FuzzyPancake
Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2020
- Messages
- 48
- Points
- 18
Why Did I Buy This? (Foreword)
For reasons beyond my understanding, it’s surprisingly difficult to find a high quality <5mW direct diode red laser pointer vendor in the USA despite these lasers being relatively easy to sell (from a legal perspective) due to their class 3R safety classification.
I wanted something that looks unique and is built well that I can enjoy for a lifetime with care taken to keep it clean and dry. I planned to use it as a toy for my cat and general pointing pleasure.
While I would have preferred to purchase a laser from Amazon, Ebay, or other US based websites/sellers for reduced shipping costs, I found hardly anything of interest. AtlasNova out of Washington state had some good looking lasers pointers, but they didn’t provide enough documentation/technical specs for me to believe they really know (or at least care to tell you) what they are selling. This is a common and extremely frustrating problem with nearly all Amazon and Ebay sellers as well.
Then I discovered Canada’s Laserglow and the Taurus. It had everything I was looking for: rear toggle switch, 635nm direct diode, elegant form factor, adequate documentation, and at seemingly reasonable price. Furthermore, many LPF members appear to respect Laserglow as a seller.
What was in the Box?
Shipping Time
I ordered this on a Sunday night from Canada and received it three days later Wednesday morning in rural Ohio. That was with standard USPS ground ($12.50). I dealt with zero customs seizing nonsense you occasionally hear about.
Price
I paid $50 for the laser and $12.50 for the cheapest shipping option.
Craftsmanship
The black finish feels good to touch, and the tastefully added branding art doesn’t easily scratch off even with significant fingernail pressure. The threads for the tail cap rotate smoothly, but not exceptionally smoothly and I ended up cleaning and coating them in some mineral oil which did help, but it wasn’t really necessary
As shown in a picture below, the head cap screws off and exposes the driver and some of the diode. I’d imagine this is a big plus for those that like to mod or repurpose their devices. The threads for the head cap were kinda harsh/catchy/gritty feeling actually, but after a good cleaning with a q-tip and mineral oil this improved significantly.
The rubberized toggle switch requires a stern push and gives a satisfyingly audible and tactile click. I am picky about buttons, and Laserglow thankfully got this right.
I can shake the laser rigorously and there is no perceivable button or battery wobble whatsoever and its weight is distributed evenly. It feels good in the hand.
Performance/Specs
This is where things get a little hairy. As shown in the pictures below there is some odd stuff going on and it's disappointing. I didn’t do any color edits to the photos below - all that splash is what you can see with the naked eye - granted my crappy camera exaggerates it a bit. The crescent splashes at the very sides are not noticeable under normal use as they are emitted at a nearly 80 degree angle from the main output. Upon closer inspection, they seem to be caused by a design flaw of the lens housing, so I’d expect to see that no matter what.
There is a moderately distracting red spot next to the primary beam as shown in a picture below. In brightly lit rooms it’s barely noticeable, but in dark rooms it’s fairly distracting. More on that in the ‘Customer Service’ section.
Regarding the “exotic” 635nm color - it’s technically closer to orange than a more typical 650nm laser, but still close enough to red in my eyes that it honestly just looks like plain ol’ red without a reference 650nm pointer.
The laser supposedly has an unlimited duty duty cycle which I am inclined to believe as the output end doesn’t get warm even after minutes of on-time which is nice as it gives me more usage options.
I’ll just paste a screenshot of the rest of the laser’s specs with some of the less significant attributes. I will add that the sticker on the white sleeve that protected the nice black box containing the laser itself says this model has a “tested average power” of 4.20mW while they will ship this model at powers between 3mW and 5mW as read on the same label.
Can you see the beam?!
Sadly, no. Not in thin air. You’ll need a bit of fog or smoke. I could only see the beam after blowing a few clouds from my electronic cigarette as shown below.
Customer Service
I asked Laserglow via email what they thought about the distracting “extra dot” I was seeing. The CSR that got back to me, to my surprise, took the time to grab some other Taurus’s from their inventory to see if they have the same issue, sent me pictures of his findings, and they all had the same “extra dot”. He commented that “it is a result of the diode architecture for this particular diode”, and offered to give me a refund and or exchange at a 15% discount which I declined.
Final Thoughts
Was the laser worth $50 plus shipping? I think so. Maybe you could get a lower priced and similar quality 635nm <5mw pointer from Ebay or an LPF member, but considering that this is close to exactly what I wanted and that this has virtually zero competition (in the retail market), I think I got a fair deal.
I would strongly recommend Laserglow as a seller too based on my experience. They processed my order very quickly and their customer service was impressively competent. Their prices are high for class 3R lasers, but I am fairly certain their hosts are proprietary, so you will at least pay a high price for something you can't get elsewhere.
Pictures
Note the room was fogged in this picture
The pointer is about 2 feet off of the desk here. Notice the "extra dot" on the left.
While the brightness/bloom is pretty extreme, this is a closeup "extra dot". My camera was 1.5 feet from the dot, and the pointer was 8 feet from the wall.
