New big boy toy! Jetlasers PL-E Pro 300mW 532nm review

[NightExplorer96]

I like the green duct tape, it really looks like something nobody's ever owned before, like something from outer space

Awesome job!

-Alex

 

[Gabe]

and yes the Pl E and Pl E Pros are for sure a handful and very likely the worlds longest commercially available hand held laser when you add the second battery tube. ( those are 'sleeves' for the slimmer batteries NOT CONDOMS haha

Yer right Hak, a condom with two open ends would be rather useless. I'm thinking of getting a PL-E Pro in blue, so I can use the battery extension tube. To me it almost feels like the area above the button is too big in proportion to the area behind. Remember; more aluminum, more better!

I like the green duct tape, it really looks like something nobody's ever owned before, like something from outer space

Awesome job!

-Alex

Thank you Alex. I like to add little tweaks to lasers to make them my own. I buy these rolls at Walmart, it's in along with a bunch of other duct tape in the paint area, at least it is for me. Duck Tape brand. IIRC it's not the cheapest thing in the world, but it's a lot cheaper and easier than using epox and powder. Glow time is pretty good too, glows bright at first and glows dim for a few hours I'd say. Love this stuff, have a giant 2" x 4" board of it for drawing with purple and blue lasers.





^closest to what it really looks like^
Quite the thing to behold irl.

 

[kilter]

Very high quality comprehensive reiview! +1

 

[wolfram]

That is a really nice piece of tech!! It especially looks luminous against the already illuminating stars of the Canadian sky. Just be safe ...........Please

 

[Gabe]

Very high quality comprehensive reiview! +1

Thank you kilter! I hope to make every review like that one

That is a really nice piece of tech!! It especially looks luminous against the already illuminating stars of the Canadian sky. Just be safe ...........Please

She sure is wolfram, pretty nice. I too really liked the stars in that photo. For the past few days we've had smoke blowing in from BC forest fires again, giving us an afternoon golden sun, magenta sunsets, and most importantly, beams. Lots of em. The beam from this saber looks like a solid shining rod of light extending into the sky.
And of course, no worries in the careful department. I'm always extremely paranoid about satellites, planes, chopp'rs, and cars. Call me a cautious Arnold Schwarzenegger for lasers, cause I be practicing that safe beam termination

 

[Davidx]

Thank you Gabe. I'm going to Walmart today to pick up some time of that tape.

I'm have the Glow brand liquid. Doesn't adhere to metal all that well.. Everything nowadays
has to be so safe, you could probably drink it. Giving it to the kids next door now that I know about the tape.

 

[Gabe]

Thank you Gabe. I'm going to Walmart today to pick up some time of that tape.

I'm have the Glow brand liquid. Doesn't adhere to metal all that well.. Everything nowadays has to be so safe, you could probably drink it. Giving it to the kids next door now that I know about the tape.

OOOHH I had a thing for glow in the dark paint a while pack, just the cheap craft store stuff that only glows for a short bit. Made a couple of paintings of my dog or the moon that would glow. This tape definitely glows brighter, for longer, and is easier to work with.

 

[Gabe]

Hey everyone, here to bring some updates. First off, updated some stats in the OP on divergence, beam diameter, and current draw. Also, some developments in the homemade beam-expander department. I'll talk about that later. Next, I decided to return my laser for a new exact same one. I didn't mention it in the OP cause it didn't bother me, but as ownership lengthened, it became more noticeable. The laser's beam is quite crooked. It even comes out of the aperture off-centre. This is to be expected, but it was quite extensive. So I asked the fine folks at Jetlasers about it, and right away they said they'd send a new laser head, and afterwards I can send my old laser head back. I will have to pay return shipping though, but it's only $25. So once I receive the new head, I can update stats, compare, etc. etc.. As well, if it's not too late I'll ask them to LPM my laser before its shipped out, so I can finally fill in that department of technical specs. Will keep you all posted.
:beer:
Gabe

 

[NightExplorer96]

