How We All Started.

[Fonduman]

You could try e-mailing O-like, they may be able to repair it for you. if it's out of warranty they might charge you, or not do it at all. hopefully the former.

i dont mind a moderate repair charge so long as its not like buying a new one lol.
i've asked them if they would know the lense model to replace. its not a common aixiz lense or anything, the set up uses 3 lenses overall to focus. they're fixed in position (see http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/fixing-my-532nm-500mw-o-like-52662.html)
they dont seem to have any idea about it though
The product page doesnt say anything about a warrantry, but ill ask if i can get them to repair it. i've never sent something overseas before though, not sure how customs will work. not sure if they would care about sending something to china for a change lol.

 

[brando132]

I'm going to add another question to the OP. What aspect of a laser is most important to you? ex. divergance, wavelength, beam specs(size, shape) power, etc.

For me it's wavelength/divergence/beam visibility/beam specs. Power is mostly for beam visibility for me, don't burn much.

I would rather a 200mW green with .8mRad and <1mm beam and a nice clean spot rather than a 800mW green with 1.5mRad 1.5mm beam and a messy dot.

 

[rangedunits]

I was always fascinated with lasers, then my bro was talking about green lasers and all and i decided to look further on google and came accross this site.. A couple months later i bought my x-75 in january.. The whole did did cost me about 250$ cad... back then no credit card, had to do a fund transfers and all.

 

[lasersbee]

I got into Lasers when a customer brought me a Siemens 5mW HeNe
and PS to design a product for the pulp and paper industry way back
in 1986...
I've been fascinated by that narrow coherent beam ever since...


Jerry

 

[Kevlar]

I've had cheap <5mW reds for over 15 years or so but it wasn't until recently I was reading either PS or PM and noticed some ads in the back. One was for high-power lasers so I checked out their site and couldn't believe to the power these hand-helds had!!! (and the price) I think that company was a CNI re-seller.

So I did some google and youtube searches. Funny, but I found Kipkay of course (never tried it though, luckily found this place soon after). I also had found styropyros video showing how to extract the PHR diode and saw that burning and .... I .... was..... hooked!!!

I love building them myself, tearing apart old electronics for parts, and seeing the end working result. My CC doesn't like me anymore though...

 

[jeffreythe00]

I have been fascinated by lasers since the 1st red keychain one came out and they were like 100$. I don't know if they actually were 100$ but a few rich kids had them in school (before there was a ban) and I wanted one since. I finally got my first red from my grandfather hers later about the time when furbys were popular. Yes I had one of those too. Years later I do t remember how....but I found about green lasers and well they were alot of money then too. I looked everywhere for cheap ones and well I accidently found wicked lasers site. I then four.d out that green pointers could be modded (so I thought). So in 2005 I was on wicked lasers site almost every day. I did alot of research and found out about yellow lasers too and there were even blue ones but I couldent find them anywhere to save my life. So I begged my dad in 2005 to buy me a green laser. Many chores later we went on eBay and got one for 45$. Two weeks later nothing..... so we merged the Guy and it was sent to the wrong address and he was trying to get it back!? Idk but after about a total of one month I finally got it! And was I supprised! It couldent burn anything no matter how hard I tried but I didn't care! I played with it forever and the button fell off. Then they button wouldent work at all.... finally I took it apart..... :'( my poor host was trashed! But I got the laser apart! I even pot modded it while I was at it which I learned now is a bad idea. But I still have that laser till toda and I really wish the button worked and it looked new I did however manage to get it rigged. Also it is a slightly darker color green than all of my other greens and its nearly half as bright as my 100 mw!

That's how I got in the hobby. Once I ordered my llaser from wicked I came here hoping everyone could tell me all about it. I been here ever since.

 

[Event_Horizon]

Three years ago. I was out of high school, ready to go into college, and I had no idea what to take, since I was declined admission into my original choice (broadcasting, television and film). On a whim, I chose Photonics Engineering, barely even knowing what it was about. Turns out a lot of it was about lasers. Shortly into first semester, I bought a Nexus from Wicked Lasers, and from there I was hooked.

 

[Crazy Jay]

Here's my story.

It started with my new BB gun C11 Tactical.
The laser it came with is what got me desiring a more powerful one just to see the beam. This was before I learned about the visibility of red lasers.

I think I then searched the net for info on lasers and came across ebay and saw the typical 5mw green lasers. I was amazed how cheap they were. So I bought one and was so exited I had to delve deeper.

I searched and came across a few sites as well as this one. This one caught my eye the most and I had bought RE5 recently. I ended up believing in the dildas description of being able to see the beam in daylight so I can have it just like in videogames.

