O-Like 150mW module review

[ReNNo]

As I can see everyone says that O-Like is the best place to buy green modules.
OK, I ordered 150mW module from O-like and it came pretty fast.
But module was defective.
It came with broken bridge on PCB but I forgave them for that faulty and I repaired bridge.
When I turned laser on I realized that bridge was not only problem.
There were lot of dust inside lens assembly and divergence was so bad that you can not use it outdoor.
And it looked like refurbished module....lapped very roughly

Here is how it looked like:
(Click on the thumbnail for large image)





That was not that I expected to get for $100.

I contacted Susie and she sent me another one for free.
Very nice, but I had to pay $13 just to send her defective module back.

Another module came very fast and I was disappointed again.
Module has better divergence than earlier module but still not that I expected.
And there is some dust inside lens again but it's not that bad.

Its divergence is worse than divergence of cheap laser pointer from DX, Rayfoss, etc...

Here is picture of dot at distance of about 30m...



What to say?.. I think it's not as it should be.
I also asked Susie for opinion but she just says that she will not glue lens next time so I can adjust it by myself. I really don't want to lose another $13 and I don't want to ask her again to send me another module.

I'm sick of big dots and fat beams from cheap laser pointers but this dot is worse.
Do all high power green lasers have bad divergence or just my two modules from olike?
I need opinion from LPF members..

OK, I won't complain that much about O-like, laser is still good for "regular" use and I must say that I like it.
I can not blame olike because of my bad luck. Maybe just I got two defective lasers and that is it.
Beam is very stable and works in TEM00 mode (The best TEM00 mode I have ever seen)

Here are some pictures of module




She protected lens with some tape as I told her and there is no dust on outside of lens but still some dust inside of lens.

Current trough module is about 715-730 (depends on voltage).
Is that maybe a bit higher current than it should be for 150mw modules?

As host I decided to buy cheap Ultrafire WF-501B flashlight. Must say it's the best host for its price. Quality is just fine and also you get emitter and driver as bonus
Everything about this host you can read in this topic :

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/dealextreme-9-90-k2-luxeon-18650-flashlight-47703.html

Thanks to Eudaimonium for detailed review.

And here are pictures





I can notice that beam becomes fatter as it goes but it's not that but. (But still worse than cheap laser pointers)

I asked Susie if I can power up this module with Li-ion battery and she told me that it's not recommended. I also noticed that some components get pretty hot after few seconds.
18650 battery will give stable voltage even under load. With 18650 battery voltage drop under load is negligible and I think that is reason why components get hot.
I just don't want to gamble...Maybe drivers lifespan could significantly be shortened because of overheating.
Problem is solved by adding one 1N4007 silicone diode in series with driver.
Diode is placed in tailcap and it is unnoticeable.
By adding diode you automatically get another protection, reverse-polarity protection.

If you are more interested about adding silicon diode read this topic...
http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/o-like-150mw-module-li-ion-batteries-46862.html

Laser is very good at close distance.
Beam is very tight (1mm) and burns well.
I have never seen that bright dot before. It makes me throw up

I'm not very impressed with laser at higher distance.
It still has very bright beam but it could be better if beam is tighter.

Here are also some videos

YouTube - O-Like 150mW module in Ultrafire WF-501B
YouTube - 3 motor spirograph and O-Like 150mW laser

Overall, I'm happy that O-Like has very good support and that Susie sent me another module.
Maybe all these problems with divergence are normal and common for all high power green lasers.

I don't want to give negative judgment about O-Like because I don't know if all these problems are common with high power green lasers.

 

[realista]

are you sure that it is 130 150mw?... bad divergence is a thing that is NORMAL for chinese modules.... but yes.... a module at 100mw chould be good tested before to be shipped.

but.. you should say us.. what is BAD divergence for you. for me a bad divergence is OVER 1.5mrad. and good from 1.5 to 1 do you have 2mrad or worse? take time and calculate it
i noticed that laserlands sells a 150mw module at about 65$ and it is ir filtered( don't know if true.. but i read it in the site) so i think that if someone would buy a module..... AT WHIS MOMENT there are cheaper modules at same quality(or better if really ir filtered).... IMHO.!!

 

[ReNNo]

Divergence is about 2.3 mRad. Is that value bad for you?

Susie says it's 150mW module as it's advertised.

 

[nikokapo]

I'll add this review as neutral.

 

[realista]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhh 2.3 mrad is a BAD divergence.. very bad imho

 

[ReNNo]

The only reason why I bought 150mW module and not 100mW is because of beam picture on laser description on old O-like web page (Uploaded by costumer).
Beam looked very good with very, very good divergence.

