New to lasers but ready to buy; please advise . .

[TroutHunterJohn]

Hi all - I've always been a flashlight nut, but now I found your web site, and hobby. I'm obsessed already.

I've done some homework and am considerint buying my first purchase decent green laser. I would really appreciate you advice. The two finalists are:

1) The 200mw transformable from O-like. 200mW transformable green laser/adjustable [OLV6200] - $122.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products. Nice and small, focusable, but not waterproof. $122.00; or,

2) The super-cool 200mw DPSS Gatlin from O-like. New Gatlin Green laser 200mW/waterproof/adjustable [OLGA-200] - $189.00 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products Very cool host, waterproof, focusable. $189.00.

I mostly want it for outdoor pointing; burning is not that important to me. And since I live in WA state, waterproof is nice.

I would very much appreciate you guys weighing in -- especially anyone who has direct experience with either or both of these lasers. Mostly curious about ergonomics, battery life, divergence, overall fun, and bang for the buck.

Thanks!

 

[Gsquared18]

Great company, great lasers so unfortunately, it comes down to personal preference. I get that Washington is a rainy state but unless your hellbent on sky pointing in the rain, you could probably save a chunk of change and get the $122 model. Plus, any non-waterproof model should survive the 1st drizzles of an impending storm. At least long enough for you to take cover or cover the laser in some way. Sorry I can't offer any technical data as I have never owned a 200mW from them.

 

[jeffreythe00]

They are both nice units. I would go for the Gatlin host mainly because its really cool and waterproof. I don't know how good those waterproof hosts are but if you plan to get it wet you are going to have to clean it pretty often. I dont know how well the o rings will hold and personally i wouldn't stick a 200$ laser in water. It comes down to personal preference really. The gatlin host is not gonna fit in your pocket very well so if you plan to travel around with it i would suggest the other laser. Also be sure to check out a pair of safety glasses or two becuase eye safety is a real concern here. Let us know what you choose

I also forgot to touch on the other stuff you asked about.

Battery life isnt much of a concern (at least not to me) because you can just throw it on charge. Divergence should be the same because both models are focusable. Only you can make the bang for the buck happen. Im sure you dont actually need the laser for any type of use beside recreational use so you would be the one to determine what types of fun things you can do with it.

If you want longer battery life you can choose the cheaper laser. Im not sure how much more life you would get out of it but like i said above they are rechargeable. Buy two batteries and just swap em out

 

[david1235102]

the cheaper one can use 1 cr123a like the gatlin, but it can also use an 18650 battery which comes with it. the 18650 battery (i don't own any or use any lasers that use them) will probably last over twice as long (the battery they sell is 2200mAh, so the one that comes with it is probably close or the same as that). i just bought a 250mW "cute" red from them that uses a cr123a and it says 1000mAh on it. so the 18650 could last up to 2.2 times longer. also if burning isn't what you're going for, the 200mW "cute" style is nice. It's cheaper than the other 2 you mentioned, has good battery life (only uses cr123a) and you can contact them and ask susie to switch the focus ring to a fixed focus if you'd like, that way you will get a nice tight beam but not have to focus it (focusing is really only for burning). also the "cute" style easily fits in your pocket and has a nice, solid, quality feel to it. You may also want to check out maybe a 100mW or 150mW as even those will produce a very bright beam at night as well as even better battery life. and considering you need 4x the power to get 2x the brightness, the 100mW or 150mW won't be much dimmer than the 200mW. they will still be very bright (my first green was a 150mW which amazed me) and save you money. sorry if i rambled a bit or repeated myself at all, but i hope some of this information helps