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FrozenGate by Avery

Optotronics 5mw vs eBayser 10mw

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Petrovski

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Today my 5mw green from Optotronics arrived by USPS. After inserting 2 fresh batteries I tried it, and I noticed the following when I compare it to my 10mw ebay laserpointer:

- the Optotronics does not mode hop, it starts and stays at TEM00.
- the Optotronics has a far brighter spot and more visible beam, even though it's power rating is lower.


Now I'm curious: is the ebayser probably actually less powerful then specified, let's say 2mw? Or is the Optotronics more powerful then specified? On the warning label it says: "max output <30mw".
Another thing are the batteries: the small documentation note that came with the Optotronics advises to use alkaline batteries for maximum performance. On this forum I read that alkalines are the worst choice. Or does that only apply to more powerful lasers?

Anyway I love my new Optotronics. It's heavier then the ebayser and feels more qualitative in general. 8-)
 





chido said:
Just one sentence: All ebaysers are CRAP.
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That's a pretty stupid comment. LOL

eBay isn't a brand of laser, it is a place where you can buy lasers other people are selling. A lot of the lasers there are crap, but that's not to say that people don't sell really good lasers from good companies. You just need to be careful about what you buy.
 
Murudai said:
That's a pretty stupid comment. LOL

eBay isn't a brand of laser, it is a place where you can buy lasers other people are selling. A lot of the lasers there are crap, but that's not to say that people don't sell really good lasers from good companies. You just need to be careful about what you buy.
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Umm, yeah that wasn't supposed to be a totally serious comment.
We call the green lasers sold at ebay ebaysers, of course I'm aware ebay isn't a brand of lasers and I know what it's for. ;)
The only lasers I would suggest you bought from there would be the ones that are <5mW since there wouldn't be a high risk of unfiltered IR light. (although they could still be crap and mode hop till no tomorrow)
The only good supplier that I've heard off is some guy who buys Cores from wicked lasers in bulk and then sells them at a cheaper price than WL. But all those lasers rated at 200mW (10mW in this case) are outputting 99% IR and 1% 532nm light. (in case you thought that was a serious comment too, it's not. It's just pointing out that "high powered" ebaysers don't output a lot of green light and leak a lot of IR)
 
This particular ebayser came from the eBay shop Island Online, some sort of electronics/gadget shop.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Island-Online-Ltd

When I first got it I was impressed (it was my first laser pointer). But compared to my Optotronics I suspect it underperforms. If we can safely assume the Opto is indeed 5mw, the ebayser must be around 2 or 2.5mw as it appears to be about half as bright. But that's only a visual estimate, I do not have a laser power meter. ;)
 
Just one sentance: Optotronics is the best! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
 
Hehe well I certainly like my small 5mw. I love the Opto RPLs, but the price is holding me back. Gotta have something to keep on your wishlist I suppose. 8-)
 
Petrovski said:
Hehe well I certainly like my small 5mw. I love the Opto RPLs, but the price is holding me back. Gotta have something to keep on your wishlist I suppose.  8-)
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Yeah, I would like to move the blue RPL 35mW from my wish list to reality, but it's too much to risk at this point. :(
 
Hi Petrovski,
I'm glad you're happy with your new laser.
I'm not sure the manufacturer knows what they're talking about as far as using alkaline cells, perhaps they mean that they perform better than the old "heavy duty" cells. I would experiment, I've found the Energizer lithium cells to work really well, but they are expensive.

Jack
 
Hi Jack, thanks for producing one fine laser. I'll try a few types of batteries, I was planning on getting high-powered rechargable AAAs anyway. :)
 
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