Advice - Hulk vs. Aries vs. Alpha vs. PPL

[Mr._Nex]

Greetings All -

Been lurking around the forums for a few months and finally decided to join up. I'm looking for a little expert advice about a few lasers/companies. I've only purchased through Wicked Lasers thus far (yeah, I know), but I'd like to get something a little higher powered and little more wallet-friendly.

My budget is around $400 and I'm looking to get the best quality/mW for the money.

The models I'm considering are:

Dragonlasers' Hulk Series 100-149mW ($379.99)
Nova Lasers' Alpha125 Handheld Laser - 125mW ($389.00)
Optotronics' PPL-100 - 100-124mW ($389.00)
Laserglow's Aries-75 - 75-99mW ($379.00)

(I'd post links, but first post...you know the deal.)

I've read quite a bit about each, but I'm trying to determine how they stack up against one another. Some specific questions might be in regards to why the Aries is seemingly more costly (mW/$) than the others. I'm also curious as to user experiences with the Hulk (does the laser tend towards 100mW or 149? Seems like quite a wide range).

As I mentioned, I have a few WLs with excellent divergence, so that's not my main concern. This laser will be for burning first, star pointing second (not serious star pointing, more "check out my laser slicing up the sky"-type star pointing).


Thanks in advance for your expert opinions!
-Nex
(Damn it if you usual UN wasn't taken already...feel free to drop the "Mr." when replying...we're all friends here, right?) :

 

[me_too_lazy]

i dont know whether this is a positive or a negative for you
out of the 4, only DL's Hulk doesnt have the safety features
(led, key switch, 5 second delay)

 

[bootleg2go]

Greetings All -

Been lurking around the forums for a few months and finally decided to join up. I'm looking for a little expert advice about a few lasers/companies. I've only purchased through Wicked Lasers thus far (yeah, I know), but I'd like to get something a little higher powered and little more wallet-friendly.

My budget is around $400 and I'm looking to get the best quality/mW for the money.

The models I'm considering are:

Dragonlasers' Hulk Series 100-149mW ($379.99)
Nova Lasers' Alpha125 Handheld Laser - 125mW ($389.00)
Optotronics' PPL-100 - 100-124mW ($389.00)
Laserglow's Aries-75 - 75-99mW ($379.00)

(I'd post links, but first post...you know the deal.)

I've read quite a bit about each, but I'm trying to determine how they stack up against one another. Some specific questions might be in regards to why the Aries is seemingly more costly (mW/$) than the others. I'm also curious as to user experiences with the Hulk (does the laser tend towards 100mW or 149? Seems like quite a wide range).

As I mentioned, I have a few WLs with excellent divergence, so that's not my main concern. This laser will be for burning first, star pointing second (not serious star pointing, more "check out my laser slicing up the sky"-type star pointing).


Thanks in advance for your expert opinions!
-Nex
(Damn it if you usual UN wasn't taken already...feel free to drop the "Mr." when replying...we're all friends here, right?) :

Hi Mr._Nex,
You can't really directly compare or put the Dragonlasers "Hulk" or Nova Lasers Alpha series into the same class as the PPL or Aries lasers.

The Hulk and Alpha are small "pen pointers" that use either AA or AAA batteries and only have at most 500mW IR diodes in them, while the PPL has a 1.2Watt IR diode and the Aries has either a 1 or 1.2Watt IR diode, Use C size batteries are both true portable "laser modules" with discrete and seperate crystal elements that are all aligned by hand, not mass produced "MCA's.

When comparing these, also base decisions on more than just price; you also need to look at the length of the warranty, the quality of the laser itself and the customer support and location of company (how much it will cost for you to ship it back if repair is needed).

 

[me_too_lazy]

the "Hulk" does not use AA/AAA batteries
it is the same as the aries without the legal safety features

 

[bootleg2go]

the "Hulk" does not use AA/AAA batteries
it is the same as the aries without the legal safety features

Hi me_too_lazy,
You're right, my mistake.

jack

 

[Justin]

One other thing to consider is the method by which a company determines what classifies as a 75mW, 100mW, etc. Different testing methods give different results, and a laser which may be graded by one company as a 75mW may be tested and sold by another company as a 100mW, depending on their testing and grading methods.

The Aries from Laserglow are tested on a graphing laser power meter (Gentec-eo thermopile head with PC-LINK interface) for a continuous 10 minute period and graded according to their sustained average output power. As far as I know this is among the most conservative and accurate testing methods in the industry. You will never get an Aries that is under spec, and it will be able to maintain the stated output power continuously with a 100% duty cycle.