Considering buying my first powerful laser

[drummerdimitri]

Hello people, I visited wicked lasers site and the new spyder III pro has caught my attention. Particularly the green 100 mW version of the laser. Now i have no experience in lasers, but I already own a fairly powerful chinese made 30 mW laser that can barely pop a black ballon from really close distances. The spyder's price seems to be reasonable after the price reduction. I want a laser powerful enough to burn things for the heck of it but also to point things out in the mountains etc... Do you think I should go for it? Also, I live in lebanon, and although the can ship it to my country, how can I make sure that the customs wont take hold of it? The last thing I would want is throwing away 328 $. What do you think I should do? Thanks!

 

[Ash]

Go with a cheaper laser until you are sure that you have no issues with customs.
I would purchase the same color and power rating (mW) laser from a cheaper site like o-like

 

[drummerdimitri]

Well, I just read on wicked lasers website that if the laser gets confiscated by the customs, they will refund the entire amount and give you 100 wicked bucks. So now, I am seriously considering it because it looks sick and heavy duty as well. What do you think?

 

[SupermanFTM]

Wicked Lasers is one of the companies we don't overly admire around here. They have outlandish prices for good, but not great products. Take a look at the links below:

Personally, for high power and high quality lasers I look to optotronics' RPL series:
Optotronics RPL Portable Green Lasers

For cheaper lasers that can still be fairly powerful, I would turn to either rayfoss or o-like:
www.rayfoss.com
Green Lasers : O-Like, Quality Products, Great Prices

All of the companies I have mentioned are trusted and have quality control. That means you'll get the power you pay for and you'll get it for a good price. These companies generally have a few tricks for getting around customs as well. If you're worried about it, you should ask them about it. If customs takes the laser from any of them, I'm fairly certain they will all either refund you or get your laser to you some other way. For a first laser, I'd try something cheaper like Ash suggest just to get a feel for them.

There is a ton of information to be found on lasers, most of which is documented on this forum somewhere. I urge you to read around a bit before making your final decision.

ALSO, DON'T FORGET to buy safety glasses! These are absolutely necessary for high power lasers!

Good luck!

 

[randomlugia]

I personally do not like Wicked. Try: Novalasers, Laserglow, or Dragonlasers if you want better quality, or go with Rayfoss (which is cheaper, but not by much). I just ordered a Rayfoss laser, and it was +25% overspec.

 

[drummerdimitri]

Well guys, the websites you mentioned have very similar lasers in term of specs and bodies etc... Also, turn out that the laserglow alpha 100 mW is considerably more expensive than the WL as well as optotronic's RPL series. Also, Rayfoss offers only a 50% money-back in case the laser gets confiscated by the cutoms, O-like has no FAQ section whatsoever and Novalasers, dragonlasers are very similar. You see guys, what I liked about the WL is it's individual looks that separate it from the rest. I don't see how you consider it outlandishly price because almost all of the large sized lasers you mentioned on those sites cary the same price tag.

 

[SupermanFTM]

Well guys, the websites you mentioned have very similar lasers in term of specs and bodies etc... Also, turn out that the laserglow alpha 100 mW is considerably more expensive than the WL as well as optotronic's RPL series. Also, Rayfoss offers only a 50% money-back in case the laser gets confiscated by the cutoms, O-like has no FAQ section whatsoever and Novalasers, dragonlasers are very similar. You see guys, what I liked about the WL is it's individual looks that separate it from the rest. I don't see how you consider it outlandishly price because almost all of the large sized lasers you mentioned on those sites cary the same price tag.

For that power, you're probably right. There /shouldn't/ be too great a difference between all of the "quality" manufacturers. For a 100mW, I would go with rayfoss or o-like because of the price. 100mW isn't that difficult to come by so the difference in quality isn't as large as it would be for higher powered lasers. I've never heard of anyone having too much trouble with rayfoss or o-like when it comes to customs either. There's an occasional mishap, but generally these companies will do well in the way of customer service.

Having said all that, if you're spending $300 on a 100mW greenie you may as well go with the one you like. Given that you know only the host is different, in all likelihood. WL does have some nice looking hosts, that's true. The actual operating laser won't be significantly better than from other sites though. Still, if that's what your heart desires, go for it Oh, and of course, post a review here if you do!

http://rayfoss.com/productn.asp?ArticleID=32
Such beauty and elegance! Also, it comes with a focusing ring and shutter. Mmmmm.
Price Tag: $75

http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/Spyder_III_Pro-84-37.html
WL's comparative laser in the spyder III host. It looks pretty and is probably fairly rugged.
Price Tag: $300

 

[jeffreythe00]

i was looking at that spyder too.....AFTER! I had bought the 100mw executive pro series.

im kinda sorry i dident buy the spyder but im really happy with the laser i have so i won.

if you do by any chance decide to buy it i have some discount codes. you can get quite a bit off with them.

heres my review on my wl and theres discount codes at the bottom of the 1st post.

oh and if u purchase it, please review it

review here --> http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/bought-executive-pro-nexus-100-mw-48284.html#post672822

edit: oh and i live in the us, my laser came through customs no problem

 

[mfo]

Green Laser,Laser Beam Optics,Laser Safety Glasses : Dragon Lasers

 

[randomlugia]

I was not suggesting those just because of the price. Wicked, in my opinion, is not a good company. Many members have ordered these lasers, and repeatedly proven that they are often underspec. The hosts are nice, but you may only get 80mW out of it, and for $300 at that. So if you actually want 100mW out of it, you better go with the next step up, and be prepared for an unstable unit.

