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Need help choosing 532 laser

kaunak

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I want to add a nice DPSS green to my collection but I'm having trouble deciding between the 200mW PL-532 from Laserbtb and one of these two 400mW 532s from o-like:
5 in 1 sky star High power 400mW Green laser torch/focusable [OL-G400-S] - $145.00 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

Cool Special High Power 400mW Green laser torch/focusable [OL-GR-400] - $139.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

I'm pretty amazed at the deals o-like is offering, with 400mW green for ~$140 seems too good to be true, they probably have short duty cycles or not-so-great quality I'm guessing. I'm leaning towards the PL laser because of the awesome duty cycle and build quality which will probably be superior to the o-like lasers, but $140 for 400mW green with a nice case included is hard to look away from. Any ideas which I should choose?
 





Razako

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I second what encap suggested. Those O-like 532nms are probably okish but they're unlikely to be IR filtered, will have a short duty cycle, and the overall quality won't be the best. It might be better to save up a bit more for a high quality PL-E, and end up with a great laser and no regrets.
 
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kaunak

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Yeah the PL-E is a serious quality laser, and I love those 10x beam expanders. I'm sure the duty cycles of the JetLasers PL-E and the LaserBTB PL are similar. I could spend up to $250 if I really had to, but I'd like to keep it under $200 including shipping. I was considering the 300mW HL-532 from BTB for quite a while also, but it only uses a single 16340 which is not really enough for a laser of that power IMO. A 300mW-ish power level is ideally what I'm looking for, but anything within 200-400mW would be fine. It's not always easy to choose a good laser on a budget ;( At this point I don't think there's a better deal than the one from laserbtb. If anyone knows a good-quality laser in that power range for under $200 feel free to post
 

Razako

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Nothing really comes to mind at that price range. I believe laserbtb also has a discount code for this forum, and make sure you ask them to install an IR filter if you order from them.
 

kaunak

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Nothing really comes to mind at that price range. I believe laserbtb also has a discount code for this forum, and make sure you ask them to install an IR filter if you order from them.

Yeah I'll definitely get the IR filter installed, and I'll meter the laser when I get it. I really hope I get one that is a bit overspec though.
 

BowtieGuy

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I've got to agree with Encap here, if you can afford it, the PL-E Mini would be my choice.

It has the same styling, and features as the full size PL-E Pro, but at a scaled down size and price; a 300mW PL-E Mini is $259, while the full size 300mW Pro goes for $379.
It's at the upper end of your price range, but with the quality and more importantly, the customer service, it's a bargain, IMO! :)

PS - You probably won't go wrong with any of these choices, good luck on your puchase, and be sure and review your choice for us when you get it! :D
 

kaunak

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Yeah as much as I'd love to just buy the PL-E, I am on a budget and I'm sure the price would be over $300 including shipping when I add in the new batteries I want. I also want a tripod stand, so it seems BTB is the way to go for now. The only reason I made this thread is because I am on a budget. If I didn't have to worry about a practical budget I would just buy the 500mW PL-E and 10x beam expander and that would be that. The PL-E mini also does not have a duty cycle listed, although I'm sure it would probably be on par with the PL from BTB(15 minutes for 200mW version)
 
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If you were up to bulding it yourself, I would go with an Aptlightingworld 200mW module and set it up with a heat sink on the driver output transistor and mount it in a good heat sink with a decent host. It wound probably save you $ and with a LPM you can increase the power by 50mW after the precautions I mentioned.
 

BobMc

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Food for thought. Don't know if you have any of these and I know you said you wanted a dpss 532, but it would open a few extra doors in your price range if you looked at the 520nm's ? Their not dpss though. Thought I'd throw that out there? Hope you find what your looking for. Best wishes. :)
 
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Encap

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I've got to agree with Encap here, if you can afford it, the PL-E Mini would be my choice.

It has the same styling, and features as the full size PL-E Pro, but at a scaled down size and price; a 300mW PL-E Mini is $259, while the full size 300mW Pro goes for $379.
It's at the upper end of your price range, but with the quality and more importantly, the customer service, it's a bargain, IMO! :)

PS - You probably won't go wrong with any of these choices, good luck on your puchase, and be sure and review your choice for us when you get it! :D

The cat in the hat has it right.

As others above have said--you are much better off getting a JetLasers PL-E Mini 300mW @ $259 it is a high quality professional level laser with many excellent features nobody else offers + has an unlimited duty cycle.

The O-Like pieces are OK but toys by comparison with short duty cycles.

The laserbtb unit is a good quality lower cost units for what they are but as you found out the PL 532 300mW 10 min duty cycle and is only $34 cheaper the the HL 532nm 300mW 5 minutes on --both have focus mechanism is just a wobbly not very stable unscrew the front lens on a threaded stalk with a locking ring type + no other features.

The resale value, excellent internal focus mechanism, excellent quality, and many of the features of the JetLasers PL-E Mini + the unlimited duty cycle make it a best choice.The PL-E Mini 520nm green 1W is also a good choice @ $269
 
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kaunak

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If you were up to bulding it yourself, I would go with an Aptlightingworld 200mW module and set it up with a heat sink on the driver output transistor and mount it in a good heat sink with a decent host. It wound probably save you $ and with a LPM you can increase the power by 50mW after the precautions I mentioned.
Funny you mention it, I considered doing that about 3 years ago but wanted to go with something that was focus able and had a long duty cycle. I think I'll have another look around their store

Food for thought. Don't know if you have any of these and I know you said you wanted a dpss 532, but it would open a few extra doors in your price range if you looked at the 520nm's ? Their not dpss though. Thought I'd throw that out there? Hope you find what your looking for. Best wishes. :)
I'm not against the 520s, it's just that with the power level and duty cycle I'm looking for, a DPSS would be a better choice I think.(for the price)
 

BobMc

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kaunak; I'm not against the 520s said:
The 520's are a lot cheaper they burn just as good and you can get a lot more power for the same price as a 532. The duty cycle depends on how it was made. It is true the beam is prettier on a 532 but , decisions decisions :). Whatever you decide your going to have a nice unit. Enjoy
 
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I have mounted these in very small cases with +5 VDC fans and used thermal adhesive to attach the heat sink to the aluminum enclosure. With an 18650 battery they have an unlimited duty cycle. The whole thing is about 3 inches X 4 inches X 2 inches. I've built them with and without IR filters and it wouldn't be very difficult to add an objective lens to make it able to focus.
 

kaunak

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The 520's are a lot cheaper they burn just as good and you can get a lot more power for the same price as a 532. The duty cycle depends on how it was made. It is true the beam is prettier on a 532 but , decisions decisions :). Whatever you decide your going to have a nice unit. Enjoy

Yeah a 520 would usually be cheaper per mW at 500mw+, but a NUGM01T build is still out of my price range. I really do like the 1W spiker by sanwu and with its unlimited duty cycle I know it's high quality, but the price is still too much ;(

The advantages of a 532 are the good beam quality and the slightly higher luminous efficiency. 520 is a prettier color though IMO
 




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