Lasher bought the same 50mw I'm getting from
http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/ledp/LP1076.htm and he said his took 12 days. You're gonna get a lot of "you should get this" because that is what you asked for but there are many different laser addicts in this forum including myself with different spending habits and uses but I'm telling you that for the 5 days I had my 50mW Optotronics (just sold it to save up for the o-like 50mW
), that thing was badass.
I'll put it into perspective for ya but let me give you a quick background story. I had a 5mW laser for a few years (actually 2) and had the same issues most did. It was awesome and a step up from say, a flashlight:crackup: and it made
all the kids
and adults drool wherever I took it but after a while, I realized the beam was pretty weak and unless you're right behind it, it was hard if not impossible to see.
Well the switch in mine finally just broke and was on the hunt for a new one. Then I found this site and realized they sold ones way more powerful than the dinky 5mW. So I ordered my Led Shoppe 50mW but got antsy after just 3 days of it not arriving so ordered the Opto 50mW which is out of Denver which cost me $105. I kinda felt duped because Led Shoppe's website has a Minnesota address so I thought it would arrive quick but after talking to people here about it, they told me it's ships from Hong Kong. For $22 I should have known that:scowl:.
So the Opto 50mW arrived in three days (including the weekend) and I was so excited to try it while I was at work, all I could find was two AAA's from a TV remote. Put em' in, turned it on and I was not impressed. I heard that even with the 50mW, you could see the beam inside a lit room. So I went into a totally dark room and again, not any brighter than my 5mW. I was like s%#* what a waste.
So right after work, I rushed over to Wally World and got brand new batteries and OMG!!! Inside my house (it was still daylight out mind you) I could see the beam shooting through my family room and the freaking dot was super bright and almost gave me a instant headache. Then I wanted to see this puppy at night and boy, I have never wanted it to get dark so fast in my life. Now I live in East Tennessee and have the Smoky Mountains as my back yard so the city lights are far away the air quality sucks. Well, it sucks for people with asthma or emphysema but for me, it rocks!
I hit that button and BAM!! That beam was crazy bright and can be seen from any angle. None of this " you have to be behind it or within 10 feet to see it" crap. I shot it down the neighborhood street which is about 100 yards long and the neighbor at the very last house on the same side of the street as me said he saw a HUGE beam about 20 feet in front of him. What a difference a new set of batteries makes.:bowdown:
Oh, by the way, some claim out of the box 50's can burn but mine from Opto didn't and they say it's all in how they converge the beam or whatever the term is for "the beam is too fat" but if you YouTube 50mW, you'll see some that do burn. They may have tweaked it, I don't know.
Hope this gave you some perspective on what a 50mW can do. I have heard from many people on this forum that for what you and I want it for, there is no reason to spend $100 or even $50 on a 30mW or 50mW. Have the patience and get one from the Led Shoppe or o-like which I hear has great products and a helpful staff even though they're in Hong Kong. On the o-like site, there are links to talk live with Susie. She's usually on all the the time depending on timezone differences and maybe a smoke break or two.