And I also remember text review under laser description that says that dot is very small at end of street.

I got two modules with 2.3mRad + divergence and how it's possible that someone bought module with sensibly better divergence?

Why would Susie send me another module with bad divergence if I asked her to set divergence on the best value and glue it.
She also told me to wait few days so manufactory can finish "new" 150mW modules that are with better divergence.
I waited, and this "new" module has better divergence (2.3mRad).
I can't even imagine what was divergence of old module .... 3mRad +

 

[Eudaimonium]

Thanks for adding my review up there.
Also, you can unthread the tailcap on these Ultrafire hosts, on that picture you insert the battery from the head part... LOL

Anyhow, as we discussed on MSN, I still think it is your bad luck ... problems during shippement, temperature changes (those were in transit while best of winter colds were out there, right?)

I am still ordering my first high power green module from them (after a couple of 50 and 30 mW , time for some burners...). I like customer support on O-like and everything.

Good review BTW!

 

[Traveller]

As I can see everyone says that O-Like is the best place to buy green modules ... I contacted Susie and she sent me another one for free ... Very nice, but I had to pay $13 just to send her defective module back ... Its divergence is worse than divergence of cheap laser pointer from DX, Rayfoss, etc... Do all high power green lasers have bad divergence or just my two modules from olike? I need opinion from LPF members ... Beam is very stable and works in TEM00 mode (The best TEM00 mode I have ever seen) ... I asked Susie if I can power up this module with Li-ion battery and she told me that it's not recommended.

This is a great review, :gj:= +1

I have bought several 532nm module(s) from O-Like as well as Rayfoss as well as a 532nm LP from a UK distributor. All three had various levels of divergence from an excellent 1.2mrad TEM00 to a terrible 3~4mrad TEM01.

The first "150mW" I got from Susie was actually 80mW (incl. 17% IR...) and then she replaced it with a 130mW module. At least they were both relatively tight (@2mrad) which compared to my only "new" DX module, which suffers from a TEM01->TEM00 multi-mode and when there's two dots, measures effectively 3~4mrads, is pretty damned good.

2mrad is not that great, particularly when I compare it to my 1.2mrad 70mW LP; but for non-pre-tested modules at O-Like / RayFoss / DX, a TEM00, 2mrad, 130~150mW module is GREAT.

If you are satisfied with the clean TEM00 dot, don't kill yourself over the 2mrad. If you do, however, get an "un-glued" module from Susie, please let us know if divergence can be improved!

Lastly, I have a funny feeling that these CN modules, particularly the lower "ultra-budget" samples from the likes of DX, are focused for a very tight beam at near-distance. That is to say, my 3mrad DX module actually burns (black) stuff up close better than the other two modules. This also implies that the companies in CN are purposely turning these into "burning" lasers instead of appropriately focusing them to infinity... :undecided:


Bottom line, I'm not thrilled with the quality of the "average" module coming from our usual suspects however when you consider what a 200mW 532nm handheld costs from a more opulent firm, it's a question of you get what you pay for, in the end... *shrugs shoulders*

O-Like 150mW (130mW actual)... $105 (at time of purchase)
DX-like short 100mW module (80mW actual)... $80
HQ 50mW LP (70mW actual)... $180 (133GBP)


EDIT: I forgot to mention that you will probably have a hard time achieving 150mW with a 3.7V L-Ion, let alone 3.0V... . These modules use mickey-mouse (linear?) drivers which do output more mW with more volts...


P.S.

i noticed that laserlands sells a 150mw module at about 65$ and it is ir filtered...

Ok, I'll bite... what's your take on Laserlands as a company as a whole? Are they also based in CN?

 

[ReNNo]

Thanks Traveller

For that amount of money everything is gamble, even O-Like with very good reputation is gamble.

I don't want to bother Susie to send me another module.
This module has the tightest beam at few centimeters from aperture (1mm). It's probably optimized for burning at close distance and that is why divergence is that bad (2.3mRad).

But Susie should mention this in product description.
That is what pisses me off.
Even when I ask her she just won't tell me or she gives me minimum information.
She is busy, I understand but this is not perfect support.

Yes, I noticed that higher voltage will cause higher current that means higher output.

I need to do more current measurements with different voltage.
Maybe 1N4007 diode can noticeably decrease output power , I must test it.

 

[Traveller]

I don't want to bother Susie to send me another module. This module has the tightest beam at few centimeters from aperture (1mm). It's probably optimized for burning at close distance and that is why divergence is that bad (2.3mRad).