For reasons beyond my understanding, it’s surprisingly difficult to find a high quality <5mW direct diode red laser pointer vendor in the USA despite these lasers being relatively easy to sell (from a legal perspective) due to their class 3R safety classification.
I wanted something that looks unique and is built well that I can enjoy for a lifetime with care taken to keep it clean and dry. I planned to use it as a toy for my cat and general pointing pleasure.
While I would have preferred to purchase a laser from Amazon, Ebay, or other US based websites/sellers for reduced shipping costs, I found hardly anything of interest. AtlasNova out of Washington state had some good looking lasers pointers, but they didn’t provide enough documentation/technical specs for me to believe they really know (or at least care to tell you) what they are selling. This is a common and extremely frustrating problem with nearly all Amazon and Ebay sellers as well.
Then I discovered Canada’s Laserglow and the Taurus. It had everything I was looking for: rear toggle switch, 635nm direct diode, elegant form factor, adequate documentation, and at seemingly reasonable price. Furthermore, many LPF members appear to respect Laserglow as a seller.
What was in the Box?
- The assembled laser
- One Lithium Panasonic CR123A
- A high quality but oddly large box with a cutout for the laser that is way longer than the actual laser (pictured below)
Shipping Time
I ordered this on a Sunday night from Canada and received it three days later Wednesday morning in rural Ohio. That was with standard USPS ground ($12.50). I dealt with zero customs seizing nonsense you occasionally hear about.
Price
I paid $50 for the laser and $12.50 for the cheapest shipping option.
Craftsmanship
The black finish feels good to touch, and the tastefully added branding art doesn’t easily scratch off even with significant fingernail pressure. The threads for the tail cap rotate smoothly, but not exceptionally smoothly and I ended up cleaning and coating them in some mineral oil which did help, but it wasn’t really necessary
As shown in a picture below, the head cap screws off and exposes the driver and some of the diode. I’d imagine this is a big plus for those that like to mod or repurpose their devices. The threads for the head cap were kinda harsh/catchy/gritty feeling actually, but after a good cleaning with a q-tip and mineral oil this improved significantly.
The rubberized toggle switch requires a stern push and gives a satisfyingly audible and tactile click. I am picky about buttons, and Laserglow thankfully got this right.
I can shake the laser rigorously and there is no perceivable button or battery wobble whatsoever and its weight is distributed evenly. It feels good in the hand.
Performance/Specs
This is where things get a little hairy. As shown in the pictures below there is some odd stuff going on and it's disappointing. I didn’t do any color edits to the photos below - all that splash is what you can see with the naked eye - granted my crappy camera exaggerates it a bit. The crescent splashes at the very sides are not noticeable under normal use as they are emitted at a nearly 80 degree angle from the main output. Upon closer inspection, they seem to be caused by a design flaw of the lens housing, so I’d expect to see that no matter what.
There is a moderately distracting red spot next to the primary beam as shown in a picture below. In brightly lit rooms it’s barely noticeable, but in dark rooms it’s fairly distracting. More on that in the ‘Customer Service’ section.
Regarding the “exotic” 635nm color - it’s technically closer to orange than a more typical 650nm laser, but still close enough to red in my eyes that it honestly just looks like plain ol’ red without a reference 650nm pointer.
The laser supposedly has an unlimited duty duty cycle which I am inclined to believe as the output end doesn’t get warm even after minutes of on-time which is nice as it gives me more usage options.
I’ll just paste a screenshot of the rest of the laser’s specs with some of the less significant attributes. I will add that the sticker on the white sleeve that protected the nice black box containing the laser itself says this model has a “tested average power” of 4.20mW while they will ship this model at powers between 3mW and 5mW as read on the same label.
Can you see the beam?!
Sadly, no. Not in thin air. You’ll need a bit of fog or smoke. I could only see the beam after blowing a few clouds from my electronic cigarette as shown below.
Customer Service
I asked Laserglow via email what they thought about the distracting “extra dot” I was seeing. The CSR that got back to me, to my surprise, took the time to grab some other Taurus’s from their inventory to see if they have the same issue, sent me pictures of his findings, and they all had the same “extra dot”. He commented that “it is a result of the diode architecture for this particular diode”, and offered to give me a refund and or exchange at a 15% discount which I declined.
Final Thoughts
Was the laser worth $50 plus shipping? I think so. Maybe you could get a lower priced and similar quality 635nm <5mw pointer from Ebay or an LPF member, but considering that this is close to exactly what I wanted and that this has virtually zero competition (in the retail market), I think I got a fair deal.
I would strongly recommend Laserglow as a seller too based on my experience. They processed my order very quickly and their customer service was impressively competent. Their prices are high for class 3R lasers, but I am fairly certain their hosts are proprietary, so you will at least pay a high price for something you can't get elsewhere.
Pictures
Note the room was fogged in this picture
The pointer is about 2 feet off of the desk here. Notice the "extra dot" on the left.
While the brightness/bloom is pretty extreme, this is a closeup "extra dot". My camera was 1.5 feet from the dot, and the pointer was 8 feet from the wall.
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