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Well, here it is.
I had suggested a price range, a few basics for what I was wanting to buy and actually left the decision up to the forum. After a little discussion and clarification of my needs, the forum suggested getting a Viasho laser. I connected with Frank via email, and here is the review of the laser itself.
Firstly, I have to give a HUGE thanks to Frank - he was the whole reason I'm super happy about getting this laser. His communication was superb, responses very fast, and wow - the shipping? It took 3 days from China and actually arrived here a day sooner than we both thought it would.
Incredible.
So anyway - I'll put a review for the company in the appropriate section shortly. In the meantime, LASER TIME!!!
Shipping : amazing. I had to pay $8.05 when it got here for processing/handling fees, not a big deal really. For getting it in 3 days from China when I'm used to waiting like 3 weeks... It's a joke really. I honestly couldn't be more pleased with how fast the shipping was. Kudos to DHL, and to Frank for using them.
Packaging: it was quite well packaged with bubble wrap, air "pillows" and it was in a decent box that made it here just fine.
The laser itself:
The overall build quality is fantastic. There are some very very minor wear marks along the edges but it looks like it would have been a case where the host was kept in a box with a bunch of other hosts. Not a big deal to me - I'm not picky; I'm a utilitarian in that the looks don't matter to me as much as how it works. If it works well, then I'm pleased.
The only complaint I have right now is the divergence. This laser I will actually take the time out to figure out what the divergence is because I fear it's abnormally high compared to my Sky-Lasers laser. (Which in retrospect, could be abnormally low lol)
As per normal for my reviews, it's picture time
Here's the packaging - the box looks a little beat up, but I don't mind as long as the laser is protected. Yes, I removed all the personal information - now it looks like a package from the CIA! lol
Shot from the bottom.
Some pillowy action.
Ooohhhh! TOYS!
So I didn't realize that anything more than just the laser was coming, so I was a little surprised to say the least.
What is all this stuff?
Awesome - another charger. Now, mind you I have like... 7 chargers for the 18650's, but I actually DIDN'T have any chargers for the little rechargeable CR123A's which... I had been shopping for so this comes at a PERFECT time. (Before I spend money on yet another charger)
I had to make sure that the charger actually was compatible, but it shows on the back which batteries work with this charger. It actually... doesn't look too cheap either! It's not a high-quality brand name, but it works, and doesn't seem flimsy/junk worthy.
Here's the cable, seems Okay. Actually wait... what's this?
The base is pulling away from the adapter itself. Doesn't look too bad though. I did manage to charge my CR123A with it though, and it charged just fine.
Just another shot of where the adapter plugs in.
Ohhh - helps if I can unlock it to turn it on right? The keys are generic keys, and are not actual keys - any of these style "hole" keys will work.
Yes - instructions. The English isn't perfect, but definitely much better than I HAVE seen in the past. These directions are actually readable and I don't have to re-read to understand what they were trying to say.
Bubble-wrap is fun... green lasers are even more fun! Time to crack this open a little bit here...
ASD Bag - nice. I needed one of these...
There we go - first experience. It looks nice - quite solid and pretty heavy too. Looks well put together, and overall just feels like a solid piece of equipment.
Here's a direct size comparison to the Sky-lasers I own. The actual dimensions are:
8.5" wide by 1.5" high by 1.5" long.
This was just the inside of the laser. I wanted to see how they implemented the spring, because I've heard of some people that had issues with the spring falling off.
The only part that actually *IS* a problem is the fact that the battery tube is offset. I'll explain in a bit, but basically when you look at the head of the back part, it's centered to touch the actual center of the battery... if the battery were mounted in the very middle but it isn't.
See how the endcap contact terminal is centered? The battery itself isn't when in the laser, which causes an issue for certain cells, particularly the AW18650's, because they have a lip that is flush with the positive terminal.
Anyway, different cells seem to work just fine, it just takes some fiddling to make it work, that's all.
This is the endcap with my sexy leg. Oohhhh sexy jean leg!
Whoever put this label on was clearly only using their remaining good eye. It's a touch crooked but I don't mind. I know it's dangerous lol
Business end - Shutter closed.
Business end - Shutter opened.
