Megagreen UK Stealth 50 mw 532 nm

[davidgdg]

This may be of interest to UK readers.

www.megagreen.co.uk are UK based suppliers of medium power pointers. I have four of their 532 nm DPSSL pointers: 1mw, 5mw, 50mw fixed focus ("Stealth" model) and 50mw variable focus.

The 1 and 5 were my first pointers. Nice aluminium cased basic pointers for beginners. Actually I still use them for indoor stuff (the others are too powerful), but the pick of the bunch is the 50mw fixed focus "stealth".

The 50mw stealth is  £99 (now about US$ 150) which includes shippping. Pricier than the DX offerings but good quality. I don't know where they source them from but they look good. Smart black pen style. Good tight beam (1mm) with sub 1mrad divergence. But best of all, outputs a solid  105mw ;-)
I am assured they have IR filters in which case this is quite reasonable value for UK buyers, given the plunge in sterling. When I get a useable IR filter I will modify this review after I have checked that the 105 is indeed all green!

 

[Traveller]

...5mw ... I am assured they have IR filters ... When I get a useable IR filter I will modify this review

Hi,

how would you compare are these "MegaGreen" lasers - quality & build-wise, the other lasers you own / owned?

I was interested in both the 50mW for stargazing and the 5mW for indoor use. I will wait for your modded review on the 50mW but wanted to ask you what it means that the 5mW doesn't come with an APC circuit. From what I understood, this APC circuit insures that the laser isn't allowed to exceed the rated power. Could this fact limit the lifespan of the laser?

Thanks for any input you may have  

 

[andy_con]

i am very very good friends with the owner of this site so watch what you all say!

http://www.laser-man.co.uk/2006/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=31

http://www.laser-man.co.uk/2006/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=31

 

[robjdixon]

No offence, but if the 50mW review unit was over double what it should have been, they must have picked one out

 

[davidgdg]

i am very very good friends with the owner of this site so watch what you all say!

http://www.laser-man.co.uk/2006/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=31

http://www.laser-man.co.uk/2006/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=31

Nice site. Love the clothes-peg idea. I will try it for divergence measurements. Saves the need to ask a friend to hold the button down....

FYI, my 50mw focusable is almost exactly on spec (52 I think). It's my non-focusable 50 that pushes 100+. I guess it is just the luck of the draw!

 

[davidgdg]

[quote author=davidgdg link=1228957027/0#0 date=1228957027]...5mw ... I am assured they have IR filters ... When I get a useable IR filter I will modify this review

Hi,

how would you compare are these "MegaGreen" lasers - quality & build-wise, the other lasers you own / owned?

I was interested in both the 50mW for stargazing and the 5mW for indoor use. I will wait for your modded review on the 50mW but wanted to ask you what it means that the 5mW doesn't come with an APC circuit. From what I understood, this APC circuit insures that the laser isn't allowed to exceed the rated power. Could this fact limit the lifespan of the laser?

Thanks for any input you may have  
[/quote]

I'm no expert on drive circuits, so I can't answer your questions but since I only use my lasers for  maybe a minute or two a day (at most), I think the question is probably academic. Whether any one of them lasts 100 hours or a 1000 hours, they will probably outlive me! Basically I take the view that to get a laser which is 100% over spec means I am getting something for nothing! (assuming of course that it is not just IR)

The best-built units I have are the hand-built lasers I bought from Milos (see separate reviews under Stingray 2) but those are not greens. Amongst my greens, the Viper 125 from Dragon is a lovely and very powerful laser but it isn't cheap and would be too bright for stargazing purposes (it puts out 175). The Megagreen units are perfectly nice and solid looking and very decent value.  

For stargazing I think you might find that the Megagreen 50mw is slightly on the bright side, particularly if you get an over-spec unit like me. Personally I think the ideal lasers for stargazing are high-powered reds (200mw+) which give a clearly visible beam without any of the glare of a green. The DX 200mw would be one possibliity, though my personal favourite is my Stingray 2 which pumps out 280 mw and gives an ideal stargazing beam - thin, clearly visible, but not dazzling. If you are going to use a green, I would suggest probably Megagreen's 25mw is ideal The one exception might be in very dry, dustfree and clear air when you probably would need a 50.

I have put up reviews for all of the above in the Review Section of the forum.

If you live near North London you are welcome to pop round and try mine out before buying.

Best wishes

David

 

[Traveller]

i am very very good friends with the owner

Good to know  

Tell your friend that I like his honesty and value his opinions such as expressed on his "Futurepower" page:
"A common question i am asked is the difference between a 5mW , 10mW , 20mW , 35mw , 50mW etc and here''s my own personal opinion from having worked with and sold Green lasers for 8 years. The best value for money green laser you can buy is 5mW , everything else is trade off between price , visibility of dot and visibility of BEAM and safety. ..."

my only gripe is the lack of certain "key" specs. Let's take that 50mW model, for example:

• Wavelength 532nm
  Quality Glass IR Filter
  Not tweaked or pot modded
  Op V 3V
  o/p mode CW
  avg.  curr. 300ma
  Beam Divergence <1.2mrad

From the above, the "not tweaked" and "quality Glass IR Filter" are bonus info, to be sure, but I would also like to see:

• Beam diameter (@ aperture)
  pump diode descrip.
  duty cycle

Your review was good but also, ah, concise:
"It has a good beam quality with slight scatter"

What else can you tell us (please), like the diameter and did you verify the divergence (like you did with a few other lasers)?

In any case, he's at the top of my list, especially since I live in the EU...  

