my atlasnova <5mW 635nm arrived in the post today, yay! it came in a rather cheap looking and feeling plastic case, with batteries, but you know, who cares about the case? it also seems that every laser company seems to want to mark their product as a $15 pen light... not that i'm complaining, since this is technically above the power we're alloved in the UK. it'll fit nicely in a WL dragon case, without rattling around too much (though it is a little smaller than a CNI pen), so problem solved 
my first impression when using it - 635nm is *such* a pretty colour! compared to a 650, it's such a *warm*, beautiful shade of red, i really really love it.
brightness wise, it makes a 650nm <5mW look pathetic, and when both this and a supposedly 125mW pulsar (also 650nm) are shone through smoke, the brightness of the <5mW 635nm's beam isn't that far off the brightness of the pulsar's beam. also, in conditions where a <5mW green is visible, the 635nm usually also has a visible beam, although it's quite a bit fainter and often hard to see. outside at night, the beam isn't hard to spot, though the pulsar and a <5mW seem about three to four times as bright.
overall the pointer seems sturdily built, i *think* the casing is metal although i can't be sure. it did strike me as mildly odd that the batteries go in the same way as on most greens, negative in first. the button feels a little bit fragile to me, not as sturdy as the rest of the laser, or as the button on a CNI or a leadlight. i can't quite figure out why, but the end is unscrewable, both the end cap and what's underneath appear to have lenses. tried putting on those image caps from cheap keychain reds onto the end, but they won't fit, maybe atlasnova plans to make some of their own, i dunno.
in the end, 635nm is really a beautiful colour, and if you want to see what all the fuss is over it, or have a cheap/low power red with a visible beam, then $24 plus shipping isn't a bad price to pay at all, this really is a good laser for what it is. i'm sorry my review is so short, but it's the first one i've written! there's not a great deal to say about a laser that couldn't even pop the thinnest black balloon, or light any kind of match, it's certainly not the usual deathray there will be pics when i can get them taken, but i'm not the one who owns a camera, so that all depends on my flatmate. hopefully i can post some pics soon!
my first impression when using it - 635nm is *such* a pretty colour! compared to a 650, it's such a *warm*, beautiful shade of red, i really really love it.brightness wise, it makes a 650nm <5mW look pathetic, and when both this and a supposedly 125mW pulsar (also 650nm) are shone through smoke, the brightness of the <5mW 635nm's beam isn't that far off the brightness of the pulsar's beam. also, in conditions where a <5mW green is visible, the 635nm usually also has a visible beam, although it's quite a bit fainter and often hard to see. outside at night, the beam isn't hard to spot, though the pulsar and a <5mW seem about three to four times as bright.
overall the pointer seems sturdily built, i *think* the casing is metal although i can't be sure. it did strike me as mildly odd that the batteries go in the same way as on most greens, negative in first. the button feels a little bit fragile to me, not as sturdy as the rest of the laser, or as the button on a CNI or a leadlight. i can't quite figure out why, but the end is unscrewable, both the end cap and what's underneath appear to have lenses. tried putting on those image caps from cheap keychain reds onto the end, but they won't fit, maybe atlasnova plans to make some of their own, i dunno.
in the end, 635nm is really a beautiful colour, and if you want to see what all the fuss is over it, or have a cheap/low power red with a visible beam, then $24 plus shipping isn't a bad price to pay at all, this really is a good laser for what it is. i'm sorry my review is so short, but it's the first one i've written! there's not a great deal to say about a laser that couldn't even pop the thinnest black balloon, or light any kind of match, it's certainly not the usual deathray
there will be pics when i can get them taken, but i'm not the one who owns a camera, so that all depends on my flatmate. hopefully i can post some pics soon!
