shipping should take approx. y days, then one begins to plan for it, this new goody, etc. So LikeitBright said it would take a few days to build, after he gets the parts from Deal Extreme (DX). Well who here, hasn't had their experiences with DX, right? But this part of the timing equation is truly out of the builder's hands. Once LikeitBright received the parts, he had the laser built in a matter of days and it was shipped - from across a few oceans to the European continent - in five business days…!!! Now that's what I call great turnaround!
What's in the box?
First & foremost, what you will find is one damned fine laser! Actually, that's all you're going to find. On one hand, there are other members that provide a few "extras" along with their lasers, such as choice of dust- cover caps, an appropriate battery, sometimes even with a charger. Some even provide Laser warning labels on the side, a few even provide really exotic extras like a tripod!
Well, who doesn't like "accessories", right? But lest we ignore the really nice price. After seeing the quality that can be expected from LikeitBright, you then have to really admire the pricing point. Trust me, you will have a very hard time to find said quality at said price, so it has to be noted that this is no small feat!
And let's be honest; most of us here @LPF already have a nice collection of rechargeable and chargers, not to mention a pack of GITD clicky-covers, rare-earth magnets and so forth. And even if you don't, is just a question of approx. two weeks and a $10-$20 transaction with DX. As for my own personal taste, I would have liked the option of warning label (even at extra charge), seeing as this is something that's a little harder to come by.
What's in the host?
A whole lot of copper, for one thing! If you own a Romisen flashlight (of the same size), pick up both in each hand and you will be impressed at the added weight. And besides looking original (and damned good, if I may add), Cu can "transfer" heat quicker than Al. On the other hand, Cu tends to retain said heat longer than Al. That's why a popular PC cooling solutions provider, Zalman, came up with a combined Cu-Al heatsink for CPUs. The idea being that the Cu base would draw the heat away from the CPU more efficiently, and it's Al "fins" would allow better transfer of the heat to the surrounding air. Well, guess what… the Romisen host is 100% Al…!
The next thing you will immediately notice is that he uses a sealed-module concept. I'm not particularly well-versed in the open vs. closed module schools of theory, but common sense tells me that the stuff inside is better protected from dust and the possibility of battery leakage maybe corroding the components on the driver circuitry. Also interesting to note is that the drivers themselves can generate quite a bit of heat, so this would suggest that the Cu heatsink-module also serves to transfer the driver's heat as well as the diode's.
Finally, the goodies inside the sealed module consists of a Long die open can 20x diode harvested from an LPC sled (not that I know what an LPC sled is…). I'm not certain how many different types of DVD diodes exist, but this will be the second type that I own, the first, a long closed can diode coming from a 6x BluRay sled (yes, apparently these optical drives have both a BR and Red diode in order to burn BluRay discs and DVDs). Secondly, the driver is none other than Dr.Lava's Flexdrive, v3+.
As if that wasn't enough goodness for a measly $140 (at the time of writing), LikeitBright includes an AixiZ AR-coated glass lens, optimized for 640-660nm wavelengths! Besides glass' general benefits, it allows more light-transmission than the standard acrylic lenses and this equates to power and longevity. The added power will be clear to all; the reason I suggest longevity is that it is a known fact that any internal reflection of the diode's light can, in turn, diminish the diode's lifespan… .
Conclusion
Just like LikeitBright, I will conclude this review with few words, but an abundance of imagery! I can and indeed, do recommend LikeitBright's lasers and I consider myself honored to own one of his RomiReds!
Guess who's back with another review…
Fear not, I've decided to get on with "just the facts Mame, just the facts", this time 'round Intro
As I'm still a new kid on the block, I'm not going to pretend to know LikeitBright's entire history in the DIY-Laser community but the various "active" threads showcasing his work speak for themselves. First and foremost was his willingness to cater to the community with a form of "BYO" concept by allowing us to choose from a large variety of hosts - and then, building the appropriate heatsink / modules in BR & Red flavors.