Bother Susie??? I've spent no less than $30 shipping modules back and forth to the companies in China (not only O-Like) and I am tired of having to go through that crap...

As a matter of fact, I just ordered a 150mW from "Laserlands" because for €45 and guranteed IR-filtered, I figured it was worth a chance. I also made it clear to that firm that they should verify it before shipping it:

"...I am a member of LPF, I have bought and reviewed laser products over the past 12 months. I have had my "experiences" with [other firms], I have had to send back the modules due to quality and / or low power output. I hope to avoid this repetitive buy-test-return-etc. process with your firm... PLEASE PERSONALLY VERIFY MODULE QUALITY AND OUTPUT PRIOR TO SHIPPING, THANKS. I WILL be reviewing your module on LPF and I will be very direct (honest) about my experience with you, so please consider this before shipping the module, thanks."


Well ok, let's see what this brings. I've already warned many members that "distributors" like O-Like & RayFoss are only "organizing" shipment of products manufactured in much larger firms on the mainland. Thus, the chances that Laserland will "personally test" my module is little to none... :-/

 

[ReNNo]

I just don't want to bother people...but they bother me with crappy quality products.
In future I'll try to be more serious and I won't let them bother me

 

[Traveller]

...I'll try to be more serious and I won't let them bother me...

Good luck, my man, 'cause it's easier said than done, I'm afraid... :banghead:

P.s. My first "150mW" module, minus-IR (IR was only 17%, original o/p was 77mW).

 

[ReNNo]

I don't have LPM but my green module burns black tape, burns skin and it's very visible.
I have never had high power green laser before but looks like 100mW at least.

I'm satisfied with power output.
Maybe someday I'll have opportunity to test power output.

 

[ReNNo]

I have just finished chatting with Susie, but this time I was more serious.

Now I must say that this review deserves positive feedback.

I don't want to copy chat log, I'll explain it in short.

She told me that they are very busy these days and they have lot of orders to pack.
Problem why I got two modules with bad divergence is because they don't test divergence just output power.
They have some "worker's chain" problems and that is why I got another module with bad divergence.
She told me that they never had costumer that was strict about divergence.

She offered me partial refund but I feel bad to take money from she.
Also, she told me to try adjust lens by myself, and If that doesn't work she can send me another one.
But I really feel bad to receive items for free and I just don't like to bother other people, for me it's like robbing other people.

Tomorrow, she will ask engineer if there is any way to adjust lens and how to break glue.

And she told me that she will not glue modules in future so costumers can adjust focus by themselves.

 

[Eudaimonium]

I have just finished chatting with Susie, but this time I was more serious.

Now I must say that this review deserves positive feedback.

I don't want to copy chat log, I'll explain it in short.

She told me that they are very busy these days and they have lot of orders to pack.
Problem why I got two modules with bad divergence is because they don't test divergence just output power.
They have some "worker's chain" problems and that is why I got another module with bad divergence.
She told me that they never had costumer that was strict about divergence.

She offered me partial refund but I feel bad to take money from she.
Also, she told me to try adjust lens by myself, and If that doesn't work she can send me another one.
But I really feel bad to receive items for free and I just don't like to bother other people, for me it's like robbing other people.

Tomorrow, she will ask engineer if there is any way to adjust lens and how to break glue.

And she told me that she will not glue modules in future so costumers can adjust focus by themselves.

From her.

Well, you have good ethics to follow,
But you gotta admit that O-like has best customer service seen around.

Honest mistakes do happen, and you really did place yo' order right in the middle of their holidays ...

I would buy from them anytime (I did an' I will, for that matter I will review a 100mW green unit when it arrives)

Too bad about your luck my man, I hope you will get some good units from O-like in future, so you can witness yourself why are they trusted on this forum.

:beer: in the meantime

 

[RA_pierce]

Nice review.
May I ask how you calculated divergence?
I have purchased several modules from O-like, and while the divergence is not as great as I would like it, I've never had one that was absolutely unacceptable (usually within 1.2-1.5mRad).

I think the modules are manufactured this way so that their burning abilities are impressive up close. This way, the average un-experienced hobbyist will feel like their module is more powerful.
Edit: Regarding power output, I have found that the 130-150mW modules generally output at least 110mW of pure green. I have one here that outputs 140mW+ un-filtered and about 110mW filtered on 3V CR123A. Not bad at all, in my opinion.

Don't be too disappointed... remember that we buy from O-like and similar companies because they provide cheap power and good customer service, NOT because the products are exceptional in every aspect.
The rule still applies here, you get what you pay for, and in this case, you are paying a decent price for a decent module.
And every now and then, a bad unit is produced. That is unavoidable.