Hey everyone, here to bring some updates. First off, updated some stats in the OP on divergence, beam diameter, and current draw. Also, some developments in the homemade beam-expander department. I'll talk about that later. Next, I decided to return my laser for a new exact same one. I didn't mention it in the OP cause it didn't bother me, but as ownership lengthened, it became more noticeable. The laser's beam is quite crooked. It even comes out of the aperture off-centre. This is to be expected, but it was quite extensive. So I asked the fine folks at Jetlasers about it, and right away they said they'd send a new laser head, and afterwards I can send my old laser head back. I will have to pay return shipping though, but it's only $25. So once I receive the new head, I can update stats, compare, etc. etc.. As well, if it's not too late I'll ask them to LPM my laser before its shipped out, so I can finally fill in that department of technical specs. Will keep you all posted.
:beer:
Gabe

That's good customer service! Keep us posted

-Alex

 

[Gabe]

That's good customer service! Keep us posted

-Alex

You bet! Gray said he can get a video for you guys and myself of the laser being LPM'd right before it gets shipped out, which will be real soon. Also, he asked around and said I can get bare 473 modules for my upcoming custom hosts! Truly the best, cheers to them all :beer:

 

[Lifetime17]

Wow Jeff looks like a hefty piece of hardware. What an awesome host and at 300mW of 520nm nice choice. Good luck with it and thanks for the review very helpful. Like all the options with it cool .

Rich

 

[RedCowboy]

@ Lifetime : It's 532 is it not?
300mw of single mode 520 is not quite on the regular menu yet but it's coming.

Now 1/2 a watt of 532 you can get in a hand held ready to go for the price of a bare 520 multi mode diode from sellers such as o-like, but the Jetlasers package is really nice.

Trust me when 1/2 watt SINGLE mode 520 hits everybody will want one as long as the emitter is not to un square.
Gee, Direct Single mode rectangles. Ohh Boy :undecided:

It's still very hard to beat a dpss 532 for beam quality.

Good looking laser, and some nice pics, and they even sell an expander. I see why people love Jetlasers. :beer:
p.s. The rings are a nice accoutrement, or rather a nice embellishment, personalized aesthetics always add that something special.
There is also some high quality glow in the dark paint available.

 

[Andrew124C41]

What diode do they use to make this?

 

[RedCowboy]

Good god man, you quoted his entire post pics and all, LOL.

A dpss 532nm ( diode pumped solid state ) laser uses a 808nm diode with a tiny lens to pump a 2 part crystal, the 1st half converts 808nm to 1064nm then the 2nd half doubles 1064nm to 532nm.

Then there is a gradient index lens often called a grin lens that is really a tiny acrylic double concave then a double convex and sometimes an ir filter to stop any stray 808/1064. It takes a decent beam and expands then focuses it.

This produces a good round laser beam that can be further expanded and focused at great distance.

It has true tem00 beam quality except when mode hopping, but that usually settles out, it's about 5 to 1, that is a 1500mw 808 pump is needed to make 300mw of 532nm this way.

But you get a real single wavelength laser beam with excellent beam quality.

If our multi watt blues produces square single mode beams them people could carelessly set their neighbors house on fire, but as they are with even a 3 element the burning ability is very range limited without additional optics.
That does not mean people shouldn't be careful, always be careful, but a real laser like a 532 or a 405 is way more dangerous at 100 yards than the biggest blue multimode with a G2 or 3 element lens because of the extreme divergence.

Here' a coupe of videos that demonstrate the point.
2-3 watts multi mode

0.5 watt of single mode.

As you saw the 2 watt plus multi mode needed an extra lens and a lot more time to do the job, but the little 1/2 watt 405 is a single mode laser with good beam quality and it stomped a mud hole in the 445 and walked it dry.

Here's another Shakenawake just showed me.
1.5 watts 532nm

 

[APEX1]

nice videos man! so amazing what a little diode can do!!

 

[Pic1]

Excellent review. I can tell you are truly happy. You sold me...I'm gong to need to save some money so that I can purchase one too.

Vince