NOVA X105 Review (pictures & videos):

A few hours after E-mailing NOVA to ask why it was taking so long for my laser to get here (3 days) my laser arrived. I felt embarrassed and rude when I received it. Sorry NOVA...
Anyway...

I purchased the X105 without all the extras and TNT 1-2 day shipping.
My laser is rated at: 118.6mW (average) and 120.5mW (peak).
They gave me a free Matrix diffraction grating.

The divergence is good at about 1.0-1.1 mRad. It isn't as good as my 0.7mRad 5mW but it's close enough to make me happy.

The laser's beam is nearly perfectly aligned with the body, and I was excited to see that I can actually point the laser at an object and actually lase a solid green beam directly at (on, into, through the other side... hehe) the object; not 2 feet to the left or right of where the body is pointed.

The casing is much heavier than I anticipated and feels very solid. The weight is still not of any issue when it comes to portability. It is definitely light enough to carry in a pocket (which I wouldn't do without some kind of protection).

At night, the beam is extremely clear and solid. I didn't use it too much outside so as not to draw too much attention to myself. It is easily the brightest laser I have ever seen/ owned. I can see the dot on a building 150 meters away during the day.

The beam is very stable and is at full power from the moment I press the button. However, I notice when using a lens that after a couple seconds the mode changes from TEM00 to near TEM01. The beam does not split into 2 separate beams but instead, becomes more of an elliptical shape. I concluded that this is due to problems dissipating heat as the unit becomes warm after about 30 seconds of continuous use. I did not think this problem was enough to RMA as this slight mode change does not affect burning capabilities or brightness. It takes less than 30 seconds of continuous use to do most burning tricks (matches usually light in less than 5 seconds unaided at 30cm; wood, paper, plastic all smokes or burns instantly at more than 50cm; dark colored balloons pop instantly at greater than 2 meters; flies burn instantly, and so does my skin) I actually burned my skin while trying to tie a rubber band on my laser's button; "Ow, what's that?... OW!... oh..." I keep the duty cycle low (25 seconds max) due to thermal buildup. It is a very low duty cycle but theres no need for long use when you can burn a hole through electrical tape in a couple seconds.

During the day the beam is visible indoors and faintly when in direct sunlight outside. I absolutely love this laser. Every penny (including shipping) was worth it.

THANK YOU NOVA!

Pictures:

X105 (left) compared to ~3mW Galileo (center) and ~5mW red (right):


Beam shots at aperture:




Videos:

Compilation:

Great Specs!!!!!

Good Job on the review, pics and Vid!!!!!

LarryQ

So when using a lens you can run it about 30 seconds before it mode hops. What lens are you using? And how long will it run without a lens before it begins to mode hop? Also what is the ambient temperature when it does this? The reason I am asking is because it should not mode hop at all...at least mine doesn't but the longest I have had it on was a couple of minutes. If you can't run it for at least 90 seconds you might want to think about RMA'ing it while it is still under warranty in case the problem were to get worse.

The lens is just a convex lens. I used it to see if it mode hops, turns out it does. Ambient temperature is about 75'. But I'm not to worried about it. It does everything it is supposed to. I just got it and I don't want to send it back already. If it gets worse, I'll contact NOVA about it. The 30 second duty cycle isn't necessary, I just like to be extra careful and I don't need longer run times anyway. The warranty is 90 days so I still have 3 months if gets worse.

Sounds good...keep an eye on it. If it doesn't mode hop without the lens then it is good for sure. I do agree 30 seconds is long enough to do most anything. Keep in mind there is a warm up time for the laser. Mine reaches it's peak appx. after 10 seconds, will hold it, then drops off rapidly after appx. 90 seconds as the laser gets too warm.

Anyway, I'm glad you are happy with it...have fun..

haha nice video
covers all the bases

What kind of Batteries are you using????

Are they NEW??

Larry

I use E2 Lithiums for burning... and Energizer 900mAh NiMH batteries for just messing around. With the Lithiums it is visually brighter and burns everything. The rechargeable batteries still give it enough juice to burn but not nearly as quickly and it is slightly dimmer. All brand new.

I was nervous to use anything other than Alkaline batteries because it says the warranty will be voided if you use anything else... but I remember a post about someone asking about that and NOVA said it was fine to use Lithiums...???

Yes E2 lithiums are fine. I tested all three, lithiums..alkaline..and nimh in mine and the output was the same. I use Eneloop nimh batteries all the time.

They just say that so they don't get in trouble if you use some kind of freak battery or anything like that. How would they really know anyways? :
But great laser, nothing like a good CNI to burn everything with!

Where did you buy this, and how much did it cost? Can you post a direct link please.

Thanks

Many thanks!

-

Not sure if this has been noted before but Energizer E2 Lithium's have a no damage guarrantee

" We will repair or replace, at our opyion any device damaged by these Energizer batteries. Contact 1-800-383-7323 "

Printed on the back of every E2 lith pack

Just somthing to think about if you fry somthing with E2's

ON THE NOVA LASER LENS SET WHAT DO THEY MAKE LIEK PICS OR STUFF LIEK DG?

Do you mean the lenses or the diffraction gratings?
If you mean those:
I got the 'Matrix' one...
It basically splits the beam into patterns. You can use the cheap ones you get wit those $1 pointers too. They have pictures on their website. Theres a link in a post above this...