- Joined
- Nov 27, 2008
- Messages
- 863
- Points
- 18
Yeah, I know, I know - just what we need, ANOTHER 50mW green pointer review, right? Well, I actually felt I should give this little laser a note here on the forum as I recieved a few of them in my last shipment from SZWholesale and was pleasantly surprised...
The host is pretty standard "New-Wish" with the rubberized coating, with the output end threaded to accept those little "kaliedoscopic" end caps that have become popular lately ... What makes this one stand out (at least build-wise) is that it includes 5 different diffraction patterns, the standard XY "stars" like the models from DX, etc as well as a few new unique patterns (see photos in link, they're far better than I could take) AND cap #5 is a protective-only cap that allows this laser to be used as a standard pointer without having the whole end hanging open as with other "star" pointers. Another good point is the case, it's actually a nice padded one (not the cheesy cardboard) with places to hold extra batteries, as well as all the diffraction caps.
Now, onto the laser itself - I recieved 4 of these total in the last shipment, and the tests on my LB1 resulted in 68mW-73mW-66mW-78mW ... Not too shabby for a $22 laser with the "goodies". Beam diameter and divergence are better than most pointers, to the point where side-by-side comparisons are actually noticeable (I don't have any of the Opto pointers to compare to, I'm relatively sure Jacks' pointers are better but IMHO these are just FINE for $22 and overall far better than most Chinese pointers) ... Battery life seems good so far with the one I am keeping, I've been on and off playing with it and showing it off since Thursday with the same set of Energizers).
As to the company, SZWholesale has been a supplier of mine for awhile now and it seems they always have SOME issue when ordering, either a delay in getting something, a mis-pack, etc but they are good at working with their customers to resolve problems (typical 1-day delay in answering Emails due to time zone, etc). On the downside, they DO have a minimum order ($200US) but they ship EMS 3-4day for free and are always good at throwing in some freebies with the order (12 LED flashlight keychains this order, a couple of 30mW pointers last order, etc) so overall, if you don't mind an occasional "speed bump" they're as good as most Chinese suppliers and better than some.
Here's a couple of pics of the laser:
Here's the link to the product with pix of the patterns: http://www.szwholesale.com/50mw-532nm-green-laser-starls5-p-2763.html
To summarize, in a market already flooded with cheap +- 50mW pointers, this particular model has definitely impressed me, and I have already ordered 10 more as 3 of the 4 I recieved have already sold. If you are new to lasers and want something unique and low-cost, this may be the entry-level laser for you!
The host is pretty standard "New-Wish" with the rubberized coating, with the output end threaded to accept those little "kaliedoscopic" end caps that have become popular lately ... What makes this one stand out (at least build-wise) is that it includes 5 different diffraction patterns, the standard XY "stars" like the models from DX, etc as well as a few new unique patterns (see photos in link, they're far better than I could take) AND cap #5 is a protective-only cap that allows this laser to be used as a standard pointer without having the whole end hanging open as with other "star" pointers. Another good point is the case, it's actually a nice padded one (not the cheesy cardboard) with places to hold extra batteries, as well as all the diffraction caps.
Now, onto the laser itself - I recieved 4 of these total in the last shipment, and the tests on my LB1 resulted in 68mW-73mW-66mW-78mW ... Not too shabby for a $22 laser with the "goodies". Beam diameter and divergence are better than most pointers, to the point where side-by-side comparisons are actually noticeable (I don't have any of the Opto pointers to compare to, I'm relatively sure Jacks' pointers are better but IMHO these are just FINE for $22 and overall far better than most Chinese pointers) ... Battery life seems good so far with the one I am keeping, I've been on and off playing with it and showing it off since Thursday with the same set of Energizers).
As to the company, SZWholesale has been a supplier of mine for awhile now and it seems they always have SOME issue when ordering, either a delay in getting something, a mis-pack, etc but they are good at working with their customers to resolve problems (typical 1-day delay in answering Emails due to time zone, etc). On the downside, they DO have a minimum order ($200US) but they ship EMS 3-4day for free and are always good at throwing in some freebies with the order (12 LED flashlight keychains this order, a couple of 30mW pointers last order, etc) so overall, if you don't mind an occasional "speed bump" they're as good as most Chinese suppliers and better than some.
Here's a couple of pics of the laser:
Here's the link to the product with pix of the patterns: http://www.szwholesale.com/50mw-532nm-green-laser-starls5-p-2763.html
To summarize, in a market already flooded with cheap +- 50mW pointers, this particular model has definitely impressed me, and I have already ordered 10 more as 3 of the 4 I recieved have already sold. If you are new to lasers and want something unique and low-cost, this may be the entry-level laser for you!
