S
SenKat
Guest
Okay - I thought I would post some ideas about what I am "concerned" about when looking for lasers -
#1. PRICE - 'NUFF said ! Don't wanna break the bank !
#2. WARRANTY- I want the laser I purchase to have a warranty, so if there is an issue with it, I can get a replacement sent to me FAST. A "Cross-ship" policy would be best in my mind - At wholesale prices, you gotta figure a 200mw greenie would cost about $150-$175 to manufacture (TOTAL ballpark) not including research costs, etc... so, a major company would be able to afford to send you a replacement, and wait for the defective unit to come back to them. I have dealt with many PC companies that do that - they "hold" your credit card number as insurance against you not returning the defective unit - and it works fairly well.
#3. QUALITY- It has GOT to give the most bang for the buck ! I want to be able to have people go - "ooooooooo.....Ahhhhhhhh..." when they see it in action ! I want the most MW power for the dollar - a thousand dollars or more is simply ludicrous unless it is a labbie that outputs multiple watts of power in my mind, at least.
#4. POWER- It should be able to fry stuff without too much effort on my part. I do not want to use external lenses, multiple focusing attempts, etc - just point and poof !
#5. DIVERGENCE- I want the divergence to be UUUUBer tiny - I want a tight, powerful beam, brighter than the sun, and have virtually no termination point - I want to see a small pin-prick of light on something 1000 yards away, as opposed to a big, green shiny basketball of light.
#6. PORTABILITY/APPEARANCE- It needs to be as small or as large as I want it. With a/b/c/g/and T mounts available for laser diodes, size is a very workable option. The driver boards can be mounted inside the tube of the pointer, not just "floating", suspended by the solder joint of the diode, for more durability. Some of the units that use C and D cell batteries - even the expensive CR123 or CR2 batts, could go with the lighter weight, and smaller Lithium Polymer batteries, with an external plug to recharge it. Heck, you could even go so far as to give as an option - an external SUPER LONG LIFE battery pack that plugs into the unit ! OMG !!! go figure !
I guess I want the impossible - but I will either keep looking, or learn enough myself to get SOMEONE to manufacture an inexpensive, attractive, and powerful unit that will sell like hotcakes.
I am not saying that there are not good values out there - with the major companies continually striving to improve on their designs, lowering prices, and courting the consumer - anything is possible - we could see a major price break happen shortly, and make it more affordable for most of us. Lots of research, reading, and thinking about it is what is needed to make the best decisions about what WE, as an individual wants to own. Everyone has their own opinions, and some will follow others' leads - some will take a risk, and go out on a limb and find that elusive new company that offers a stellar unit. Happy hunting, all - I cannot say where my next greenie will come from to be honest - but I will make sure to let everyone know about my experience (even if it is a painful one) so we can all benefit from it !
#1. PRICE - 'NUFF said ! Don't wanna break the bank !
#2. WARRANTY- I want the laser I purchase to have a warranty, so if there is an issue with it, I can get a replacement sent to me FAST. A "Cross-ship" policy would be best in my mind - At wholesale prices, you gotta figure a 200mw greenie would cost about $150-$175 to manufacture (TOTAL ballpark) not including research costs, etc... so, a major company would be able to afford to send you a replacement, and wait for the defective unit to come back to them. I have dealt with many PC companies that do that - they "hold" your credit card number as insurance against you not returning the defective unit - and it works fairly well.
#3. QUALITY- It has GOT to give the most bang for the buck ! I want to be able to have people go - "ooooooooo.....Ahhhhhhhh..." when they see it in action ! I want the most MW power for the dollar - a thousand dollars or more is simply ludicrous unless it is a labbie that outputs multiple watts of power in my mind, at least.
#4. POWER- It should be able to fry stuff without too much effort on my part. I do not want to use external lenses, multiple focusing attempts, etc - just point and poof !
#5. DIVERGENCE- I want the divergence to be UUUUBer tiny - I want a tight, powerful beam, brighter than the sun, and have virtually no termination point - I want to see a small pin-prick of light on something 1000 yards away, as opposed to a big, green shiny basketball of light.
#6. PORTABILITY/APPEARANCE- It needs to be as small or as large as I want it. With a/b/c/g/and T mounts available for laser diodes, size is a very workable option. The driver boards can be mounted inside the tube of the pointer, not just "floating", suspended by the solder joint of the diode, for more durability. Some of the units that use C and D cell batteries - even the expensive CR123 or CR2 batts, could go with the lighter weight, and smaller Lithium Polymer batteries, with an external plug to recharge it. Heck, you could even go so far as to give as an option - an external SUPER LONG LIFE battery pack that plugs into the unit ! OMG !!! go figure !
I guess I want the impossible - but I will either keep looking, or learn enough myself to get SOMEONE to manufacture an inexpensive, attractive, and powerful unit that will sell like hotcakes.
I am not saying that there are not good values out there - with the major companies continually striving to improve on their designs, lowering prices, and courting the consumer - anything is possible - we could see a major price break happen shortly, and make it more affordable for most of us. Lots of research, reading, and thinking about it is what is needed to make the best decisions about what WE, as an individual wants to own. Everyone has their own opinions, and some will follow others' leads - some will take a risk, and go out on a limb and find that elusive new company that offers a stellar unit. Happy hunting, all - I cannot say where my next greenie will come from to be honest - but I will make sure to let everyone know about my experience (even if it is a painful one) so we can all benefit from it !