So the shutter assembly does come off, to allow you to see the focusing lens. You can see that it's pretty glued up, in that it looks like the aluminum brace is threaded so you can adjust the focus... but then it's epoxied in place so you can't. I really wanted to adjust this, however 2 things:
1 - I don't have epoxy to lock it back in place/I don't want to mess it up somehow.
2 - I don't want to mess with the warranty at all. I have 3 months if something goes wrong and while I don't think anything will... At the end of the 3 months if the divergence still bothers me, I might take the epoxy off and try and focus it a little better manually. Until then, I can deal with it.
I did email Frank and asked about the divergence - I'm really curious to know if the poor divergence is a function of the diode used, the crystals, or simply the focusing point. I have some lasers that stay little forever (My IQS lasers have the best divergence I've seen with the exception of my Sky-lasers laser), where others (My boblasers's laser divergence sucks. Not bad, but not great)
I also asked about an IR filter. I didn't see anything when I was looking around the laser, and didn't remember seeing any in the documentation itself but I can only assume that with this level of quality, it should have an IR filter.
This is just showing that when you have a battery in, the light shows up green, but it's a different green than the laser color itself and is still very visible through my safety glasses (which is good). The LED then changes to red when the laser is active, to let you know that it's active.
The physical button is large, and there is a solid CLICK when you push it in. It's really nice because the other lasers I've owned have itty bitty buttons and you can turn them on accidentally pretty easily.
This one, you can't unless you depress the button quite a bit, but it's a rock-solid click and there's no driver board/movement whatsoever.
Bam! Laser! The first thing I did was LPM it - the next few pics are in succession of when I did my first LPM readings.
I don't have beamshots yet - it came in the daytime, and while you *CAN* see the beam in direct sunlight (Crazy, I know) I'm going to wait until it's dark to take some pics. My brother is coming over and we'll work together to get some nice shots
In the meantime I do have a couple of videos too.
Lighting a match after doing a laser reading
WARNING!!!!!!
At 2:45, I blow out the match but didn't realize that the mic was on the BACK of the camera instead of the front, which means it's loud because I talk quietly through the video.
Please be aware you should turn down the volume if you don't want to be startled or blow your speakers. Or ears. Or worse.
Melting a hole in my CD spindle
Doing another LPM reading over the period of about 2 minutes I think.
About the divergence.
I'm going to come back and edit this post once I calculate the divergence because I don't have the algorithm right with me, but the measurements seem pretty easy.
This isn't going to work with a camera but with the laser glasses it's easy to see the exact dot.
I traced it here:
The dot fits completely on the inside of that circle, and the actual diameter of the visible beam is <1.5mm, though the dot itself on the page is showing 5mm.
This is the same laser, at 915cm. Why 915? Well, I have a measuring stick that is 61cm. I thought it was 60, and hit 15 lengths, so thought it was 900cm or 9meters. Well, turns out it was 61cm long, making it 915cm away.
I know. I'm a genius. lol
Anyway, so here's what I put into the calculator:
At .1 meters, the beam's diameter is 5 millimeters.
At 9.15 meters, the beam's diameter is 20 millimeters.
When calculated, the divergence comes out to be: 1.65745 mRad
It's quite above the Beam Divergence (full angle, mRad) 1.2±0.2 listed online.
Hrmm... I don't know how to address this but it's good to know. I figure the lens is actually just not focused properly but I either A: won't find out for 3 months or B: will see what Frank says and possibly get another laser with better divergence.
Does this laser warm up?
Warm up: YES. After about 2 minutes it gets warm to the touch just below the heat sync, near the switch and LED. Not hot enough that I can't keep holding it, but more like... Imagine you were holding the case without it on for a few minutes - the warmth of your hand would warm it up that much.
What is the current draw from the laser?
I don't know - I've heard other models very similar to this one use 1.85A but I don't want to put in a multi-meter in fear of voiding the warranty.
How long does it take to get upto the 450-500mW range?
The 450-500mW range is within 30 seconds (depending on if the laser is cold or not). It's FAST getting upto measure, and stays there. It floats around and won't "flatline" until about the first 45 seconds, but once it warms up a little bit, it's as solid as a rock and doesn't have much movement after that.
How much did I pay?
