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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Going to purchase from Jetlasers today and need your help

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I can't decide on what to purchase! AHHHHH! lol

Help me out here. What is your favorite color/power and why?

I love the look of the hosts from JetLasers and the fact that you can focus them is a huge plus. I know I want either a blue or green. I want bright/visable and I want burn so I was leaning towards the 2W 445nm PL-E Pro. In fact, I am almost set on getting that one, but then I see the 3.5W or 4W version of it and am thinking that if I get the 2W, I will regret not getting the higher powered version. Can you give me some pros/cons of going with either?

I know the green 532nm is the most visible, but getting it in the higher power also costs a lot more. I can get a 500mW 532nm and it would be just as bright as a 2W 445nm, correct? Heck, the 300mW is probably just as bright. I just would lack the burn. Why would YOU get a 532nm over a 445nm?

What decides the beam thickness? Is one color thicker than the other. I know a beam expander would help with that if I wanted thicker, but was just curious if there is a size difference naturally.

I have no real need for any of these. I want one for the same reason I own some very high powered flashlights. It's all about the "WOW!" factor. I have experience with lower powered lasers and am well informed on the safety precautions of owning a higher powered lasers.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and share your opinions. I look forward to your responses.
 





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My favorite wavelength would have to be 593.5nm, which is a sort of Amber color. It's not available(at least to most hobbyists) at high powers like 532nm or 445nm simply because it costs so much.

Now, the reason I would get a 532nm over a 445nm is that's its brighter. It will have a better beam due to it being DPSS & the dot will be round instead of being a rectangle. Yhat being said, all Jet-Lasers products are high quality :)

-Alex
 
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I love 445 for the color. 532 for the tight beam. And 405 for its focused dot. And low powered 650 for kitty
 
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Just make sure its about 5mw for kitty for they are not smart and will look into the light. But yes very much fun. Its actually how i get her back inside when shes bein a brat
 
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I say build your own or get one made within the U.S.

the 4W and 2W 445nm diode lasers use different diodes. the more powerful one has worse divergence

the diode's output, as well as the type of lens determine beam "thickness" high powered 445nm are always multi mode and have rectangle shaped beams/dots

532nm will always be brighter per mW than 445nm, but both will have a distinctly visible beam in the dark. even my 4.8W 445nm is not as bright as my 1W 520, though one can burn, the other torches.

the 4W ones are whole other animals, I have gotten after-image when viewing the dot, using OD4 safety glasses, it's serious power.

and greenlander, 594 is not unavailable in handheld form in high powers due to cost, but also due to efficiency. they are only a few percent efficient, so one would need a crazy powerful pump diode to get even 500mW of yellow out. and that does not factor in the crystal's temp. the diode needed would be too powerful for a handheld to be practical in terms of power supply, as well as cooling
 
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upaa27

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The effeciency is about 1% if I remember correctly for 593.5nm. For 589 I think it is around 3%
 
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I say build your own or get one made within the U.S.

the 4W and 2W 445nm diode lasers use different diodes. the more powerful one has worse divergence

the diode's output, as well as the type of lens determine beam "thickness" high powered 445nm are always multi mode and have rectangle shaped beams/dots

532nm will always be brighter per mW than 445nm, but both will have a distinctly visible beam in the dark. even my 4.8W 445nm is not as bright as my 1W 520, though one can burn, the other torches.

the 4W ones are whole other animals, I have gotten after-image when viewing the dot, using OD4 safety glasses, it's serious power.

Hmm, maybe I don't want to go 4W then. I have been trying to order something for the past few weeks, but have been unable to make a decision. Now I am kind leaning towards the 532nm again, but at the same time I want to be able to burn pretty easily. Will 2W 445nm be pretty darn strong, or would I really be wow'd with the 3.5 or 4W? Maybe I should just order the 800W 532nm and the 4W 445nm and be over with it lol.

Or I could spend all that money on more important things in life... :undecided:
 
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one good thing about getting more than one is the same beam expander would work.

