I really like Sanwu's hosts and worksmanship, so will be getting a Challenger II alongside a several Pocket lasers. Since the USD exchange rate got better recently in Taiwan, I figured this is a good time to pull the trigger.
However I have a really hard time deciding which option to get. I'm hoping to get as much opinion as possible -- whether it is some technical details, experience, or just personal preference -- I will apreciate it.
So after days of digging LPF and asking Francis, I have narrowed my choice into 4 options:
2W 465nm, Pelagius had one and the diode seems to be NDB7675
4.5W 470nm, de-canned NUBM07
1W 520nm, NDG7475 (confirmed by Francis)
1.2W 525nm, de-canned NUGM03
The specific NUBM and NUGM are my educated guess, Francis simply said "open-canned diode".
My first consideration is the de-canned diodes... Although some members have good experience with the diodes being very robust, I am still anxious to get them.
Second is beam visibility. I absolutely love viewing laser beams at night and taking a lot of beamshot photos. The greens should be very bright with the 4.5W 470nm slightly behind, and the 2W 465nm less than half of the others.
Another consideration is the color. There is no low power 460-470nm diodes, so unless I am getting another big laser it's unlikely that I will have this wavelength... Whereas lower-powered 520nm and 525nm are available in the more affordable Pocket series.
Also, I've heard that being 'only' 1-1.2W, green diodes heat up rather quickly due to higher forward voltage. The NDB7675 is speculated to be factory-binned NDB7875 with higher wavelength but lower efficiency (hence more heat). So regarding duty cycle I have no idea if any of the 4 would differ significantly.
My current choice would be the 2W 465nm, being a bright blue laser that comes with the peace of mind of a canned diode. Still, it's half as bright as the others though, I'm definitely tempted by the brightness of the 4.5W 470nm and the more compact beam profile of the greens!
So, as stated above, all opinions welcome =)
However I have a really hard time deciding which option to get. I'm hoping to get as much opinion as possible -- whether it is some technical details, experience, or just personal preference -- I will apreciate it.
So after days of digging LPF and asking Francis, I have narrowed my choice into 4 options:
2W 465nm, Pelagius had one and the diode seems to be NDB7675
4.5W 470nm, de-canned NUBM07
1W 520nm, NDG7475 (confirmed by Francis)
1.2W 525nm, de-canned NUGM03
The specific NUBM and NUGM are my educated guess, Francis simply said "open-canned diode".
My first consideration is the de-canned diodes... Although some members have good experience with the diodes being very robust, I am still anxious to get them.
Second is beam visibility. I absolutely love viewing laser beams at night and taking a lot of beamshot photos. The greens should be very bright with the 4.5W 470nm slightly behind, and the 2W 465nm less than half of the others.
Another consideration is the color. There is no low power 460-470nm diodes, so unless I am getting another big laser it's unlikely that I will have this wavelength... Whereas lower-powered 520nm and 525nm are available in the more affordable Pocket series.
Also, I've heard that being 'only' 1-1.2W, green diodes heat up rather quickly due to higher forward voltage. The NDB7675 is speculated to be factory-binned NDB7875 with higher wavelength but lower efficiency (hence more heat). So regarding duty cycle I have no idea if any of the 4 would differ significantly.
My current choice would be the 2W 465nm, being a bright blue laser that comes with the peace of mind of a canned diode. Still, it's half as bright as the others though, I'm definitely tempted by the brightness of the 4.5W 470nm and the more compact beam profile of the greens!
So, as stated above, all opinions welcome =)