 

[davidgdg]

[quote author=andy_con link=1228957027/0#2 date=1229870577]i am very very good friends with the owner

Good to know  

Tell your friend that I like his honesty and value his opinions such as expressed on his "Futurepower" page:
"A common question i am asked is the difference between a 5mW , 10mW , 20mW , 35mw , 50mW etc and here''s my own personal opinion from having worked with and sold Green lasers for 8 years. The best value for money green laser you can buy is 5mW , everything else is trade off between price , visibility of dot and visibility of BEAM and safety. ..."

my only gripe is the lack of certain "key" specs. Let's take that 50mW model, for example:

• Wavelength 532nm
  Quality Glass IR Filter
  Not tweaked or pot modded
  Op V 3V
  o/p mode CW
  avg.  curr. 300ma
  Beam Divergence <1.2mrad

From the above, the "not tweaked" and "quality Glass IR Filter" are bonus info, to be sure, but I would also like to see:

• Beam diameter (@ aperture)
  pump diode descrip.
  duty cycle

Your review was good but also, ah, concise:
"It has a good beam quality with slight scatter"

What else can you tell us (please), like the diameter and did you verify the divergence (like you did with a few other lasers)?

In any case, he's at the top of my list, especially since I live in the EU...  
[/quote]

I measured beam width at aperture for all my stealths at~1mm. Divergence over 7metres was < 1mrad. The one exception was my 25mw which developed a button fault and had a ~3mm beam at aperture but Paul at Bluesky readily agreed a refund so no complaints there.

Duty Cycles are I think stated somewhere to be 1min/1min which is pretty much standard. I guesss if they are used outside in the winter then you could push them for longer.  No idea about the diodes.

Cheers

David

 

[Traveller]

Amongst my greens, the Viper 125 from Dragon is a lovely and very powerful laser but it isn't cheap and would be too bright for stargazing purposes (it puts out 175). The Megagreen units are perfectly nice and solid looking and very decent value.  
... For stargazing I think you might find that the Megagreen 50mw is slightly on the bright side, particularly if you get an over-spec unit like me.

Hi David,
thanks for your help and advice on the matter! Stargazing is only one of several activities I would use the laser for but you're right, I certainly don't need 200mW of 532nm, lol  

I think that based on your experience with the Bluesky Stealth(s) I'm going to give it a go. I can't imagine that there's no IR filter in place - after all, they explicitly advertise the fact that they have use a HQ glass filter...

Last but not least, thx for your offer to see them "in action" but I live in Vienna (Austria) so I'll have to unfortunately decline  

cheers

 

[andy_con]

all of bluesky lasers have IR filters.

he sells UK legal green pointer.

do an IR check if you dont believe me

 

[Traveller]

I think that based on your experience with the Bluesky Stealth(s) I'm going to give it a go.

Ok, I pulled the trigger and placed an order for the SFX version (focus adjustment). I did keep in mind what Andy wrote in his [concise] review:
"This laser is focusable, but its a unique focus. Up close twist the cap and nothing, but at a distance twist the cap and the focus works."

But that's ok seeing as my primary goal is not to burn stuff but to have the best focus at distance. As for power, 50mW is more than enough and although I'm not against getting extra power for free, I'll be satisfied with the 50mW (as long as it's not under-powered due to a faulty unit, etc.)

It's my first [non-keychained <1mW] laser so the fact is that I don't have a power meter or other testing devices. As a matter of fact, I'm already improperly equipped as I have yet to buy myself a pair of safety glasses...  :-[
I would have ordered a pair from Bluesky but they don't sell any. Anyways, could you recommend an EU/UK vendor for safety glasses please? I again want to avoid Customs fees, etc. I found a site called Lasermet (lasermet.com) that seems to be UK based, for example. Ever heard of them?

Sorry about the noob / 20-questions ordeal but it's greatly appreciated, thanks  ;D

 

[andy_con]

bluesky only sell quality lasers, i know im his friend and all that etc but he really does.

you wont get any less than 50mw.

 

[Traveller]

bluesky only sell quality lasers ... you wont get any less than 50mw.

Good to know & no worries, I do believe you

Paul also gave me the link to "Rob's" for a pair of safety glasses (stanwax.plus.com/lw/goggles.html).
He offers green and RGB. Although I only need green right now, it would make more sense to get the RGBs - they are only 5GBP more...
agreed?

 

[andy_con]

providing you are protected from the wavelength of laser you have dont worry

 

[Traveller]

Ok, I pulled the trigger and placed an order for the SFX version

So I got it yesterday and I have to say that I'm quite impressed! I have very little experience with lasers so I can't / won't go into technical details (also the reason I'm making my comments here instead of an own review). I can only comment on the build, which was very good (9/10), general functionality (it works...) and as for power, well I found it powerful enough...


As I don't have an LPM, etc. I can't give you any specs. I also have no clue how to properly judge scatter (...anyone?) What I do have is a camera and so I took a few pics which you can view on my Flickr acct.


The beam is visible in a normally-lit room, but not visible if you are close to a window (daylight). Point it at the night sky though and it's very visible and seeing as I bought it for star gazing and not balloon-blasting, I'm happy with it!  

Last but cetainly not least, I have to say that the order & delivery process was first-rate and Bluesky shipped it same day as advertised. Furthermore, I got a tracking number (I ordered the 2-4 day service for EU via "Royal Mail"). I had a question for Bluesky and they answered my mail within a few hrs so I have to give the order, service and delivery processes 10/10  ;D

 

[andy_con]

good to hear