Arctic vs CNI PGL-III-C

In the one corner there is my Arctic who wants to beat his rival in the other corner - the CNI 1W 449.2nm PGL-III-C. Clear the ring, LET´S GET READY TO RUMBBBBLE!!!


This is not going to be a full review, just mentioning a few aspects for comparison!!

For reviews of the laser look here:
WL Arctic: >>Dave<< >>swimminsurfer256<<
CNI PGL-III-C: >>DJNY<<



My idea is to get as much points as possible to light and rate. Unfortunately I have no LPM for these outputs at hand, but there are enough other ways to score. You are of course allowed to support me at the competition by giving me ideas about parameters to look at.

First conceptions are to test: beam+dot quality, heatsinking, built quality, divergence, safety features


I´m going to rate with points between 1-10, the one with the higher points is going to win.[/B][/SIZE]


Here are the first impressions, extraneous pics for the "FIGHT":











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Beam diameter

At close distance


Shot taken from ~15feet away


Dot from about 1foot away



The PGL-III-C has the thinner beam diameter than the Arctic but both aren´t good ATM.
NOTICE: I did the test two days ago and repeat it today, at this time I used full batteries for the PGL, possible that this influenced the divergence? :thinking:

Beam quality RATING: Arctic 4/10 - PGL-III-C 6/10



Heatsinking
I noticed the Arctic getting warm after 2:30min of continous run, the PGL-III-C got a bit warm after 3:30min. The PGL has a near 100% duty cycle. But IMO both are heatsinked very well for these power outputs. Air temperature was 24°C. Most of the time I run my lasers for not more than 30-40sec, exeptions are measurements.

Heatsinking RATING: Arctic 7/10 - PGL-III-C 9/10


Burning abilities
First one is the >>> burning at distance test
I´ve tested both burning matches at different distances:


VID
You have to live with the bad cam-vid quality! I achieved a age where wobbling isn´t supernatural anymore, so don´t try to stop the time how long it take to inflame the match. Oh, hope you guys enjoy looking at my back! No, I´m NOT tryin´to burn my dick there

>>>here<<<

The PGL was also able to lit a macth at 14feet (not included in the vid)

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Next test is the Next test is the >>> burning at close range test
I played ith two candles lay around

>>>here<<<

Burning RATING: Arctic 7/10 - PGL-III-C 8/10

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Safety features

Arctic: Momentary button, safety pin
PGL-III-C: Momentary button, two safety key features (pin/spin), 3mW warning light, 3sec delay before full power


I already had bad experiences with the leck of safety features at the Arctic. The batterie was empty, I changed it and while screwing down the tail cap, suddenly the 900mW came out some centimetres away from my face. Thank got I wore some safety glasses.
Activating the PGL-III-C is laborious, but there is a lot less risk of an accident.

Saftey features RATING: Arctic 2/10 - PGL-III-C 8/10

Good thing this fight isnt pay-per-view!!! Cause I will most definitely be checking back on this one.

Can't wait for the fight! op:

Whats the price on the CNI unit?

you should mesure the current through LD, also what time it takes to warm-up the host

Sweet idea DJNY! Sucks you don't have a LPM though. :yabbem: But the comparison can do without!

I'm definitely interested in seeing a comparison of the beam profiles, but CNI will always have a warmer place in my heart than Wicked Lasers.

jander6442 said:

Whats the price on the CNI unit?

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Jander, the CNI is $270 at Glenn's GB#11 in this thread --> http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/now-447nm-cni-lasers-gb-11-a-53409.html

At this point after shipping they're even a little cheaper than the current price for the Arctic. Sure, they don't look quite as cool, but they'll probably work a lot longer. CNI makes real industrial lasers, not sci-fi props

I'll be doing the same thing with the Arctic and the Spartan when I get the Spartan.

Just got the Arctic and i'm going to put up a quick prelim review.




I really like that CNI though...

It's here->http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/arctic-s3-wl-exp-lens-kit-preliminary-review-53854.html

Important things to look at:

-Build quality of the host
-Finish of the body and host
-Ergonomics (how the host feels in your hand- clumsy, smooth, hard to hold on to)
-Beam specifications (divergence, shape)
-Beam quality (splash, halos, wings, interference)
-Host external temperatures
-Battery life
-Safety features
-Ease of use (switch positioning, etc.)

Try not to allow opinions and prejudices against a company affect your scoring. (if I did this based on opinion and what I thought of WL, the PGL-III-C would have a clear WIN). Base it instead on what you think of the lasers. Pretend you didn't know either WL or CNI existed before you got your two lasers.

zMd113 said:

My Arctic doesn't work because the battery can't hold a charge. That or it's a bad battery.
I'm thinking about buying the CNI 500mW.

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Which way did you put the battery in?
Which way are you SUPPOSED to put the battery in?

I've heard different answers....

zMd113 said:

I inserted it negative side first just like the instructions show. So the positive side touches the end cap. I contacted WL last night about this and requested that they send me a new battery and charger. In the mean time I'll go to RadioShack today and see if they have the same battery. If that doesn't work then it's a probably a problem with the laser itself.

Click to expand...

Good luck, hopefully they send you a new battery.....

I ordered an extra just to be safe but apparently lots of people are having battery problems so I'm crossing my fingers :/

Edit: and to stay on topic I'm just waiting for the fight to start