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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

5W 450nm - No brand Chinese laser from ebay - $57

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This is my first laser >5mW which I bought for UFO pointing a.k.a skywatching, and also to enjoy the nice effect of light bending. That is to say I don't know much about lasers.

It came in a metal case alongside a pair of protective goggles as well as a charger and I guess the folks who packaged it must have forgotten international shipping rules concerning batteries because it shipped with 2x16340 @ 1500mAh. I doubt that these batteries were fully charged or maybe the laser is really 5W because they went dim after less than a minute of continuous use. So they are charging as I write this.

In the absence of a light meter I don't know the real power of this laser but it takes 10 seconds to pierce through white paper at 1m. From reading this forum I'd say it's closer to 500mW than 5W, a nice x10 ebay inflation which would normally upset me but given the price and that my is not being burning things, I don't really mind.

The focus ring is rather dangerous to use because it demands for your fingers to spouse the concave shape of the end of the barrel, thus risking a few fingers in the beams if you're not careful. It seems to focuses to infinity when fully screwed which is nice for skywatching. 1m burning required slight unscrewing.

The switch is made of rubber and clicks nicely but doesn't have a lock required for class IVb, which I'm noticing on this forum no one has.

It was $57 including shipping and took a week to arrive. If you're interested I'll post the URL where you can purchase this.

Here are a few photos. Broad daylight don't show a beam but it's bright overcast outside. Night shots coming tonight.

Military grade case - for real men.
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Your mission if you accept it, not burn your retina.
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Why go for safety when you can go for fun.
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My head hurts now.
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that laser is no way 5 watts. If metered I am positive its around a watt or two. They are ok for a starter laser please wear the glasses when using. While they may be cheap they will at lease save your eyes. Please use caution when shining that laser around the house. It takes just a stray beam to hurt your eyes
 

Sta

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Not bad for 1W+ of 450. +rep! For the price it seems like a nice purchase (laser, goggles, diffraction gratings, a nice case).

How does the host feel in your hand? I once considered getting a host like that, but it looks like it might be uncomfortable and awkward to hold.
 
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Razako

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Yeah, not 5W, but it's still not bad considering the price. Probably in the 500-1300mw range based on what I know of similar lasers. A good intro to lasers in any event.
 
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Corrections:
At 1m it take 30seconds to poke a hole and I cannot get a dot, it's more of a line of a few mm. If I shine the paper at close range, about 6" I get a sub mm dot and it pokes a hole almost instantly so I can draw with the laser - until the paper catches fire. My guess is the diode is powerful but the lens is not very good. Maybe someone near Everett WA have a light meter and we could meter this laser?

@Vortish protective goggles always on, even then it's too bright. The headache is my safety officer.
@Sta it is awkward to hold because it's stubby but heatsink seems good as it gets slightly warm after a few minutes of continuous beam.
 
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Paul is in tacoma and has one I know for sure and I am in moses lake but do not have one welcome to the forum and update your info so people see where you are please.
 
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If I compare the size of the diode from this photo of the review of a 3W blue laser

grpn_d9d_udlcv.jpg


to the mystery Chinese laser.

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I'd say we have a 1W diode here.
 

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I've got the same one, about the crazy ass divergence that's not actually it's divergence. This was my starter laser as well so I had no clue was going on why it wasn't just a straight line, eventually I realized the internal lens is actually too far out, even though the focus ring is as close as it can go. Not very well put together, but that's the laser that got me into this hobby so I'll take it as it was :p
 
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Skans

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I was considering getting one of these. I wonder if adding a G2 lens would help it out - not sure how you would go about adding the lens though.

Thanks for the review, this was helpful.
 
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Yes, if you are ever near Tacoma, I can meter it for you and print out the power output sheet for it too. I've seen these lasers for a couple years and I always thought the heat sink was a bit thin. Ideally, your laser shouldn't get warm to the touch in such a short period of time.
 
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This is a mass-produced item from China, and the most of it have 500-1000mw and a bad (or Plastic) lens...the Price includes the accessories is too low for a Quality 5 Watt Laser.... call a "Buyer-watt-Blender" and for beginners dangerous...often delivered with a scrap-Charger, this Charger can, when not -observe permanent- your home on smoke or/and on fire.
 
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@paul thanks, how should I contact you if I'm in Tacoma?
@Desoline, and right on cue with your comment, the switch button is now crooked.
@electricplasma, I don't have that divergence, it's just not a very narrow beam at infinity, but it does go up to the clouds.

Regarding the color, it's giving me a headache just to look at the beam in open space. Is it a color thing? Are there other properties to a laser?
 
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@paul thanks, how should I contact you if I'm in Tacoma?
@Desoline, and right on cue with your comment, the switch button is now crooked.
@electricplasma, I don't have that divergence, it's just not a very narrow beam at infinity, but it does go up to the clouds.

Regarding the color, it's giving me a headache just to look at the beam in open space. Is it a color thing? Are there other properties to a laser?

Just send me a PM when you are coming and we can either make arrangements or I'll give you my address and you can come by. ;)
 

Pman

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Need to spread REP to get you Paul. Thanks for offering your services.
As far as that laser goes it seems like a decent deal at that price for a cool looking host. When Paul looks at it he will know in a moment whether another lens will fit. Acrylic lenses are fine for under class 4 units but I would personally never use one for anything class 4.
Speaking of which I never really saw a conclusive answer of whether the Spartan 1W was actually ac acrylic lens or not although a lot of people thought it was. As some other members can attest too that was my first class 4 3.5 years ago and there's many others that can say the same thing. Would be hard to depart with it for that reason alone.
 




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