Then came a popular Red combo, what I fondly refer to as his RomiReds (update thread) with one hell of a custom-machined Cu heatsink. Let's face it, I have yet to encounter someone who doesn't have a weakness for a Romisen host! Last but certainly not least, his latest venture into the 532nm arena (update thread)is exciting, to say the least
A red is a red is a…
I'll let you in on a secret; LikeitBright's not the only member to work with Romisen hosts. So why did I choose him? Well just look at any of the above threads. He has, to use his own words, "mad skillz". This will be immediately clear to anyone just after seeing any of his work. Communications-wise, I've come to the realization that he's a man of few words, choosing to be concise and "to the point". However, along with the limited written communication, he provides all his project-partners with actual imagery of their completed lasers and/or work-in-progress.
If this isn't a grand example of "actions speaking louder then words", I don't know what is!!!
Speaking of actions, turnaround time does play a roll. I know that this is a hobby for all of us here; no one needs a laser to survive and no one needs to build a laser to survive. None the less, when a builder states he can build it in x days, or when a builder says, shipping should take approx. y days, then one begins to plan for it, this new goody, etc. So LikeitBright said it would take a few days to build, after he gets the parts from Deal Extreme (DX). Well who here, hasn't had their experiences with DX, right? But this part of the timing equation is truly out of the builder's hands. Once LikeitBright received the parts, he had the laser built in a matter of days and it was shipped - from across a few oceans to the European continent - in five business days…!!! Now that's what I call great turnaround!
What's in the box?
First & foremost, what you will find is one damned fine laser! Actually, that's all you're going to find. On one hand, there are other members that provide a few "extras" along with their lasers, such as choice of dust- cover caps, an appropriate battery, sometimes even with a charger. Some even provide Laser warning labels on the side, a few even provide really exotic extras like a tripod!
Well, who doesn't like "accessories", right? But lest we ignore the really nice price. After seeing the quality that can be expected from LikeitBright, you then have to really admire the pricing point. Trust me, you will have a very hard time to find said quality at said price, so it has to be noted that this is no small feat!
And let's be honest; most of us here @LPF already have a nice collection of rechargeable and chargers, not to mention a pack of GITD clicky-covers, rare-earth magnets and so forth. And even if you don't, is just a question of approx. two weeks and a $10-$20 transaction with DX. As for my own personal taste, I would have liked the option of warning label (even at extra charge), seeing as this is something that's a little harder to come by.
What's in the host?
A whole lot of copper, for one thing! If you own a Romisen flashlight (of the same size), pick up both in each hand and you will be impressed at the added weight. And besides looking original (and damned good, if I may add), Cu can "transfer" heat quicker than Al. On the other hand, Cu tends to retain said heat longer than Al. That's why a popular PC cooling solutions provider, Zalman, came up with a combined Cu-Al heatsink for CPUs. The idea being that the Cu base would draw the heat away from the CPU more efficiently, and it's Al "fins" would allow better transfer of the heat to the surrounding air. Well, guess what… the Romisen host is 100% Al…!
The next thing you will immediately notice is that he uses a sealed-module concept. I'm not particularly well-versed in the open vs. closed module schools of theory, but common sense tells me that the stuff inside is better protected from dust and the possibility of battery leakage maybe corroding the components on the driver circuitry. Also interesting to note is that the drivers themselves can generate quite a bit of heat, so this would suggest that the Cu heatsink-module also serves to transfer the driver's heat as well as the diode's.
Finally, the goodies inside the sealed module consists of a Long die open can 20x diode harvested from an LPC sled (not that I know what an LPC sled is…
). I'm not certain how many different types of DVD diodes exist, but this will be the second type that I own, the first, a long closed can diode coming from a 6x BluRay sled (yes, apparently these optical drives have both a BR and Red diode in order to burn BluRay discs and DVDs). Secondly, the driver is none other than Dr.Lava's Flexdrive, v3+.As if that wasn't enough goodness for a measly $140 (at the time of writing), LikeitBright includes an AixiZ AR-coated glass lens, optimized for 640-660nm wavelengths! Besides glass' general benefits, it allows more light-transmission than the standard acrylic lenses and this equates to power and longevity. The added power will be clear to all; the reason I suggest longevity is that it is a known fact that any internal reflection of the diode's light can, in turn, diminish the diode's lifespan… .
Conclusion
Just like LikeitBright, I will conclude this review with few words, but an abundance of imagery! I can and indeed, do recommend LikeitBright's lasers and I consider myself honored to own one of his RomiReds!
Blu' may be the new black, but red ain't dead!
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