Is building all that much cheaper?

[AndyR]

I was planning on building (my first!) bluray, a 6x in one of Jayrob's keychain hosts... mainly due to most saying that building is far cheaper than buying.

Well, with the host costing $48 + GGW being around $50 and a $20 flexdrive, $5 battery / charger = $123 ... I'm also sure I missed something else somewhere.

And without a glass lens, I expect maybe 180 mW from it (with lens would add another $50 )

Well for only about $20 more, I can buy a 200 mW bluray from somewhere like Rayfoss or o-like and have it already completed and a bit more powerful...
Not to mention the lack of risk that my unexperienced hands will somehow horribly mangle or destroy my build.

Is there something I'm missing? Or is the satisfaction of building a laser the only thing I can look forward to? (not that its not a good enough reward, I think it will be).

 

[kevinmassey]

I think thats it... Good luck! Oh and to answer your question; I dont think it is cheaper. Once the companies can start mass producing something it will probably be cheaper then doing it yourself.

 

[toogoofy]

It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that is the reason I wake up and live my otherwise depressing life (if you could even call it a life) :undecided:

I doubt you save very much from it though.

toogoofy

 

[charliebruce]

In some circumstances (low powered pens) it's often cheaper to buy pre-made, but when you get to the higher powers, not only do you know more about the build's quality and internals, but you also save a little bit of money. If you source parts carefully, your saving can increase somewhat, too. There's the satisfaction of creating and building yourself, along with the greater care you pay it. Finally, when you get to the much higher power/value pointers, there's a much greater profit margin by the commercial sellers.

 

[AndyR]

Thanks for the input, I think I'll attempt my very first build as soon as I get a hold of all the parts.

GGW-H20L diode in Aixiz module from High Tech Dealz = $56.82

MicroFlexDrive = $23

Jayrob's Pocket Mini basic kit = $43

AW RCR123a Protected 750 mAh Battery = $6.99

Total = 129.81 (without shipping costs)

I hope I'm not missing anything...
It would also be nice if someone could find a cheaper alternative to any of these (like the host)
http://rayfoss.com/productn.asp?ArticleID=85 would be a viable alternative but I would like to use a smaller host at around that price.

 

[Pontiacg5]

In some circumstances (low powered pens) it's often cheaper to buy pre-made, but when you get to the higher powers, not only do you know more about the build's quality and internals, but you also save a little bit of money. If you source parts carefully, your saving can increase somewhat, too. There's the satisfaction of creating and building yourself, along with the greater care you pay it. Finally, when you get to the much higher power/value pointers, there's a much greater profit margin by the commercial sellers.

True, I don't know of anywhere where you can buy a 400+mW 405nm hand held, you just have to build it yourself. Likewise with reds any stronger than 200mW, you can push some red diodes to 300mW but you can't buy any stronger than 200mW.

 

[Xplorer877]

It doesn't hurt to learn how to build these. What if you buy a premade laser and the diode burns out. Now what do you do? Besides making them is half the fun!

-Tony

 

[yobresal]

Have there been any reviews of 200mW violet lasers from Rayfoss, O-like, Focalprice, or DX on here?

 

[Tech_Junkie]

I'd get a cheaper host. If you use a host that holds 3 batteries, you can use a Rkcstr driver and save half on that too. I know some people here have used 2 batteries with a Rkcstr, but thats not the right way of doing it.

 

[Xtrm2Rick]

wel building it yourself might not always be cheaper but atleast you can say "I build that!" with a big smile on your face and it also gives that "unique" feeling wich you cant get with a already build laser from a shop

 

[DakotaDaNative]

yeah building is alot of fun because like Xtrm2Rick said it feels nice to have built something and you feel accomplished yeah i guess its cheaper to buy a high power laser if the said company can supply them at low cost. but for me putting it together is alot cooler.

 

[hxdrummerxc]

I may be new here,
But I will chime in,

I currently have parts on order to build my first laser.....

But when you build your own, you MAY NOT have to wait a month to get the laser shipped from china either.

Seriously, I ordered a 200mW waterproof red from o-like on april 4th. Its the 19th, and still no tracking information.

 

[AndyR]

Does anyone here know of a good (cheap ) host that I can use, preferably about as small as Jayrob's Cree flashlight host?

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Cruse DX, then have Jay build you a heat sink.

 

[AndyR]

I think I'll just take the easy way out and buy the "kit" from Jayrob, thanks for the help though!

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Either way its a better decision to build your own. Do some reading, then read some more, and take your time.