Blurays were very popular and I wanted one. Thats when the whole fiasco with Tyler started. I saw many members like Jayrob and Daguin.

I knew I was getting a bad price quote from Tyler so I contacted Dave and he mentioned that Tyler has been suspected a shady guy for a bit now. So I asked how I could help.

I choose my nickname based off of Jayrobs because he has my own name and I saw how cool it was that he uses flash lights to make laser cases.

Jayrob and Daguin are the first two I have ever contacted on LPF. I can't remember why but I knew I had to talk to those two. Gut feeling.

Although I hate forums... this is the only one I have tolerated. It's grown on me

 

[ICU]

Was there a certain laser that piqued you're interest?

All of the light shows they put on are just truly amazing.

Lasers have always been mesmerizing to me, I just never realized I could purchase much less build anything stronger then the pointers for the cat to chase around.

I'm going to add another question to the OP. What aspect of a laser is most important to you? ex. divergance, wavelength, beam specs(size, shape) power, etc.

For me it's the pure intensity of the colors and what I can do with them, not the burning.

 

[sandidgepatrick]

im subscribed to popular science mag. always been into the newest/coolest things coming out...laserglows add caught my eye many years ago..did some research found my first laser at megalaser uk it blowed my mind ive been going wideopen ever since..just recently been building some small laser pens...cant get enough... NEXT!!!!

 

[pullbangdead]

The complete opposite direction from everyone else.

I was already working on my degree in materials science, and through my coursework I decided that I liked and wanted to focus on semiconductors. Did an internship in a silicon wafer fab, and knew that I wanted to go to grad school for the kind of job I want. In the process of looking for the kinds of things I wanted in a grad school, I realized that all the most interesting stuff happening in grad schools were happening in light-emitting semiconductors, especially all the new stuff in GaN. So I started looking into such things in grad schools and in other areas, and the subjects kind of converged: I started hobbying in lasers a short while before I turned in my grad school applications looking to work on light-emitting semiconductors. Another 6 months later, I was in grad school researching laser diodes, and still building and buying my own for fun. A very nice convergence, it has turned out.

I don't know that I'll end up working with lasers after grad school, but you never know what will come around the next bend.

 

[blu-ray laser]

Twelve months ago I bought a keychain 5 mw pointer. Since I was already into electronics, I took it apart to see if I could somehow amplify the power of this laser to see what would happen. I quickly noted, however this couldn't be done with a cheap red because of the fact that they can't produce any more light though, after a quick google search that is. I searched youtube and stumbled over kipkays, and styropyros video to create high powered lasers. I chose the latter because it seemed to make more sense to maintain a diodes current and voltage. I linked to modwerx, then to LPF, and I was instantly hooked on the hobby. I hope to make my career in laser/photonics engineering, and eventually contribute to the laser world.

 

[aryntha]

I was a young geek - the first laser I ever messed with was a HeNe portable that ran off of two 9v batteries --- 0.5mW.

The thing was amazing to me, but I had only borrowed it from my father's work. He had to sign a release to even let me use the thing for a week. This was in the mid 80s or so.

After that I worked two summers to pay for a Uniphase 1508 0.5mW HeNe which I still have, and still works. I got it from Edmund in New Jersey.

Then I got a Coherent/ALS Diode 670nm pointer. 5mW, ~$350. It got stolen; I wish I still had the thing. Someone here on the forum has two; if you're watching, I'd like to buy one of them. Really. Thing was built like a brick and ran off of "N" cells.

Around then I also built my own HeNe from a tube gutted out of a checkout stand in ~1989 or so.

After that, things slept for a while until I got my first GLP in 2000 or so (Pretty early; pulsed 532 pen, ~5mW... $400 or so.) --

I've always wanted more serious lasers, since I was a kid, especially a GreeNe, and around 2008 i decided "screw it, I'm going to get back into this" - I ordered a 473 from Laserglow, and the rest was history.

 

[Rafa]

ErDaByZ led me into the lungs of lasing...

Since I bought my first 10mW green laser im totally hooked to them. I'm buying a 445nm!

I like beam (->power). And over all the color of the beam. Burning is not as cool as pointing at the sky.

 

[ossumguywill]

Since I was like a month old I loved light-my family set me facing the blinking christmas tree to shut me up, I would stare at it for hours. I progressed to lasers, I wasn't aware they had anything besides those fun red pointers until I was like 10, when I found out about wicked, and I wasn't aware there were inexpensive more powerful lasers available until a few years later.

 

[kiyoukan]

i was at spencers gift and saw there green star laser and that kinda started it, i also saw a laser show at a concert that pushed me towards my scanner.