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Aries 100 or 125mW?

zMd113

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Ok I have a Viper 125mW that I bought from DragonLasers and I love it but I want something a little bit bigger and with heat sink because I need it for amature astronomy. I also want something with safety keys which the Aries has.

So my question is which version can get me the fantastic results that I expect from my Viper? Also are the burning capabilities better or worse with the Aries compared to my Viper?

I'm just trying to see if the 125 is worth the extra $50.
Any help is appreciated, THANKS!
 
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What is the power output of your Viper?

There won't be a significant visible difference between a ~100mW laser and a ~125mW laser.

The burning capabilities of the Aries should be about the same mW for mW as your Viper. The Aries will have better divergence, though, so it will be better for burning at a distance compared to your Viper which is better for burning up close.
 
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With lasers more power is typically better... if you want to burn then power is key, as is focus... the focus of a laser determines power density, so the more power and smaller beam is better. IMO it's worth the extra 50$.
 

zMd113

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With lasers more power is typically better... if you want to burn then power is key, as is focus... the focus of a laser determines power density, so the more power and smaller beam is better. IMO it's worth the extra 50$.

Yeah I wasn't sure if "Bigger is Better" related to lasers. Thanks for the info!
 
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125mW if that's what you mean, sorry I'm not very laser savvy but I'm trying to learn.

What I meant was what is the actual power output of you Viper...

Perhaps Dragonlasers sent you a graph or power reading with your laser? I know some companies do that.
If not, the only way to know the actual output is by measuring it on a calibrated LPM (Laser Power Meter).
Due to the design of DPSS laser (like your Viper), the actual power will not usually be exactly the rated power.
The advertised "125mW" figure is more of a minimum guarantee. That is, your laser should have an average output power of 125mW minimum over the recommended duty cycle.

If you look at Laserglow's "pricing and ordering" tab on the Aries, at the section in the chart that lists output power, you will see several figures.
To quote the site:
Aries-100 Sustained: 100-124mW
Peak: ~140mW

This means the Aries 100 will typically sustain power between 100mW and 124mW and peak around 140mW. So the 100mW figure is the minimum power you will get.

Here is the spec for the 125mW Aries:
Aries-125 Sustained: 125-149mW
Peak: ~165mW

However, not all sites list power by the minimum.
More often than not, you will find websites that advertise lasers by maximum power, rather than minimum. Meaning your laser could be anything less than XXXmW.
Does that make sense?

As was said, burning power depends on several factors. If power is equal, power density will determine which laser is a better burner.
For example:
Let's say you have 2 lasers that output exactly 100mW (and same wavelength on the same surface). One has a 5mm beam diameter and one has 1mm beam diameter.
The laser with the 1mm beam diameter will burn better because all the power (100mW) is concentrated into a smaller spot that the laser with a 5mm beam diameter.

Another thing to note is that a divergence (how much the beam spreads over a distance) is inversely related to beam diameter.
A laser with a wide beam at aperture will be capable of better divergence than a laser with a small diameter at the aperture.
Your Viper likely will have a slightly smaller beam diameter than the Aries, so divergence of the Aries will be better (meaning the beam will diverge less over the same distance.
 
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zMd113

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Yes it does thanks! I think I will go for the 125mW, also it's in stock and the 100mW isn't right now.
Thanks for your help!
 
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Yes it does thanks! I think I will go for the 125mW, also it's in stock and the 100mW isn't right now.
Thanks for your help!

You're welcome.
And welcome to the forum, by the way.

Also, please consider writing a review of the Aries when you get it.
They are rare around this forum. I'd also like to see what you do as an amateur astronomer. I've been considering picking up a telescope myself.

Enjoy your stay! ;)
 

zMd113

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Orion Telescopes is a great place to start for astronomer newbies. Lots of price ranges to choose from. By the way putting together a telescope is the biggest pain EVER! It only took an hour to put together but it was the most frustrating hour ever. I'll put some pictures up later of what I've captured using mine.
 
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Orion Telescopes is a great place to start for astrologist newbies. Lots of price ranges to choose from. By the way putting together a telescope is the biggest pain EVER! It only took an hour to put together but it was the most frustrating hour ever. I'll put some pictures up later of what I've captured using mine.

Why on earth (see what I did there) would you need a laser for Astrology? Does it come in handy for looking over star charts and working out dates etc?

Now Astronomy would be a different story.

I am guessing you got the terminology mixed up?

Jerry
 
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Go for the 125! Youll love it man, laserglow is one of the BEST that you can buy from, enjoy it and, be safe! Oh, and PLEASE do a review when you get it for us as mister RA_pierce requested allready :)
 
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$439 for that? Why don't you just get one via Scopeguy's GB. They're the same thing (CNI lasers PGL-III-C), and the ones Scopeguy gets are usually overspec. May take you longer, but for $439 you could get a 250mW one--twice the power of that Aries.
 

zMd113

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$439 for that? Why don't you just get one via Scopeguy's GB. They're the same thing (CNI lasers PGL-III-C), and the ones Scopeguy gets are usually overspec. May take you longer, but for $439 you could get a 250mW one--twice the power of that Aries.


Have you bought from him before? The prices are awesome but is the quality the same as the ones I could buy from CNI, DL, LG?
 
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Scopeguy20's group buys are for CNI products and Glenn (scopeguy20) is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, you've got nothing to worry about buying through him.
 
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Have you bought from him before? The prices are awesome but is the quality the same as the ones I could buy from CNI, DL, LG?

The quality isn't only the same: they ARE the same lasers. They are CNI lasers, which are what DragonLasers and LaserGlow source their lasers from.
 




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