HELP CHOOSING LASER!!!

[nik]

I am looking for a 200-300 Mw laser and can shell out 500-800 dollars and if the laser is worth it 800-900
so far I am looking at the 200 Rpl from optotronics, the hulk 200-300 from DL, and the Nova 200 from Nl
can you tell me which has the best average power (Because they all have the 200-300 Mw range)
which is the best for burning
which has the best beam
and overall which is the best
pictures showing what they can do would be great since none of the websites show those lasers like at all
Plz help since I am completely stuck in between and need someone to point out the advantages and disadvantages of each one

 

[pseudonomen137]

I would generally avoid DL because there's definitely something fishy about their power ratings - I, for one, would not trust their word on anything.

The RPL and Nova/Laserglow Nova/Aries are both amazing lasers in their own right. The Aries is more cumbersome to use with its saftey features, but has unlimited duty cycle (can be left on as long as there's power to it), whereas the RPLs duty cycle at the 200mW level is... uncertain (any input Jack?). Also, the build quality of the Aries seems a little better.

However, the RPL lasers seem to have better beam specs from the limited sample I've seen. Both lasers burn nicely without any external optics, but at distance, you'll find the RPL hard to beat. The rechargeable 18650 batteries of the RPL are also a nice touch for me.

Basically, both lasers are great and its a pretty tough choice. For me, it would come down to whether I wanted a solid, constant duty laser I could just turn on and forget about (the Aries), or a great value RPL that offers beam specs to let me harness the full potential of "200mW".

PS: Minor detail, but you may wanna say 'mW' instead of 'Mw' or some pain-in-the-ass, overly-technical jerk (like me!) is gunna come along and complain that a Mw is 1,000,000 w's... whatever the heck a 'w' is.

 

[Deleted member 10578]

Hi Nik,
The recommended duty cycle on the RPL is now 5 minutes on time with 2 minutes cooling @ 73F. This is affected by ambient temperature, so higher temps (>77F ) should be given a shorter run time. The adjustable model will provide the best/longest duty cycle as the IR diode current can be tuned to an optimum level by the end-user so that the crystal is not over saturated. If the crystal is over saturated with IR, it no longer outputs more 532nm power as the diode current increases; at this point the added diode current only increases the heat produced and drains the battery quicker. I've had reports from several customers who, when they tune the current up only until output power flattens out, they are able to run 100% duty cycle until the battery drains (~25-30minutes).

The RPL-200 is a fine laser and I would say it's the best "bang for the buck" laser we offer. The average output of most of the RPL-200 lasers are usually 230mW or greater and could in fact be sold as a "RPL-225", but I would rather understate and offer them as a 200mW and have some margin built into product as it's much better to give the customer a little more than they expect than to give them less than they paid for.

The RPL line of laser products now has a standard 12 month warranty period included as well as a premium 5mW pointer included if the 8mW pointer special is mentioned in the payment notes.