550$ USD INCLUDING shipping to Canada. **WELL** Worth the money. (Despite the slightly higher divergence)
Please let me know what questions you all have about the review
I had suggested a price range, a few basics for what I was wanting to buy and actually left the decision up to the forum. After a little discussion and clarification of my needs, the forum suggested getting a Viasho laser. I connected with Frank via email, and here is the review of the laser itself.
Firstly, I have to give a HUGE thanks to Frank - he was the whole reason I'm super happy about getting this laser. His communication was superb, responses very fast, and wow - the shipping? It took 3 days from China and actually arrived here a day sooner than we both thought it would.
Incredible.
So anyway - I'll put a review for the company in the appropriate section shortly. In the meantime, LASER TIME!!!
Shipping : amazing. I had to pay $8.05 when it got here for processing/handling fees, not a big deal really. For getting it in 3 days from China when I'm used to waiting like 3 weeks... It's a joke really. I honestly couldn't be more pleased with how fast the shipping was. Kudos to DHL, and to Frank for using them.
Packaging: it was quite well packaged with bubble wrap, air "pillows" and it was in a decent box that made it here just fine.
The laser itself:
The overall build quality is fantastic. There are some very very minor wear marks along the edges but it looks like it would have been a case where the host was kept in a box with a bunch of other hosts. Not a big deal to me - I'm not picky; I'm a utilitarian in that the looks don't matter to me as much as how it works. If it works well, then I'm pleased.
The only complaint I have right now is the divergence. This laser I will actually take the time out to figure out what the divergence is because I fear it's abnormally high compared to my Sky-Lasers laser. (Which in retrospect, could be abnormally low lol)
As per normal for my reviews, it's picture time
Here's the packaging - the box looks a little beat up, but I don't mind as long as the laser is protected. Yes, I removed all the personal information - now it looks like a package from the CIA! lol
Shot from the bottom.
Some pillowy action.
Ooohhhh! TOYS!
So I didn't realize that anything more than just the laser was coming, so I was a little surprised to say the least.
What is all this stuff?
Awesome - another charger. Now, mind you I have like... 7 chargers for the 18650's, but I actually DIDN'T have any chargers for the little rechargeable CR123A's which... I had been shopping for so this comes at a PERFECT time. (Before I spend money on yet another charger)
I had to make sure that the charger actually was compatible, but it shows on the back which batteries work with this charger. It actually... doesn't look too cheap either! It's not a high-quality brand name, but it works, and doesn't seem flimsy/junk worthy.
Here's the cable, seems Okay. Actually wait... what's this?
The base is pulling away from the adapter itself. Doesn't look too bad though. I did manage to charge my CR123A with it though, and it charged just fine.
Just another shot of where the adapter plugs in.
Ohhh - helps if I can unlock it to turn it on right? The keys are generic keys, and are not actual keys - any of these style "hole" keys will work.
Yes - instructions. The English isn't perfect, but definitely much better than I HAVE seen in the past. These directions are actually readable and I don't have to re-read to understand what they were trying to say.
Bubble-wrap is fun... green lasers are even more fun! Time to crack this open a little bit here...
ASD Bag - nice. I needed one of these...
There we go - first experience. It looks nice - quite solid and pretty heavy too. Looks well put together, and overall just feels like a solid piece of equipment.
Here's a direct size comparison to the Sky-lasers I own. The actual dimensions are:
8.5" wide by 1.5" high by 1.5" long.
This was just the inside of the laser. I wanted to see how they implemented the spring, because I've heard of some people that had issues with the spring falling off.
The only part that actually *IS* a problem is the fact that the battery tube is offset. I'll explain in a bit, but basically when you look at the head of the back part, it's centered to touch the actual center of the battery... if the battery were mounted in the very middle but it isn't.
See how the endcap contact terminal is centered? The battery itself isn't when in the laser, which causes an issue for certain cells, particularly the AW18650's, because they have a lip that is flush with the positive terminal.
Anyway, different cells seem to work just fine, it just takes some fiddling to make it work, that's all.
This is the endcap with my sexy leg. Oohhhh sexy jean leg!
Whoever put this label on was clearly only using their remaining good eye. It's a touch crooked but I don't mind. I know it's dangerous lol
Business end - Shutter closed.
Business end - Shutter opened.
