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Deleted member 13229
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Before anything, I want to say that this is a great laser. I am going to get pretty picky in this review because reviews that don't show the cons are worthless. This does NOT mean I don't like the laser, I am just stating anything that could be considered bad to some people. I truly am very happy with this laser.
The Basics
When I got the package, I was expecting a 170mW wrapped in bubble wrap, but I got a little extra:
I got a 170mW pen (Duh!)
a cheapo red laser pointer
12 balloons
matches
4 diffraction gratings
2 pairs of Alkaline AAAs
Power Graph (not pictured)
It was a nice little kit to get started with burning!
Here is the warning sticker, as you can tel it is not very descriptive:
Here is a dot shot of the CNI 170 next to a few other laser dots. This picture makes the dots look a lot dimmer than what they are in real life because I dropped the shutter speed down a little so you could clearly see the dots.
And before anything, here are two short videos of its burning power.
Can it pop balloons?
Can it light matches?
Burning
This laser burns about as good as you would expect 170mW of laser light to burn. It is comparable to my DIY red running at 200mA in terms of burning speed. One thing to note is that the initial beam diameter is very small, it seems like a needle. This is great for burning. This obviously pops balloons instantly and lights matches instantly, it even lights red/light pink matches with no problem. I cannot get it to light a white match without "cheating" by putting the dot so it is halfway on the match stick and the match head. I'd say it burns about ~50% better than my old X105 from what I can recall and by looking back at my old videos.
Visibility
As you would expect, the dot on this laser is blindingly bright. The dot compared to what I can recall about my old X105 is nearly the same, if you were to hold the two side by side you would probably notice a very small difference. The beam is very visible in a well lit room, you can easily make out the beam from any angle. Outside at night this thing is like a lightsaber, it is a solid beam that looks unreal. Also, the beam is not much brighter than the pictures I took of my old X105.
Beam Specs
The divergence on this thing is not the best, but it is acceptable. It is around 1.25mRad, which is typical for CNI pen styles, and I was expecting this, the divergence is really only noticeable when you are pointing out far away objects in daytime. This laser does not mode hop on low batteries like my old X105 did, and the dot is perfectly round, unlike my old X105.
Price
I got this laser for only $335, this is due to Pseudo very nicely making up for a problem in my order (I will explain in detail below) so I got a great deal on this. This is a great price for 171.2mW average and 178mW peak of quality green. But at 170mW, I would much rather have this laser in a bulkier case like the RPLs because you really don't need this power in a pen, but you just can't beat the price. If you are a buyer who is looking for a first high powered green laser, and you are debating between an X100 and an X175, I have to say get the X100, you will be plenty happy with it and it isn't really worth paying so much extra for the exact same tricks done just a little faster. We of course always want more power, but for that extra few hundred dollars you save, you could build some nice Blu-ray and 300mW red lasers. Remember that green lasers are for show, and red lasers are meant for burning! (Quote from Hemlock Mike)
Shipping
This is where it gets ugly ;D I originally bought a used 130mW CNI a month ago for $250. I paid for it and it didn't get shipped out. I lost contact with Pseudo for a while, and I finally got a hold of him after about a month. He was very busy and he forgot about by order, but he was very sorry about the loss of communication, so he allowed my to upgrade to a brand new CNI pen testing at 170mW for an extra $75. I took the deal and Here is my laser! Even with the loss of communication Pseudo is a guy you can trust, he will get your stuff shipped out.
Overall
This is a good laser. For 170mW of green you can't beat the price. I am glad I bought it and you would be pleased with one of these too if you bought one.
The Basics
When I got the package, I was expecting a 170mW wrapped in bubble wrap, but I got a little extra:
I got a 170mW pen (Duh!)
a cheapo red laser pointer
12 balloons
matches
4 diffraction gratings
2 pairs of Alkaline AAAs
Power Graph (not pictured)
It was a nice little kit to get started with burning!
Here is the warning sticker, as you can tel it is not very descriptive:
Here is a dot shot of the CNI 170 next to a few other laser dots. This picture makes the dots look a lot dimmer than what they are in real life because I dropped the shutter speed down a little so you could clearly see the dots.
And before anything, here are two short videos of its burning power.
Can it pop balloons?
Can it light matches?
Burning
This laser burns about as good as you would expect 170mW of laser light to burn. It is comparable to my DIY red running at 200mA in terms of burning speed. One thing to note is that the initial beam diameter is very small, it seems like a needle. This is great for burning. This obviously pops balloons instantly and lights matches instantly, it even lights red/light pink matches with no problem. I cannot get it to light a white match without "cheating" by putting the dot so it is halfway on the match stick and the match head. I'd say it burns about ~50% better than my old X105 from what I can recall and by looking back at my old videos.
Visibility
As you would expect, the dot on this laser is blindingly bright. The dot compared to what I can recall about my old X105 is nearly the same, if you were to hold the two side by side you would probably notice a very small difference. The beam is very visible in a well lit room, you can easily make out the beam from any angle. Outside at night this thing is like a lightsaber, it is a solid beam that looks unreal. Also, the beam is not much brighter than the pictures I took of my old X105.
Beam Specs
The divergence on this thing is not the best, but it is acceptable. It is around 1.25mRad, which is typical for CNI pen styles, and I was expecting this, the divergence is really only noticeable when you are pointing out far away objects in daytime. This laser does not mode hop on low batteries like my old X105 did, and the dot is perfectly round, unlike my old X105.
Price
I got this laser for only $335, this is due to Pseudo very nicely making up for a problem in my order (I will explain in detail below) so I got a great deal on this. This is a great price for 171.2mW average and 178mW peak of quality green. But at 170mW, I would much rather have this laser in a bulkier case like the RPLs because you really don't need this power in a pen, but you just can't beat the price. If you are a buyer who is looking for a first high powered green laser, and you are debating between an X100 and an X175, I have to say get the X100, you will be plenty happy with it and it isn't really worth paying so much extra for the exact same tricks done just a little faster. We of course always want more power, but for that extra few hundred dollars you save, you could build some nice Blu-ray and 300mW red lasers. Remember that green lasers are for show, and red lasers are meant for burning! (Quote from Hemlock Mike)
Shipping
This is where it gets ugly ;D I originally bought a used 130mW CNI a month ago for $250. I paid for it and it didn't get shipped out. I lost contact with Pseudo for a while, and I finally got a hold of him after about a month. He was very busy and he forgot about by order, but he was very sorry about the loss of communication, so he allowed my to upgrade to a brand new CNI pen testing at 170mW for an extra $75. I took the deal and Here is my laser! Even with the loss of communication Pseudo is a guy you can trust, he will get your stuff shipped out.
Overall
This is a good laser. For 170mW of green you can't beat the price. I am glad I bought it and you would be pleased with one of these too if you bought one.
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