Oh, and about that refund: http://laserpointerforums.com/f41/wicked-lasers-stole-my-money-44240.html

 

[drummerdimitri]

Well in that case, I've been considering a rayfoss laser around 300 dollars and have narrowed the choice down to three units: the RF532-200mW-FMK(IR Filter), the RF532-400mW-02 and the RF532-200mW-FGB. There is quite a significant difference in price and power depending on what laser I'm comparing to the other, so some input from your side would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've looked at the RF405-250mW-QPT, which seems to be a 250 mW violet laser for a ridiculously cheap price. Is it an actual laser or a torch light? Also how would it's burning power compare to the rest of the lasers mentioned above? The fact that it's really cheap, violet and waterproof makes it extremely tempting to buy, but first I need to make sure that it's actually what I think it is. Thanks!

 

[randomlugia]

I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but if you want a 200mW laser, get the 200mW laser. Obviously the higher powered lasers would burn better, so it really comes down to how much power you want. I would go with the FMK, because it has the best divergence, and the longest duty cycle. But I also like how it looks, so that might just be a personal choice. You will be happy with any of those units. The 02, at $30 more for an extra 200mW might seem like a good idea, but the duty cycle is much shorter and I don't think it looks as nice.

As for the blu-ray, I would get one from a forum member. You can get a 6x or 8x for a good price. Look up "jayrob" and "igorT". Those are both good builders and members.

 

[Ash]

Well in that case, I've been considering a rayfoss laser around 300 dollars and have narrowed the choice down to three units: the RF532-200mW-FMK(IR Filter), the RF532-400mW-02 and the RF532-200mW-FGB. There is quite a significant difference in price and power depending on what laser I'm comparing to the other, so some input from your side would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've looked at the RF405-250mW-QPT, which seems to be a 250 mW violet laser for a ridiculously cheap price. Is it an actual laser or a torch light? Also how would it's burning power compare to the rest of the lasers mentioned above? The fact that it's really cheap, violet and waterproof makes it extremely tempting to buy, but first I need to make sure that it's actually what I think it is. Thanks!

First I don't think you will be as impressed with the waterproof bluray as you would with a green. click for-> Review of the 100mW model.
I would go with a green with an IR filter. I just purchased the RF532-100-FLX from them and it doesn't have an IR filter, so regular (red) safety goggles don't stop the IR and it's sometimes annoying.
I think the FMK is really large compared to the rest of your options.
The -02 seems like a good size and it's a pretty good price and has an IR filter and has a lot of power for the money.
The FGB is one of their newest models and is about the same size as the -02, but it doesn't have an IR filter, so some (~25%) of the mW is IR light.
Out of these rayfoss ones; I recommend the RF532-400mW-02 or the RF532-250mW-02.

 

[drummerdimitri]

I've narrowed my choice down to two models: the RF532-200mW-FMK(IR Filter) and the RF532-400mW-02. I obviously prefer the body of the first one, but the extra 200 mW for 30 extra dollars has really gotten me thinking. Now my question is, what could I do with a 400 mW laser that I wouldn't be able to do with a 200 mW laser in terms of burning power and beam visibility? Thanks!

 

[Emc2]

Re: make sure that you look at beam divergence!

That Rafoss laser that you have linked has a divergence of 1.7mrad, that is horrible. That will look like a flashlight at 100yds. The Optotronics lasers have a 0.8~1.0mrad (RPL series), and a 1.2mrad for the pen style. That is was better than the competition. This is what seperates Optotronics from the other guys, a beam bivergence that is lowest in the industry. I just thought I would bring this up.

Todd

For that power, you're probably right. There /shouldn't/ be too great a difference between all of the "quality" manufacturers. For a 100mW, I would go with rayfoss or o-like because of the price. 100mW isn't that difficult to come by so the difference in quality isn't as large as it would be for higher powered lasers. I've never heard of anyone having too much trouble with rayfoss or o-like when it comes to customs either. There's an occasional mishap, but generally these companies will do well in the way of customer service.

Having said all that, if you're spending $300 on a 100mW greenie you may as well go with the one you like. Given that you know only the host is different, in all likelihood. WL does have some nice looking hosts, that's true. The actual operating laser won't be significantly better than from other sites though. Still, if that's what your heart desires, go for it Oh, and of course, post a review here if you do!

www.rayfoss.com
Such beauty and elegance! Also, it comes with a focusing ring and shutter. Mmmmm.
Price Tag: $75

Green Laser Pointer from Wicked Lasers - Spyder III Pro
WL's comparative laser in the spyder III host. It looks pretty and is probably fairly rugged.
Price Tag: $300

 

[drummerdimitri]

The optotronics is a beauty, but it's price is extremely high. Please do not suggest other models than the ones i have narrowed down to because your not helping much by proposing to buy a better laser for twice the money. Thanks