DinoDirect 50mW green laser pointer extensive review

[Deleted member 8382]

Hello again, as the title says, here it comes my last review.

As I suppose you all already know, DinoDirect offered a free laser trial, thread can be found here:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f41/invitation-all-members-free-laser-trial-dinodirect-51273.html

And, I was selected. I wasn't offered to choose, and one day a mail appeared in my mailbox announcing that I had been selected and giving me a coupon code for the 50mW laser. So, I used the coupon and I got the order completed for free. So, from this point, it was like if I had just paid for this laser, and it's the way I'm gonna do this review.

The product being reviewed here is this one:

50mW 532nm WF-502B Flashlight-Style Green Laser Pointer(1 x 16340/CR123A) - DinoDirect.com

After completing the order, an email was sent confirming the purchase (June 8) , and after two days (June 10) the order was shipped, and I received another email confirming it.

After two weeks (typical time with shippings from Hong Kong), I received it. Here's a video of the unboxing and a power test:



And here are some photos of the laser:









As you see, the power of this laser is stable at 57mW, so no complains here. Then, the divergence. I measured it to be 1.3 mRad , so again, no complains.

Now, my thoughts about the laser. It feels heavy and looks nice from the outside, the host is a genuine Ultrafire so I never thought there would be problems in that aspect. I suppose it's needless to say that like any other 50mW laser, the beam is very visible at night. There are only two things about which I am concerned with this laser.

First, it uses a CR123. It's the rarest of the batteries I've seen on lasers. Primary batteries of this type are very very expensive on the street, and buying a decent rechargeable battery with a decent charger is almost the price of the whole laser. At the end, the only option I've considered is buying some primary batteries packs, but that's not an option for someone that wants it for daily use. Additionally, the laser doesn't include any battery at all.

Secondly, the module has no heatsink. It's just there, inside the host with air between it and the host. That's a very bad idea in my opinion, since air is one of the best thermal insulators. As you can see on the video, it doesn't seem to be a problem for short runtimes, but I'm sure a cheap piece of any metal between the module and the host would give it a heavier feel and overall, an infinite duty cycle.

Quick summary:

Pros:

• Very nice host
• Overspec
• Good shipping time
• Long duty cycle
• Divergence is OK
• Considering the nice host, price is OK
• Clicky button

Cons

• Uses CR123
• Doesn't come with any battery
• No heatsink
• Poor packaging
• No instructions
  
  
  
  
  

 

[rangedunits]

Great review, fixed YT link

 

[Deleted member 8382]

Thanks, I had already fixed it anyways

 

[nikokapo]

Why is CR123 usage a con?

 

[Deleted member 8382]

I explain it in the review. It's a rare type of battery IMO. AAA, AA, CR2, or 18650 would have been much better

 

[TTerbo]

thanks +1
i didnt know the whole front assembly could be unscrewed i thought only the tip could be unscrewed
cheers

 

[Deleted member 8382]

thanks +1
i didnt know the whole front assembly could be unscrewed i thought only the tip could be unscrewed
cheers

haha, I always disassemble everything until the last screw xDDD

 

[TTerbo]

my one was suuper tight. think it had locktight on it
but i got it undone then took the module out. it has a heatsink, its that metal ring.
cheers

 

[Elektrotechniker]

Oh god. i have to do a review too. im busy with 445 though

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Secondly, the module has no heatsink. It's just there, inside the host with air between it and the host. That's a very bad idea in my opinion, since air is one of the best thermal insulators. As you can see on the video, it doesn't seem to be a problem for short runtimes, but I'm sure a cheap piece of any metal between the module and the host would give it a heavier feel and overall, an infinite duty cycle.

Incorrect on 2 points.

1. The word best should be "worst"
2. It has a heat sink. The aluminum ring that holds the module to the host is a heat sink. Its around the IR diode part of the module.

Hey I didnt get any Dino bucks!!!

 

[Deleted member 8382]

1.-It's bad thermal conductor or a good thermal insulator, isn't it?
2.-well, a very poor one then.

 

[JaiNobeZ]

Can you get 18650 easily? Here, nobody sells, or even seems to have heard of 18650s. I have one and I got it with my O-like, it's rechargeable and came with a charger. But i still prefer CR123 because for us it is available over-the-counter fairly cheaply. £2.99 for a non-rechargeable.
On the other hand, nobody sells rechargeable ones, let alone chargers for them.

 

[Deleted member 8382]

But there's a good reason to use 18650, they have a very large capacity. Look at what you're saying, 3 pounds for 1 cell, thats over 5$!!!!

 

[JaiNobeZ]

Ohh... yeah, i guess you're right. I misunderstood the magnitude behind your use of the word "expensive". They are expensive compared to AA or AAA.

Why do all lasers seem to run on odd batteries that most people haven't heard of until they become laser enthusiasts? Back when i was new and didn't know what "CR123", "18650" or "10440" were, i didn't want to buy a laser that ran on them. Even now unless it comes with batteries & a charger i'm not likely to buy a laser that runs on a battery type that i can't buy over-the-counter anywhere nearby. Companies would benefit from releasing lasers that ran on AA\AAA, or even 9V PP3, just some size that most people have heard of.

 

[Deleted member 8382]

You know, 18650 batteries are BATTERIES, they are not the rechargeable version of a primary cell. 18650 batteries have a large capacity and are "cheap" compared to other type of batteries. CR2 or CR123 are a whole different history. They were primary cells designed for cameras, they are lithium primary cells which are better than alkaline ones and give a higher performance, needed by the camera flash. Then they made the rechargeable versions of CR123 and CR2 to save your money on the lithium versions, which are very expensive. Those, however, don't have a
large capacity or any other good thing, they are just a trick to avoid the lithium ones in old cameras.

Some people like the use them on lasers because they give a higher voltage in a small size, (a pair of rechargeable CR2 batteries can give 8.5V when fully charged in a record size). This way you can build small lasers, but with a lame lifetime. Obviously, the thing changes when you put the lithium versions. A lithium CR123 is a 3V cell with 1400 mah of capacity. That sounds good, but the price is a killer. Then, you switch to rechargeable and the capacity is at most 600mah.

That's why I hate CR123 and CR2 batteries.

At least, that's the way I see it.

 

[JaiNobeZ]

Right. Ok. That's weird, because on these lasers the CR123 is suspended between two large springs, space which could hold a bigger battery.

Couldn't a 9V PP3 do the same as 2 CR123s? They're easy to get, and have a fair battery life (in my experience, although that might just be the result of the applications i've tried them in).