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Your Laser Buying/Building Rules?

IsaacT

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Joined
Aug 25, 2010
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So I personally have a list of rules I generally like to abide by when building, and occasionally buying, lasers. I am curious what my fellow enthusiasts feel regarding this area so I thought I would "poll the audience" so to speak.

Please list your thought process when evaluating a purchase.

Mine:

Isaac's Internal Dialogue said:
Okay, neat, a laser sale thread! *click* Is the laser an unusual configuration or a clone build? I don't like clone builds, but this build really looks unique. Unique is good!!! *scroll* How well did they write their sale thread? *evaluates* Well, apart from a few minor spelling errors and some advanced english mechanics that no one knows anyway, they were very clear in their description. This is good, a disregard for any sort of professional presentation lends me to doubt a seller's abilities to produce or take care of their item. *continues looking* The specs are laid out, which is nice. If I am going to buy this laser I want to know everything inside it. *looks for pictures* Ah, they put pics up. Thank god. I cannot take another pictureless sale thread. And it looks like the items are in good physical condition. I hate it when a cool product has been mistreated such that it no longer looks anywhere near new. That always makes me think the person just has a general disregard for the well being of his possessions. Why would I buy something from them after that? At any rate, this person seems to take good care of their lasers and even has an LPM graph.

Okay, time to evaluate the host of the laser. Does it look cool? Check. The worst is when a great diode succumbs to a lackluster host. I mustn't mention specific hosts though...people could be listening in on my thoughts....:tinfoil: Next up: what are the battery configurations like? Ah, 18650 batteries for this 2W laser. Fantastic! 16340's are the bane of the 2W universe. Thank god. Now, was this host a custom creation or a flashlight mod? Flashlight mods are cool and all, but just so...meh. I like this creatively machined host they have here. It looks like a really unique piece of art!

Well this looks like a badass laser!!! Me want!!! How much are they listing it for??.........hrmmm.......blahblahblah.....yadda yadda yadda....yes, you don't want to part with it.....the world is in danger.....unless you come up with money for ransoming Zeus from Hades where he has been captured by the Titans.....huh. Where is that pricetag? *scrolls up* *refreshes page*

*looks at title* AH!!!! The case of the missing in text pricing! No worries....but what is this?! Out of my price range.....lame.

Time to bump it for them and rep their machinist I suppose. Then back to the drawing board....maybe I will just make my own after all.





Well....that is mine....in a lot of words but yeah. Hope yall enjoyed reading, I look forward to reading yall's!

Thanks,
Isaac

PS - To sum it up

1. Unique or Interesting Design
2. Competent Seller
3. Listed Specs
4. Pics. And more Pics.
5. Good Condition Physically
6. LPM Measurements and/or Graph....Maybe even Spectroscopy Meeasurements
7. Cool Looking Host...see #1
8. Battery Configuration w/ Decent Runtimes
9. Custom Built Host
10. Pricing I can Live with....because my girlfriend can and might kill me.
 





Cel

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Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
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I don't really have rules... I decide by looking at all the characteristics of the specific laser. I look on lasers as a whole, complete item, not on specific details, although they do matter.
 
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Messages
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I personally don't really have a list when I chose to purchase another laser. I pretty much stick with companies(that this forum views as reputable) and purchase the wavelengths each company offers depending on the need for it to complete my collection :p
 




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