I used to have the 4W PL-E pro. I think I exceeded the duty cycle, maybe not by having it on too long but not letting it cool enough. it's output degraded to 1.3W and I opted to send the head back to have a 1W 520nm diode installed. More on this in the review I will do soon.

anyway, I still wanted to have a 4W 445nm, but was concerned about the heatsinking capacity of the PL-E pro. It's a lot of power, and while I planned to be more careful with the duty cycle, I also wanted to do all I could to ensure the diode was encased in a heatsink worthy of it's $300 "investment"

Long story short, I put it (my new 3.5W rated 445nm diode) in a copper DominatoR host with a module that also transfers heat away from the diode's back, unlike traditional modules. the heatsink is over a troy lb of copper, and while some of that mass may be useless, I feel better.

plus the driver from DTR runs the diode at 200mA less than jetlasers, the diode is rated to handle 3A, DTR's driver does 3.5A, a more modest overdrive than jetlaser's 3.7A. using a single element lens will also result in more output than jetlasers. that's good, but the reason is that jetlasers uses corrective optics to clean up the beam some, kinda like a 3 element lens, resulting in a cleaner, weaker, less divergent beam.

It's more gratifying to put one together yourself, though 532nm is more tricky unless you get a pre made module

I've got enough handhelds to offer anyone wanting one advice, but that's easiest when I know what the person wants it for

no real need? like the wow factor? I can relate, and you say you know safety. I guess it compares to having a huge gun collection. sure, maybe one or two are for home/peronal defense, but the only real use for the collection as a whole is to admire them, and those rare occasions when you get to take all of them out to the range.

I was foolish enough to think I'd be happy with just one. be careful
 
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Thanks for the info, everyone! Not sure why I can't make my mind up on this. I was going to get the 4W 445nm from Jetlasers but I don't want to spend $569 just to have it not work right because I accidentally didn't let it cool down long enough. I guess sticking with a 2W would be a wiser choice. Will I be satisfied with the burn power of a 2W? Hmmm...
 
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another reason to build your own is the risk of customs. I recently had a box coming from JL checked. thankfully for me it was just a tailcap and battery tube. a complete one could be siezed, you'd have no one but yourself to blame. based on my recent box check, as well as the number of companies no longer shipping >5mW to U.S., I think it's possible customs is stepping it up. cant be certain, but just throwing that out there. you can PM me questions if you like.
 
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another reason to build your own is the risk of customs. I recently had a box coming from JL checked. thankfully for me it was just a tailcap and battery tube. a complete one could be siezed, you'd have no one but yourself to blame. based on my recent box check, as well as the number of companies no longer shipping >5mW to U.S., I think it's possible customs is stepping it up. cant be certain, but just throwing that out there. you can PM me questions if you like.

lol you are really not making this any easier for me! :thinking:

I do appreciate all your help. I just really LOVE the look of the hosts from JL. I love the look from WL too, but I don't want to buy from them. I was planning on trying to build something in the future, but I wanted to just buy one first and play around with it so I can see what I like/dislike about it.

If I purchased something from JL and it was seized, Im guessing that JL wouldn't do anything about it?

PS: I will filling out my order information at the same time you replied. I was that close!
 

USAbro

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Thanks for the info, everyone! Not sure why I can't make my mind up on this. I was going to get the 4W 445nm from Jetlasers but I don't want to spend $569 just to have it not work right because I accidentally didn't let it cool down long enough. I guess sticking with a 2W would be a wiser choice. Will I be satisfied with the burn power of a 2W? Hmmm...

I can't see anyone disliking the power of 2 watts.:na:
 
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Well I just did it. I decided to stop arguing with myself. I ordered a 2W 445nm with a 10X Beam expander and a 500mW 532nm laser from JetLasers. I was just going to order one and then I saw the shipping charge of $39.98 so I decided to see what happened if I ordered two lasers, and the price did not go up for shipping so I decided to do so. I don't want to spend another $40 for shipping to order them separately.

I hope the beam expander comes in the same color as the hosts. I went with black for both lasers. The beam expander didn't give me an option for the color. I'll be upset if it doesn't match.

Ahh, $859.96 spent on the start of my new addiction... I just hope they get through customs. Does anyone know if Jetlasers will take care of me if they don't?
 
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Well I just did it. I decided to stop arguing with myself. I ordered a 2W 445nm with a 10X Beam expander and a 500mW 532nm laser from JetLasers. I was just going to order one and then I saw the shipping charge of $39.98 so I decided to see what happened if I ordered two lasers, and the price did not go up for shipping so I decided to do so. I don't want to spend another $40 for shipping to order them separately.

I hope the beam expander comes in the same color as the hosts. I went with black for both lasers. The beam expander didn't give me an option for the color. I'll be upset if it doesn't match.

Ahh, $859.96 spent on the start of my new addiction... I just hope they get through customs. Does anyone know if Jetlasers will take care of me if they don't?

Gray will definitely take care of you, I have dealt with him in the past and he is the friendliest and most patient person I have met :)

-Alex
 




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