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A Guide To Buying Your First Green Laser

randomlugia

randomlugia

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Oh, I've seen that, I just didn't recognize the name. Definitely do a review when you get it!
 





J

j0hnn3hboi

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Wait, Wicked lasers is a scam? I heard they were really good and have some pretty bad ass lasers and seen some cool videos on youtube too! T_T I'm worried now. Did I just waste 110 dollars on a 20mw Executive pro?
 
AndyR

AndyR

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The quality of Wicked Lasers seems to be sufficient, its just the horrible overpricing that makes them a "scam". So no, you didn't waste $110 on a 20 mW, you wasted about 80 dollars. You could have received a 30 mW from Rayfoss or O-like with adequate quality for only around $30.
 
randomlugia

randomlugia

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That's a good way of putting it. Their quality seems to have improved slightly, but I think Laserglow/Nova still surpasses it by far. You could have gotten an overspec X-25 (probably around 30mW) for $99, with better quality, but you'll be happy with the Wicked.
 
cistercian

cistercian

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Apparently greens are epic inexpensive now.I own a Wicked evo pro 40 mw, and there is no need for me to rave here...I love it.But for the sake of fairness, I have also bought Casix 5 and 10 mw lasers.Both test at 8mw.The 5 is the better by far of the 2 lasers and is epic.It cost 600 bucks back in the very early days!The 1000+10mw has poor mode control and collimation..IE for the money it sucks.And it is the replacement for the original which was even worse!
I also bought at least 3 of the ancient 5mw GLP types.Epic fails in terms of reliability.
Compared to these early units my Evo Pro in 40 mw absolutely rocks.Damn, it is good..AA power(which is WONDERFUL),high power and stability.
The beam is off axis from the housing....like everyone says.But for my purposes it is perfect.
I saw good reviews here on recent wicked products like mine....perhaps they should be moved from the bad list?
Just a suggestion.
And no, I paid for mine.(what I wouldn't give to get a free one!)
 
randomlugia

randomlugia

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Okay, so I just finished an update. Wicked has been moved to the good list (barely, you can read about that), along with CNI and Rayfoss. Opto and NOVA have been updated with their new products, as well as O-like. I felt bad about O-like, but it just seems like that company is going downhill.
cry.gif
 
M

MrBojangels

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I just received my laser from RayFoss. I ordered a 50mW pen laser, after emailing them requesting a tracking number I never received they responded with a tracking number and with a promise that my laser tested at a stable 75mW. I put in fresh new batteries in the laser I received today and noticed it as maybe 50% brighter than the two 5mW lasers I have to compare it to. All three you can only see the beam in a dark room if you are looking almost parallel to the beam. To top it off the included slip of paper with check boxes had 30mW checked off.

I initially ordered from O-Like however I placed the order and enter my paypal information and they denied my order ever existed(I was never charged) so I went with RayFoss instead.
 
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Bijeebus

Bijeebus

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i bought a 5mW green from ebay a while ago that did the same thing. At first it was really bright (probubly overspec) but then after a few days it wasnt bright at all especially after being on a few seconds. Either way i think im going to stay away from pen style lasers and make sure whatever i buy can fit a heatsink even if its just a small one. I think cheap greens overheat really easily.
 
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MrBojangels

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What can a (tested) 75mW realistically do? Should it be able to easily burn through a black trash bag? How fast? I figure this is the only way I could really test it(I need to get hold of a bloack trash bag)
 
Bijeebus

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i dont think 70mW should be able to easily burn anything but it should be able to light a match i think. The beam should be easily visable from any angle in a dark room
 
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MrBojangels

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Well it can burn a hole through a stretched(heavy duty) trash bag when the laser is cold. Guess I must have been mistaken?

The 5mW lasers I have to compare it to came from DX and I would venture to say they are quite a bit more than 5mW, perhaps around 20-35mW.
 
randomlugia

randomlugia

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It's really hard to tell the difference by eye, so there would be a really small difference between 30mW and 70mW. One member explained it as, "4x the power = 2x the brightness". Also, are you sure that the laser isn't slowly rising in power? My FLX starts at a high power, then quickly decreases and fluctuates a few times before rising back up to the startup power. This takes 5-10 seconds if it hasn't been on for a while, and it's a regular attribute of DPSS lasers.

Burning depends on if it's being focused or not. My 125mW will very slowly burn trash bags unfocused. But yeah, your laser sounds like it's at least 60mW. Is it focused for up close or to infinity? Also, try black electrical tape. That should smoke at 30mW.
 
cistercian

cistercian

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Bijeebus said:
i bought a 5mW green from ebay a while ago that did the same thing. At first it was really bright (probubly overspec) but then after a few days it wasnt bright at all especially after being on a few seconds. Either way i think im going to stay away from pen style lasers and make sure whatever i buy can fit a heatsink even if its just a small one. I think cheap greens overheat really easily.
Click to expand...


I have learned (the hard way) that nothing, and I mean nothing beats quality control with green lasers.They are extremely sensitive to temperature and have to be tested to confirm stability and proper operation.I talked in the hoary past with an importer who tested what he sold, and the defect rate was 10 percent on a good batch.Large excursions in output over a short time indicate either poor assembly/components or poor heatsinking.The drivers in really cheap units may be unreliable as well.Caveat Emptor. If the company has a good return policy and shipping is covered I can see that incredible bargains can be had.
But quality control costs money.You have to pay a bit more.And even then, a warranty is a really nice thing to have....as is the ability to exercise it.
 
Bijeebus

Bijeebus

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The thing iv learned about lasers in the past 2 months is that its an expensive hobby, but if you really like them you cant help spending the money :) You learn as you go and sometimes have to learn the hard way.
 
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