Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

200mW silver pen greenie from FocalPrice ($38.65)

Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
371
Points
28
Hello! :)

I've seen some speculations about one of FP's newer additions; 200mW Green Beam Laser Pointer (Silver). Is it good? It's damn cheap! Can it be good? Etc. Thought I'd do a quick recap of this pointer and my experiences.

(Any problems loading the pics in the thread? reply and say!)

01.jpg


General properties:

  • 200mW
  • 532nm +-10nm
  • Awesome FAT beam which expands tremendously! :D
  • Runs on AAA-batteries
  • Cheap ($38.65)
  • Available here

Pointer build quality:

It's a basic pen. With that being said you probably know some limitations already. There Will be overheating problems with this pointer IF it would have an IR diode pumping enough energy to get 200mW of pure green! So this was the prerequisites from the beginning.

Compared to buyincoins.com's P2 Silver pointers which looks a lot similar this model has an extra layer of metal. The casing is a bit thicker. I suppose that this may transfer heat a bit better!

The push button feels loose. Almost as if it would fall in to the pointer itself! The label reads <200mW of 532nm;

02.jpg


Just look at the above picture. The button is almost falling through! ;) But it dosen't. It hangs in there.

Nothing more about to say about the design really. I'll post you another pic:

03.jpg


Beam quality:

The beam is to summarize horrible! It has a huge divergence. It's width on just a few meter is large! The dot on a few meters is very apparenty oval. Not round as you'd expect.

It has various artifacts around the beam as if the lens was damaged. Perhaps this is a bad ex, but take a look at this picture for example:

05.jpg


This is the dot from about 70cm (~27" for the 2% of the world's countries that dosen't use the metric system! ;)). Take a close look at the surrounding area of the dot. It has a lot of crap/disturbances.

Power output:

This pointer can barely, but it can, light a match. Using 3.6V cells.

It will burn electrical tape fairly easy.

I don't have an LPM or similar to measure the output.

I would from here on define a new term (as I read about E-LPM in this thread, Eye Laser Power Meter);

<joke>
S-LPM: Skin Laser Power Meter. For high powered lasers (expected <300mW) never use thin skin tissue. For lower / fairly high (<200mW) pointers make sure to use caution ;). As I don't have an LPM or PowerBee and I don't buy lasers over 200mW, I beam myself on the back of my arm where the skin is thin and fairly sensitive. The reaction will help me judge the power output. For this case my S-LPM shows about 130-140mW with combined IR ;)
</joke>

Anyhow. Here's a pic of it burning electrical tape:

04.jpg


It dosen't need long stabilization or focus. It just burns.

The diode (or the place on the laser pointer where the diode is aligned) gets VERY HOT after about 60s of continuous usage :p

Conclusion:

For $38.65 this is not a bad deal.

This being said it's rubbish. You would not like to spend your almost $39 on this pointer! You will regret it. It will be laying around your house doing nothing because you find it unsexy with it's fat beam! :D

But then again. This was expected. Right?

Place your bet on another horse. :)
 
Last edited:





daguin

0
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
15,989
Points
113
The lens is dirty and the driver (with the button) is either not aligned correctly or it is not supported correctly.

Clean the lens to fix the beam/spot.

Open the rear and remove the batteries. Look down the tube to where the driver and button are. You may have to remove a foam "shield" around the spring. Look to see if the driver is twisted out of "square" with the button and/or if there is nothing under the board to support it.

If it is twisted, the only way to fix it is to disassemble it. If it is just flexing down, you can cut something small (wood, plastic, etc) to push under the driver board to raise and support it.

Or just send it to me

Peace,
dave
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
4,919
Points
83
I just got that one last week too. It is a good burner but don't let that fool you. These lasers have a trick to help deceive those without meters. The beam diameter is SUPER SMALL. The ridiculously small beam diameter allows for some burning capabilities even though the lasers output is not that high. Mine on fresh cells with an IR filter peaks at 120mW but then slowly and steadily decreases in power down to 60mW. So gradually that I cannot even see it happening. After that the burning power is seemingly the same as it is initially. I thought for sure it was doing 100mW based on the stinging of the skin but it was only 60mW. On partially depleted cells the laser doesn't reach 90mW peak.