So the shutter assembly does come off, to allow you to see the focusing lens. You can see that it's pretty glued up, in that it looks like the aluminum brace is threaded so you can adjust the focus... but then it's epoxied in place so you can't. I really wanted to adjust this, however 2 things:
1 - I don't have epoxy to lock it back in place/I don't want to mess it up somehow.
2 - I don't want to mess with the warranty at all. I have 3 months if something goes wrong and while I don't think anything will... At the end of the 3 months if the divergence still bothers me, I might take the epoxy off and try and focus it a little better manually. Until then, I can deal with it.
I did email Frank and asked about the divergence - I'm really curious to know if the poor divergence is a function of the diode used, the crystals, or simply the focusing point. I have some lasers that stay little forever (My IQS lasers have the best divergence I've seen with the exception of my Sky-lasers laser), where others (My boblasers's laser divergence sucks. Not bad, but not great)
I also asked about an IR filter. I didn't see anything when I was looking around the laser, and didn't remember seeing any in the documentation itself but I can only assume that with this level of quality, it should have an IR filter.
This is just showing that when you have a battery in, the light shows up green, but it's a different green than the laser color itself and is still very visible through my safety glasses (which is good). The LED then changes to red when the laser is active, to let you know that it's active.
The physical button is large, and there is a solid CLICK when you push it in. It's really nice because the other lasers I've owned have itty bitty buttons and you can turn them on accidentally pretty easily.
This one, you can't unless you depress the button quite a bit, but it's a rock-solid click and there's no driver board/movement whatsoever.
Bam! Laser! The first thing I did was LPM it - the next few pics are in succession of when I did my first LPM readings.
I don't have beamshots yet - it came in the daytime, and while you *CAN* see the beam in direct sunlight (Crazy, I know) I'm going to wait until it's dark to take some pics. My brother is coming over and we'll work together to get some nice shots
In the meantime I do have a couple of videos too.
Lighting a match after doing a laser reading
WARNING!!!!!!
At 2:45, I blow out the match but didn't realize that the mic was on the BACK of the camera instead of the front, which means it's loud because I talk quietly through the video.
Please be aware you should turn down the volume if you don't want to be startled or blow your speakers. Or ears. Or worse.
Melting a hole in my CD spindle
Doing another LPM reading over the period of about 2 minutes I think.
About the divergence.
I'm going to come back and edit this post once I calculate the divergence because I don't have the algorithm right with me, but the measurements seem pretty easy.
This isn't going to work with a camera but with the laser glasses it's easy to see the exact dot.
I traced it here:
The dot fits completely on the inside of that circle, and the actual diameter of the visible beam is <1.5mm, though the dot itself on the page is showing 5mm.
This is the same laser, at 915cm. Why 915? Well, I have a measuring stick that is 61cm. I thought it was 60, and hit 15 lengths, so thought it was 900cm or 9meters. Well, turns out it was 61cm long, making it 915cm away.
I know. I'm a genius. lol
Anyway, so here's what I put into the calculator:
At .1 meters, the beam's diameter is 5 millimeters.
At 9.15 meters, the beam's diameter is 20 millimeters.
When calculated, the divergence comes out to be: 1.65745 mRad
It's quite above the Beam Divergence (full angle, mRad) 1.2±0.2 listed online.
Hrmm... I don't know how to address this but it's good to know. I figure the lens is actually just not focused properly but I either A: won't find out for 3 months or B: will see what Frank says and possibly get another laser with better divergence.
Does this laser warm up?
Warm up: YES. After about 2 minutes it gets warm to the touch just below the heat sync, near the switch and LED. Not hot enough that I can't keep holding it, but more like... Imagine you were holding the case without it on for a few minutes - the warmth of your hand would warm it up that much.
What is the current draw from the laser?
I don't know - I've heard other models very similar to this one use 1.85A but I don't want to put in a multi-meter in fear of voiding the warranty.
How long does it take to get upto the 450-500mW range?
The 450-500mW range is within 30 seconds (depending on if the laser is cold or not). It's FAST getting upto measure, and stays there. It floats around and won't "flatline" until about the first 45 seconds, but once it warms up a little bit, it's as solid as a rock and doesn't have much movement after that.
How much did I pay?
550$ USD INCLUDING shipping to Canada. **WELL** Worth the money. (Despite the slightly higher divergence)
Please let me know what questions you all have about the review
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