multi-band 405/445 lenses?

hey guys, I am a little confused. I read all about the 405-G-1 and -2 lenses here on the forum as well as the three-element aixiz ones. I always thought that there are 405 three-element lenses as well as 445 three-element lenses.
But I found a few lenses which got me confused. Here are the links:

o-like half threaded 405nm-445nm lens

odicforce 405nm and 445nm lens

rayfoss 405-445nm lens

bogartman 405-445nm lens

The ones from odicforce are supposed to work from 400nm to 500nm and bogartman states that his are optimized to work from 400nm to 455nm. All seem to be three-element glass lenses in metal housings.

Odicforce also offers two other lenses, one for 405 and the other for 445. Both three-element glass types.

So, which one is the best for a nice, clean beam on a 445 build? I am not looking for max power, so the 405-G ones are out of the question.

And which one would work best if I am not willing to spend the extra money for a 405-G but still want max power on a 12x BR?

Hope you guys can help me here...

They are all coated for the violet/blue end of the spectrum. Whether the seller lists them as 405nm coated or 445nm coated is a marketing decision. For our purposes (and any practical purposes) they are interchangeable

Peace,
dave

Thanks Dave! So you are saying if I bought one each and measured the output under the same conditions, they would be all within, what, 3-5% maybe?

chefla said:

Thanks Dave! So you are saying if I bought one each and measured the output under the same conditions, they would be all within, what, 3-5% maybe?

Click to expand...

That's what our experience has been.

With regard to the commercially-available multi-element lenses, there is as much intra-brand variation as there is inter-brand variation.

There are at least two different AR coatings being used with these lenses. The re-sellers do NOT make them. They just buy (and maybe assemble) them. You will not know which one you get until you have it. You may get different measurements from two lenses bought from the same seller

To get any "significant" increase, you have to go with a single element lens. Of course, you sacrifice beam shape for that extra output.

Peace,
dave