If you are looking for a good burning laser for up close and want something around 60-80mW and is really cheap, then this laser is perfect but keep in mind the divergence is ridiculous.
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
927
Points
18
PERFECT DAGUIN :)
mhakali thanks for the review!!!
if you remember i also purchased THIS laser pen ? eheheh it is shipped from honk kong post 2 september. i think i will have it in my hand here in italy at about the end of the month or first day october ( yes.. italian custom is VERY VERY slow).

i would do some question..:
1) did you solve the problem of the lense?try to clean with a cotton fiock( for hears) + alcohol. i don't think you have a bad lense.. however I HOPE my unit will be clean XD

2)why did you ise a 10440 lion battery to test the power of the laser?what can burn this laser with 2x nimh batteries or alkalines? i hove it can smoke electrical tape/all dark plastik also with ONLY 2xaaa and not only with a 3.6 battery.

3) a GOOD TEST to do to understand how powerful a laser is... could be to see if it CAN burn throught a slim cd case.and..in how many seconds precisely. i think it is THE BEST way to understand the power of a laser. (everyone has slim cd case,every cd case is made of similar plastic, and SECONDS to burn throught...could let us know the average power of the laser.

by your photo.. i can see that the body of the pen is very nice...I REALLY LOVE the silver/lucid body...insetad the rubber black. ok rubber is nice.. but after some time it will break in some parts...and become not good to see. intead silver lucid grey.. is perfect fur a laser that is DURABLE..

ps: i wil review it when it will arrive. and i will surely put out the module .. i always made it with my total 2 green laser :) i don't think it could break the laser. usually i PUSH OUT the diode.. using a screwdriver by the initial aperture! IN THE LATERAL PART of the front diode lense. because at the centre there is the lense.. and i can't touch it. BUT if you press laterally... you can make a good pression...to push out the diode.

can you add some pics of the beam compared to other laser you own? fro example the buyincoins.. i think you have the 5mw ? however.. a beamshoot comparative could be good ... :)
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
927
Points
18
I just got that one last week too. It is a good burner but don't let that fool you. These lasers have a trick to help deceive those without meters. The beam diameter is SUPER SMALL. The ridiculously small beam diameter allows for some burning capabilities even though the lasers output is not that high. Mine on fresh cells with an IR filter peaks at 120mW but then slowly and steadily decreases in power down to 60mW. So gradually that I cannot even see it happening. After that the burning power is seemingly the same as it is initially. I thought for sure it was doing 100mW based on the stinging of the skin but it was only 60mW. On partially depleted cells the laser doesn't reach 90mW peak.

If you are looking for a good burning laser for up close and want something around 60-80mW and is really cheap, then this laser is perfect but keep in mind the divergence is ridiculous.
hello :) mmmh you GOT tis laser and .....no made a review? ;( ;( ;( .i don't understand why no everyone do reviews... yobresal.. i know you are a good member. yout review could be fantastic....! and you have a LPM... a laserbe?

i noticed your unit have an initial 120mw peak. excuse me.. but i don't undestand if it is PURe green 120mw. if yes.. MMMHH that's good. can you kindly let me say the peak WITH IR? and what do you intend for"slowly and steadily decreases". just to understand...at 15sec how many mw?at 30sec how many mw...and the final 60mw...after HOW MUCH time?(60 sec or more...) excuse me for the quantity of question.. but i am precise:9 and it is important to know if it has 60mw after 120sec or just 30 sec.

GENERALLY the medium usage of a laser pointer is about 20 sec...than depress push button and reuse it within other 10/15 sec. this is what i THINK ..do a person who play with lasers around to point buildings or sky.so.. if in the first 20sec its power...from 120mw is just at 100mw.. IT IS GOOD FOR ME.
 

daguin

0
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
15,989
Points
113
can you add some pics of the beam compared to other laser you own? fro example the buyincoins.. i think you have the 5mw ? however.. a beamshoot comparative could be good ... :)

Except for problems with the beam/spot (like the dirty lens here) beam shots are really pretty useless to tell anything unless the person doing them is very careful and trustworthy. If he does a beam shot with both lasers in the same shot, you can do a pretty good comparison of the brightness, but that is all you can tell. Trying to estimate the output by how bright it looks is useless.

Also, if the beam shots are not of both lasers in the same frame, all bets are off. The beam's visibility is VERY dependent on what is in the air at the time. I just did a couple of quick beam shots to illustrate this for someone buying a laser from me.

