Bluefusion - actually, they are Sony branded, but I am unsure if Sony actually makes them or not !
The main issue is - there is NOT a huge market for bare diodes....there just isn't ! Not to mention (oooops, too late for that, eh ?) that they are dangerous in the wrong hands - hell, even the RIGHT hands ! But - other than media recorders, what other use, or retail operation would these high powered diodes be good for ? Well, OURS, naturally...but other than that ? A few scientific reasons perhaps, but I personally believe that is why you cannot just call up roitner and say, "Good Morning, Mr. roitner....can you airmail me 12 of your finest diodes please ?" well, you CAN do that, but you would pay a premium ! Mainly because they then have to bust open a tray of 100 to send you a few - then there is packaging, handling (reverse that order, pease !) and shipping - and HOPING they do not get an RMA notice....Man - if I could just go into "The Diode Shop" and pick up th egrounded scoop, and reach into the grounded plexi-bin and scoop out a few hundred diodes - I would be waking up any time now...sigh...the reason I got into this hobby is, to put it simply, they are REALLY COOL ! hahahahaha ! Seriously, these things are a blast to mess around with, and a coherent beam of energy that you help to create, and by excercising your brain a tad bit, get that looking super nice by way of a new host, or hand made something,etc - it igves me a buzz to do it !!!! But, until the diode shop becomes a reality - we will have to settle for finding someone that has a load of these things just sitting around, and pay the asking price for them - or buy up all the elcheapo drives we can and scavenge the parts that way. Uhm...I think I am rambling now
anywho, bu my diodes ! LOL
G !