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This review of my new Ledshoppe 50 pointer is more of an excuse to take some pictures, since we have enough of these lasers in the review section.
No snails were harmed. Except for the one that exploded under my shoe.
Comparison beam photos and divergence measurements are at the bottom.
The Laser Review:
-Price and checkout:
You have the option of Paypal or Ledshoppe's own checkout system.
I chose theirs. Total was $24 or something. I used the discount code that was floating around the Ledshoppe thread. Pretty good deal.
-Shipping and packing:
The item arrived in about 2 weeks (excluding non-business days with free shipping).
It was wrapped in bubble wrap and came in a foam insert with two alkaline batteries.
Nothing special. No sign of customs being nosy.
-First impression and appearance:
When I opened the package, I looked at the laser and thought to myself, this isn't really pretty.
It's not too ugly though. It feels solid, not too cheap, and it has a good weight. The button does not wiggle and makes good contact when pressed. The rubbery grip is kinda cool but I'm afraid that if I subject this laser to normal use it may wear off... we'll see how that goes. I scratched off some of the anodized coating on my G105... probably from testing its shock resistance against hardwood and concrete. It is abut 2 millimeters longer than an X-series laser and about one millimeter wider in diameter. The dimensions are probably listed on the site but I didn't check. It arrived in great condition with a foil warning label that I immediately removed and put away for use later. It is properly labeled but says "MADE IN CHINA" at the bottom, which I find unattractive. It unscrews in the center to insert batteries but I like lasers with caps at the end of the tube. Whatever.
-Operation:
Step 1- install batteries correctly.
Step 2- press the button.
Simple enough.
It turned on.
-Beam specs, power output, and stability:
I am either too cheap or too poor to purchase a power meter (for now) so bear with my guesstimations.
This thing is rated for about 50mW. Ok. Well... No. This outputs, at most, 35mW. It can hardly melt a hole in electrical tape (no tension) when focused. I know what 50mW of green looks like as I have destroyed/disassembled several 50mW laser pointers (just for parts and/or to modify). This laser is maybe 25-30mW average. The beam is wide but the divergence is good, which is fine with me because I did not buy this to burn stuff anyway. The beam is aligned well with the body and does not shoot out at crazy angles. This is good because it's something I'm picky about. If you point at something with the laser, that is where the beam will go. When it is first powered up there is a noticeable flicker from the beam shifting on start-up. This laser prefers Alkalines to NiMH but I have not tried Lithium yet. In the cold, the laser develops a smear on one side of the beam. It looks like it is caused by the beam shifting to one side of the aperture (not quite a mode shift) and getting "clipped" by the aperture. It is not severe so it doesn't bother me. This smear is shown in the pictures. Optimal temperature is 75-70 degrees Fahrenheit. After start-up, the laser dims a little and stays that way until you release the button. It doesn't really get warm during prolonged use. The beam appears to be a bit choked by the aperture. It's almost like the beam is too fat to fit through, so some of the photons get left behind. Tragic.
No mode shifting yet.
It's not that bright.
Whatever.
-Infrared leakage:
It leaks a little. Not that much. So what.
-Snails:
I get a lot of 'em in the morning.
Click for full size.
-Bottomline and do I like it?:
For the price it's a good laser, but I didn't expect a POT MODDED BURNING BEAST. The snails were good, though. They should have been included in the package. It isn't that bright and it doesn't burn. It's a good pointer and should be fun if it's your cherry poppin' laser. It's ok. I wasn't impressed. I'll probably buy from China again to sell to friends.
I give it... A few stars out of ten. Exactly how many? I have not yet decided.
No snails were harmed. Except for the one that exploded under my shoe.
Comparison beam photos and divergence measurements are at the bottom.
The Laser Review:
-Price and checkout:
You have the option of Paypal or Ledshoppe's own checkout system.
I chose theirs. Total was $24 or something. I used the discount code that was floating around the Ledshoppe thread. Pretty good deal.
-Shipping and packing:
The item arrived in about 2 weeks (excluding non-business days with free shipping).
It was wrapped in bubble wrap and came in a foam insert with two alkaline batteries.
Nothing special. No sign of customs being nosy.
-First impression and appearance:
When I opened the package, I looked at the laser and thought to myself, this isn't really pretty.
It's not too ugly though. It feels solid, not too cheap, and it has a good weight. The button does not wiggle and makes good contact when pressed. The rubbery grip is kinda cool but I'm afraid that if I subject this laser to normal use it may wear off... we'll see how that goes. I scratched off some of the anodized coating on my G105... probably from testing its shock resistance against hardwood and concrete. It is abut 2 millimeters longer than an X-series laser and about one millimeter wider in diameter. The dimensions are probably listed on the site but I didn't check. It arrived in great condition with a foil warning label that I immediately removed and put away for use later. It is properly labeled but says "MADE IN CHINA" at the bottom, which I find unattractive. It unscrews in the center to insert batteries but I like lasers with caps at the end of the tube. Whatever.
-Operation:
Step 1- install batteries correctly.
Step 2- press the button.
Simple enough.
It turned on.
-Beam specs, power output, and stability:
I am either too cheap or too poor to purchase a power meter (for now) so bear with my guesstimations.
This thing is rated for about 50mW. Ok. Well... No. This outputs, at most, 35mW. It can hardly melt a hole in electrical tape (no tension) when focused. I know what 50mW of green looks like as I have destroyed/disassembled several 50mW laser pointers (just for parts and/or to modify). This laser is maybe 25-30mW average. The beam is wide but the divergence is good, which is fine with me because I did not buy this to burn stuff anyway. The beam is aligned well with the body and does not shoot out at crazy angles. This is good because it's something I'm picky about. If you point at something with the laser, that is where the beam will go. When it is first powered up there is a noticeable flicker from the beam shifting on start-up. This laser prefers Alkalines to NiMH but I have not tried Lithium yet. In the cold, the laser develops a smear on one side of the beam. It looks like it is caused by the beam shifting to one side of the aperture (not quite a mode shift) and getting "clipped" by the aperture. It is not severe so it doesn't bother me. This smear is shown in the pictures. Optimal temperature is 75-70 degrees Fahrenheit. After start-up, the laser dims a little and stays that way until you release the button. It doesn't really get warm during prolonged use. The beam appears to be a bit choked by the aperture. It's almost like the beam is too fat to fit through, so some of the photons get left behind. Tragic.
No mode shifting yet.
It's not that bright.
Whatever.
-Infrared leakage:
It leaks a little. Not that much. So what.
-Snails:
I get a lot of 'em in the morning.
Click for full size.
-Bottomline and do I like it?:
For the price it's a good laser, but I didn't expect a POT MODDED BURNING BEAST. The snails were good, though. They should have been included in the package. It isn't that bright and it doesn't burn. It's a good pointer and should be fun if it's your cherry poppin' laser. It's ok. I wasn't impressed. I'll probably buy from China again to sell to friends.
I give it... A few stars out of ten. Exactly how many? I have not yet decided.