Here is a very nice beam shot in my home with the lights on
nova2.jpg



That is a very nice beam and spot. It is very bright.

Here is another one.
nova3.jpg


So how much more powerful is the second laser? Of course it is the same laser. The pictures were taken just a few seconds apart in the same place, with the same camera, and the same shutter settings.

The only difference was that I sprayed some visualizer in the air before the second shot. You cannot see any difference in the room. If the picture is taken without the lights on, visualizer is even more difficult to detect

Which one should you buy? You should buy the one from the person you trust more. That is one of the reasons that these reviews are so important to the community.

Graphs are just as easy to manipulate :(

Peace,
dave
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2009
Messages
371
Points
28
The lens is dirty and the driver (with the button) is either not aligned correctly or it is not supported correctly.

Great thanks for the advices! I will try the easiest of things and clean the lens with some alcohol & cotton :) For the push button that will have to be a later project!

yobresal said:
I thought for sure it was doing 100mW based on the stinging of the skin but it was only 60mW. On partially depleted cells the laser doesn't reach 90mW peak.

Great thanks for the feedback! This explains a lot for FP's entire 200mW series of pointers! They ALL have terrible divergence but great burning capacity. This is of course a tradeoff hand in hand when you spec it for a nominal 100mW as you say! :)


realista said:
1) did you solve the problem of the lense?try to clean with a cotton fiock( for hears) + alcohol. i don't think you have a bad lense.. however I HOPE my unit will be clean XD

You will probably have more luck than what I did! :)

realista said:
2)why did you ise a 10440 lion battery to test the power of the laser?what can burn this laser with 2x nimh batteries or alkalines? [...]

I did the tests using both 2xAAA fresh alkalines and 1x 3.6V 10440 battery. I could *not* light a match with fresh alkalines.

I could burn black plastic with both. However burning effect was increased with the 3.6V.
realista said:
3) a GOOD TEST to do to understand how powerful a laser is... [...]

Don't have a slim CD case. However refer to yobresal's post to get a very good number, in milliwatts. not seconds ;)

realista said:
can you add some pics of the beam compared to other laser you own?

Perhaps tomorrow or some time. I am tiiiired. ;)

Best of luck for your purchase!
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
927
Points
18
mhakali:I did the tests using both 2xAAA fresh alkalines and 1x 3.6V 10440 battery. I could *not* light a match with fresh alkalines

;( ;( ;( it seems you got a bad unit. bad clean lense.. bad power.
yobresal got a good unit i think... 120mw(i don't know if PURE or with ir) is a respectable power for a 38$ laser pointer.and he tested the laser with 2xaaa i think. if he test with 3.6v 10440 could probably have more that 120mw!

i pmed a lot with focalprice.. before to buy this laser. they assured me a "good unit".. but i don't think they can know if it is a unit like the yobresal(good) or another one like your..... because also your laser CAN smoke plastic. ... :( time will tell.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
4,919
Points
83
Realista, I clearly stated the peak output to be 120mW WITH an IR filter. The timeframe with measurements is as follows, 1 second, 120mW, 15 seconds, 88mW, 30 seconds, 59mW, 45 seconds 65mW.
Also the cd case idea is not going to mean anything without taking into consideration beam diameter and measuring that into your calculations. For instance, my 450mW sky laser unfocused is slower than my wicked exec 112mW.

To everone:
If you want to try and put a number to a lasers output fork up the money for a lpm, until you do so assigning measurements "blindly" will only confuse people
 

daguin

0
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
15,989
Points
113
To everone:
If you want to try and put a number to a lasers output fork up the money for a lpm, until you do so assigning measurements "blindly" will only confuse people

HEAR! HEAR! HUUUUZAAHHHHH!

Peace,
dave
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
927
Points
18
italian custom blocked my pack! :( they told me it was declared 18 euro the pack.... and it isnt exact. they sent me the letter...... and i think i will never see this laser. italian custom us HORRIBLE....i have other 2 laser blocked by monst... about 5 months...... what can i do...? i would go to a lawyer....but my pack are ILLEGAL... lasers over 5mw are illegal... am i in the shit now? i think i cannot do anything
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
4,919
Points
83
Sorry realista, sounds like your screwed. The US Customs took a huge shippment of my lasers (154) and then turned them over to the FDA. They had em for 6 months or so now.
 




Top