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Do you think this laser is trustworthy?

Sta

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An ePay seller is offering a 445 for $42.99 on eBay. My current 445 is in very poor condition (about to die, I am pretty sure.) Here is the link:
5 Mile Range 445nm Blue Laser Pointer Pen Adjustable Focus Visible Beam 012 | eBay
Do you think I should buy it for the low price, regardless of the fact that it will probably be poor quality? If not, are there any good quality 445s that are less than $100?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-445nm-Bl...6055?pt=US_Laser_Pointers&hash=item259640e807
Additionally, check out this one and see if it seems trustworthy. $12.15, so far.
 
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no avoid them they are crap, if you want buy a good under100$ check out laserbtb they offer good lasers onspec cheap and good quality well trusted company here. People that buy lasers on ebay are clueless.
 

Sta

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no avoid them they are crap, if you want buy a good under100$ check out laserbtb they offer good lasers onspec cheap and good quality well trusted company here. People that buy lasers on ebay are clueless.

Yeah, I'm considering buying the 150mW 520nm from laserbtb. They seem to be fairly good, based on some reviews I've read. But what about the $12.15 laser offered on eBay? There's not much to lose.
 
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Sta, that first link is a terrible lie and you would be cheated if you try to buy this laser. The $12.15 laser is not much of a laser. It will give you about 50mW of power give or take. It won't pass the balloon test, (my black balloon pop test at 20 feet in les than three seconds). If you still just want it, you can't get burned too badly, but I don't think you will be very impressed.
 
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Yeah, I'm considering buying the 150mW 520nm from laserbtb. They seem to be fairly good, based on some reviews I've read. But what about the $12.15 laser offered on eBay? There's not much to lose.


There's $12.15 to lose. Your best bet is going with laserbtb like Mortuus said. That $12.15 could help your shipping cost.
 
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What type of laser is your about-to-die 445? Why do you think it's about to die?
 
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Sounds like the lens is the problem from what you have said. Though, it seems strange that you say it has occurred slowly over time. Even if the diode was LEDed, you should still be able to focus it. I have LEDed my share of diodes and they are sill focusable.
 

Sta

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Sounds like the lens is the problem from what you have said. Though, it seems strange that you say it has occurred slowly over time. Even if the diode was LEDed, you should still be able to focus it. I have LEDed my share of diodes and they are sill focusable.

The lens is part of the problem, I know that - it causes a sizable amount of the light to just dissipate into a flashlight-like cone. One strange event is that a few months ago I was burning steel wool and it strangely reverted to around half-way between its current state and the "proper" way. Then a few weeks ago I went for a walk in around 13° C and now it's in a horribly broken state that it was before I burnt the steel wool.
 
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Sounds like the lens assembly shifted and then as it was already loose, it became worse. That is probably a repairable problem. I am not familiar with this laser, though I am familiar with the company it came from. I wonder how much trouble it would be to take it apart? Hopefully it is not so cheap that it is just glued together. If you shake the laser, will it rattle? That would definitely confirm the problem. Fortunately, it is not a DPSSL. So, you just have a laser diode in a heat sink and a lens assembly that has come apart on you.
 
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I have to say, though the eBay pens are so darn cheap and are kind of a gamble, 3 of my eBay pens have survived more than a month and two of them are still running great! My green one is a AAA battery drainer and has serious mode hopping after the batteries get low. Besides that, they are awesome. My violet is powerful enough to have a visible beam in a dark room.

Here was my review:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/ebay-laser-pens-review-90928.html
 
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My violet is powerful enough to have a visible beam in a dark room.

Your sig says the violet is 10-15mW. I imagine it is much more powerful than that if your beam is visible?

Using this tool; It says 405nm @ 15mW would have a beam as bright as a 532nm @ 0.24mW [I only have 532nm so needed the conversion :whistle:] - I wouldn't expect that level of 532nm to be visible... your 405nm could be closer to 50mW
 
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That's very close to the edge of visual acuity. This varies from person to person. I have trouble seeing the beam on my 700mW 405nm laser unless it is dark and I am looking at the beam either coming toward me or going away from me. It is different for everyone, so he may have vision that is very good at ultraviolet wavelengths. It is difficult to measure the beam by looking at it unless you are very familiar with different powers of varying wavelengths.
 
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Your sig says the violet is 10-15mW. I imagine it is much more powerful than that if your beam is visible?

Using this tool; It says 405nm @ 15mW would have a beam as bright as a 532nm @ 0.24mW [I only have 532nm so needed the conversion :whistle:] - I wouldn't expect that level of 532nm to be visible... your 405nm could be closer to 50mW

Yea I may have to change that. I don't have a LPM so I can't quite tell. I know I can't feel the laser on my skin unless I point it in my ear. (1 of most heat sensitive spots on the body).

Edit: changed it to 30-50mW. Close enough?
 
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Sta

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Sounds like the lens assembly shifted and then as it was already loose, it became worse. That is probably a repairable problem. I am not familiar with this laser, though I am familiar with the company it came from. I wonder how much trouble it would be to take it apart? Hopefully it is not so cheap that it is just glued together. If you shake the laser, will it rattle? That would definitely confirm the problem. Fortunately, it is not a DPSSL. So, you just have a laser diode in a heat sink and a lens assembly that has come apart on you.

The laser does not rattle when shaken.
 
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How long did you have the laser on when you were burning the steel wool? I can't believe that the heat from the diode caused the lens assembly to fall apart or melt in some way, as this would probably destroy the diode before it would harm the lens. But, I said I am not familiar with this model, so I don't know how cheaply the lens assembly was made. If the inner lens was held together with hot glue, it is possible that this could occur. I still think that it is totally a lens problem, and therefore is theoretically repairable.
 




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