Help picking one or the other...

[Cokelover]

Hey everyone! New to this forum and I've just recently gotten into lasers. I've got a WL core 5mw which I love but am looking to upgrade. I tried ordering an S3 elite Lunar but canceled after that whole Arctic fiasco and now am looking at alternatives.

(btw: no other website comes close to the professional design WL has. Shame):san:

Found Rayfoss and some of their lasers look pretty nice. I'm primarily looking for a compact laser with a bit of a kick without a kick in the stomach when it comes to price.:wave::gun:

Narrowed down the choices to these two which I like the fact that they are water proof and small but powerful.

www.rayfoss.com
RF660-200mW-FBT

Pros:
Cheaper, better power/cost ratio
lower beam divergence
No duty cycle limits

Cons:
Working Voltage DC=3.7V (Talk about this in a bit)

www.rayfoss.com
RF532-150mW-QBT

Pros:
Green is a more visible wavelength
Working Voltage DC=3V

Cons:
More expensive
60 second duty cycle




1. So I guess the primary problem is I hte rechargables and for this I was hoping I could use some Surefire CR123A batteries which are 3v.

However after reading around I get the feeling I can't just stick a 3v CR123A into a 3.7v CR123 for the red one. However would it work for the green one?


2. Also I'm pretty sure a 200mw is good for a beam visible stargazing right?

3. I read somewhere that the power of the beam needs to increase by a factor of 4 to show a visible difference to the naked eye? SO should I not even bother with the 150mw laser and go for a 50mw or 200mw?

4. I read that these lasers don't come with IR filters for the radiation. Is that important? Am I gonna start growing multiple heads or develop cancer without one?


Thanks for all your help!

 

[udanis]

I personally really like greenies. I have a 150mW green and a 235mW red. After I use the green the pick up the red. I'm kinda disappointed. Green appears so much brighter and the beam is a lot better.

Hope this helps

 

[randomlugia]

1. So I guess the primary problem is I hte rechargables and for this I was hoping I could use some Surefire CR123A batteries which are 3v.

However after reading around I get the feeling I can't just stick a 3v CR123A into a 3.7v CR123 for the red one. However would it work for the green one?


2. Also I'm pretty sure a 200mw is good for a beam visible stargazing right?

3. I read somewhere that the power of the beam needs to increase by a factor of 4 to show a visible difference to the naked eye? SO should I not even bother with the 150mw laser and go for a 50mw or 200mw?

4. I read that these lasers don't come with IR filters for the radiation. Is that important? Am I gonna start growing multiple heads or develop cancer without one?


Thanks for all your help!

1. If it has a 3V working voltage, then yes, a 3V battery will be fine.

2&3. 50mW is enough for a good stargazing beam, but you could do a lot more with a 100mW laser. You will barely be able to see a 200mW red beam.

4. You will probably hear many opinions on this, but in my opinion, no. The IR stays well enough collimated with the green so unless you're pointing the laser near your head, (don't see why you would) there won't be any danger.

 

[Cokelover]

Ok, so I'm leaning towards the 150mw green one.

Though If anyone has another suggestion I'd greatly appreciate it.
Preferably small package, big punch, not to crazy cost...

 

[randomlugia]

What's your budget? Rayfoss is probably the cheapest place to get quality lasers, but you might be able to get a better laser that costs a little more. Unless you really hate using rechargeables, I would strongly suggest getting one of the larger hosts that use an 18650 battery. You'll get at least 30% more battery capacity/runtime, and because those hosts are typically bigger you'll get more heatsinking and a longer duty cycle. Otherwise the unit you have picked out is good.

 

[Cokelover]

I guess no more than $150-200 Shipped, but $100 is preferred.

Yeah I dislike the rechargeables, I'll get to them eventually but for now I wanna check out their quality before investing in more expensive items.



...

I'm gonna buy this one. Just waiting on them to get back to me with a coupon through their "registry for coupons" link. Hopefully that won't take too long. Getting a laser craving. :drool::san:


btw: they don't have any powerful C or D cell lasers do they?

 

[Cokelover]

Ok, I'm confused. I put in my address and clicked next and it gave me an order number.

Where do I submit payment? And where do I enter my coupon number?

 

[cd520]

If your going to spend the money get something quality and will be underspec'd.
http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/gb-150-200-250-mw-pgl-all-overspec-free-extras-55263.html

$200 for the 150mw 532nm. Add just a tad more for shipping and you will have a quality laser way above the Rayfoss units.

A review of there 150mw 532nm is here- http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/review-test-jetlaser-150-mw-532nm-laser-55029.html

Actuallty metered at 220mw peak.

 

[randomlugia]

Ok, I'm confused. I put in my address and clicked next and it gave me an order number.

Where do I submit payment? And where do I enter my coupon number?

I've never used the shopping cart- too confusing. I just email Faona requesting the Paypal invoice along with the item link.

 

[Cokelover]

Just paid! I'll post when I get it with a review!:thanks:

 

[qumefox]

Why do you hate rechargables? I personally hate primaries. heh. It doesn't take buying too many primaries to get where you could have bought some good quality rechargables and a charger for them. Lithium primaries get expensive in a hurry if you go through them regularly. At a minimum of $2 each (could be higher)for decent cr123a's, it would only take having to buy 11 of them to get to the point you could get a pair of decent 18650's and a charger.

 

[randomlugia]

Why do you hate rechargables? I personally hate primaries. heh. It doesn't take buying too many primaries to get where you could have bought some good quality rechargables and a charger for them. Lithium primaries get expensive in a hurry if you go through them regularly. At a minimum of $2 each (could be higher)for decent cr123a's, it would only take having to buy 11 of them to get to the point you could get a pair of decent 18650's and a charger.

I was also confused by this. RCR or 16340 batteries do have quite a bit lower capacity, but that doesn't explain his hatred for 18650s, which have 3x the capacity.

 

[Cokelover]

I was also confused by this. RCR or 16340 batteries do have quite a bit lower capacity, but that doesn't explain his hatred for 18650s, which have 3x the capacity.

Well, it's partly convenience. With disposables I can toss the old ones and pop in a new one in seconds flat. Also rechargeables tend to lose charge as they age. Plus it's a pain to pop them in the charger and remember to take them out when they r done to prevent overcharging.

True, it's more expensive to buy disposables but in bulk the prices aren't too bad.

 

[Cokelover]

Honestly, I will have to start using them when I get some larger lasers. A necessary evil I guess...

 

[qumefox]

It's not that bad. You generally don't buy just one rechargable battery anyway. Get two(or more. I think I had 72 18650's last time I counted heh), a charger, and a case to keep the unused battery in. That way you can just pop the spare battery in and put the dead one on the charger. Getting a good quality charger (or using decent protected Li-ions or both) will eliminate the possible overcharging issues as well.

Yes they do lose capacity with every cycle, but good quality lithium ion's generally take around 300 cycles to get down to 80%.... How much would 300 disposable batteries cost?

 

[Cokelover]

Ah, touche