Advices before ordering

[Thale]

Hi all,

I'm considering this laser:
1W 445nm laser module/focusable/TTL [OL-445-650] - $172.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products

But i've never ordered anything from this company and I'm wondering whether this laser is a quality product, stable, reliable.

I've seen a post where someone said it can be pushed up to 950mW, which is IMO a optimal power to avoid shortening the diode lifetime.

What about the divergence? Actually, I plan to use this laser indoor for some experiments, burning and maybe to start building a scanner later.

Will this laser is a good bargain?

Thanks for your inputs!

Regards

 

[Eudaimonium]

O-like is generally very good and I would reccomend buying from them.

Diode there is supposedly driven at 650 mA which would result in some 500mW after lens on that thing, but since the blue diodes used everywhere are the same, you can crank it up up to 1.5 A if the driver allows it.

Though, if you are looking for a handheld laser, you are much better off building your own if you have any electronics and soldering experience.

 

[ludwigfan]

I second the build your own advice. Firstly, you'll get a more powerful laser, but more importantly, you'll be able to fix it if anything goes wrong or burns out with it.

Having said that I wouldn't recommend build your own if you have no idea what you're doing or have no electronics experience at all.

 

[Thale]

Actually, I prefer having a reliable laser rather than a unstable handheld overpowered one
I won't use it outside that much, I prefer a small grennie for that.

That said, I was wondering if I can trust on this company, especially on the mentionned model.

If I don't overpush the diode (700-900mW max), what would be the expected diode's lifetime?

Thanks

 

[Eudaimonium]

Actually, I prefer having a reliable laser rather than a unstable handheld overpowered one
I won't use it outside that much, I prefer a small grennie for that.

That said, I was wondering if I can trust on this company, especially on the mentionned model.

If I don't overpush the diode (700-900mW max), what would be the expected diode's lifetime?

Thanks

Yes, company is trustful.

Diode outputting 700-900mW will not be considered pushing it.

Cramming 1.5A or more in it will be pushing it, which is 1.2W or more, depending on optics.

 

[ludwigfan]

Diode's lifetime in the projector is 20,000 hours I think, though I'm not sure if they are run at ~500mW or ~1W.

Building your own doesn't have to be unstable. You could make it just as stable as the O-like by running it at the same power. The difference being your own build is more easily repairable by you.

 

[Spartan X]

Diode's lifetime in the projector is 20,000 hours I think, though I'm not sure if they are run at ~500mW or ~1W.

Building your own doesn't have to be unstable. You could make it just as stable as the O-like by running it at the same power. The difference being your own build is more easily repairable by you.

Additionally, should your diode ever go bad, or have a defect, it will be easier to replace, as they are not all that expensive to buy from the GB's off projectors.