O-like with cheap 400mW greenies?

[Weltall]

Newbie speaking here so please correct me if wrong or im missing something but in Rayfoss case, their apparent "downhill" involves in most of cases high powered greens, specially FMK and FGB models and recently, so it seems with this 400mW from o-like.

So IMO those are not-so-good models that you may want to avoid if what u looking for is to quality along with real output, so better go with top quiality manufacturers if want something >200mW, or simply go for a another wavelength since they arent as "troublesome" as 532nm is.

However it seems that the FLX model is pretty reliable, ive read many reviews of the 200mW version and 50mW and cant remember a negative one, so i would go for that altho probably would be ~150mW if IR filtered, thats what i think but im not really sure =/.

 

[borgqueenx]

Well borgqueen, there's two things you can go for:

Raw power

OR

True power, Quality, Range, Brightness, Purity, Low Divergence, Stability, Longevity.

You're essentially trying to get a high quality, high purity >200mW laser for the price of a cheapy. As someone else said, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

and another thing:
i have about 5 different laser pens, all bought from DX similar sites...
but paint comes off, button needs to be pressed hard in order to operate over time...
and many have other defects like fast dropping of power.
And the thing is...that laser you mentioned seems EXACTLY one of the lasers i bought.
DJNY reccomended me a 200mw laser that probaly will be the one il buy...
Also seemed good quality

 

[Zephyr]

can ir hurt you if it just hits your skin?

That depends on factors such as power, duration of exposure, concentration of exposure (area of exposure vs power). There's been debate about this. Generally speaking, reflectively scattered IR won't harm your skin from the power levels that come from hand held lasers, but it can very much damage your eyes over long and repeated exposure times. For instance, you may have glasses that block reflected/scattered 532nm energy, but the IR is passing through without you even realizing it. Therefore you would want glasses that not only block 532 but also IR as well.

From mhakali:
"Power measurements peak at 391mW without IR filter. With IR filter it does not reach above 310mW. And settles around 200mW."

That means you have around 80mW of IR energy. Not a lot ... the reflected/scattered energy won't burn your eyes sockets out with one glance, but over time it can do damage. It's just better to be on the safe side and have the appropriate safety glasses, especially while doing up-close burning.

Newbie speaking here so please correct me if wrong or im missing something but in Rayfoss case, their apparent "downhill" involves in most of cases high powered greens, specially FMK and FGB models and recently, so it seems with this 400mW from o-like.

So IMO those are not-so-good models that you may want to avoid if what u looking for is to quality along with real output, so better go with top quiality manufacturers if want something >200mW, or simply go for a another wavelength since they arent as "troublesome" as 532nm is.

However it seems that the FLX model is pretty reliable, ive read many reviews of the 200mW version and 50mW and cant remember a negative one, so i would go for that altho probably would be ~150mW if IR filtered, thats what i think but im not really sure =/.

Do you have a link to the review? Was the laser tested on a kenometer/LPM both with and without IR filter? That's the only way to know for sure.

I think it's all in what your're going for. O-like lasers do have somewhat close to what they claim the output is. Just realize that much of that energy could be IR. You could get a 300mW laser with 200mW of pure 532 and 100mW of IR, or you could get a 200mW with an actual 200mW of 532 and maybe 2 or 3 mW of IR. Which actually has the greater output in terms of total power? The 300mW, but it isn't a pure 532.

So all depends on what you want. Some guys like their lasers to have total overall power, other guys like their lasers to be clean and pure. And it goes without saying that application will be a determining factor in what you want.

 

[Zephyr]

and another thing:
i have about 5 different laser pens, all bought from DX similar sites...
but paint comes off, button needs to be pressed hard in order to operate over time...
and many have other defects like fast dropping of power.
And the thing is...that laser you mentioned seems EXACTLY one of the lasers i bought.
DJNY reccomended me a 200mw laser that probaly will be the one il buy...
Also seemed good quality

Borgqueen, the DX type lasers are nothing like Opto lasers. Ask any reputable guy in this forum about Optotronics lasers and he'll tell you that Opto gives you exactly the quality you pay for, even more. What's happening is DX and other knock-off cheapy laser distributors are copying Opto (and other) laser designs and often falsely pumping up their power stats, but their quality is vastly inferior.

 

[bulltex95]

So if im just shining my lasers inside, will IR be hitting my eye?

 

[Jaxz]

it might. though IR is collimated, when you reflect your greenie accidentally, though your goggles may protect you from green, it will not shield you from IR, unless you are buying more expensive googles that protects you from both 532 and 808

 

[Zephyr]

So if im just shining my lasers inside, will IR be hitting my eye?

Without the proper safety glasses, some amount of IR will always be hitting your eyes. It depends on what type of surface the beam is striking. For instance, if it's reflecting off a matte surface, such as flat paint, then very little of the IR will get to your eye. But like Jaxz is saying, if it should accidentally bounce off glass, or worse yet, a mirror, you will be taking a near full shot of coherent laser energy right into your eye. Not good. I guarantee this will do some damage, even if you're wearing 532 protective glasses. If you're going to use this laser inside, best safety precaution you could take it to get glasses that will block both 532nm and IR, generally 808nm.

 

[Petacat]

O.K. So where do you get a broad spectrum blocking safety glasses.

 

[DrSid]

Aluminum foil works just fine .. whole spectrum.

 

[Zephyr]

Frankly the cheapest place I have found them is here:

Thorlabs.com - Certified Laser Safety Glasses


Cheap, when you consider that most full spectrum safety glasses I've seen run anywhere from $300 to $500 US.

A cheaper option might be to get the basic green blocking glasses such as these:

405nm,473nm,532nm laser safety goggles


And then add some IR filters to them.

Of course you could always just get an IR filtered laser, or a laser that just emits minimal IR, Like Optotronics.

 

[Zephyr]

Aluminum foil works just fine .. whole spectrum.

+1 :tinfoil:

 

[Braddubya]

You are looking for a laser that doesnt exist. The same laser all of the inexperience users are looking for. Good lasers are more expensive than cheap ones for a reason and that reason is that they cost more to manufacture! I good 300mW+ IR filtered laser probably costs more than $200 in parts! Your not going to find anyone online or elsewhere running a laser charity so expect to pay more for a nice laser then the sum of its nice parts.

Edit: Im referring to all the *Best Laser at Cheapest Price* posters

 

[bulltex95]

So if i am burning anything with my laser, basically im destroying my eyes?

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

DrSid ---
I have given some consideration to your aluminum foil advice. I will now extend the foil shield from just over my head to also protect my eyes. I realize that this won't fully protect me from gamma but it's a start

HMike

 

[Weltall]

Do you have a link to the review? Was the laser tested on a kenometer/LPM both with and without IR filter? That's the only way to know for sure.

Well here are few samples but u can simple search for "FLX 200mW" or "Rayfoss FLX" for more reviews:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/rayfoss-200mw-focusable-laser-torch-extensive-review-43252.html

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/rayfoss-200-mw-green-focusable-torch-46742.html#post631916

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/r...-532-200mw-flx-new-pics-45128.html#post604042

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/another-review-rayfoss-rf532-200mw-flx-48982.html

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/rayfoss-200-mw-flx-focusable-ir-filter-48149.html

Unfortunately now u mention, other than Faona's LPM tests (she claims to be around ~210mW without IR filter and ~160mW with IR filter), it seems no1 else has actually measured this model, however since some reviews are from known members and everyone seems to be happy with it, i would believe in both them and Faona.

At any case all i was saying is that FLX seems to be one of the best deals around for a decent powered greenie, affordable price and quality enough to keep working if u take care of it properly. I own a 50mW version and cant be more happy with it :beer:

 

[Zephyr]

So if i am burning anything with my laser, basically im destroying my eyes?

The short answer, yes. If you use this laser long enough, particularly burning things up close without the proper safety glasses, it can eventually harm your vision. If you shine the beam around indoors and it accidentally reflects off a mirror and into your eye (without the proper safety glasses) it will damage your vision very quickly.