Purchasing a Spyder 3 Krypton

[Sunny17]

Hello! (Canada here)

I'll likely be meeting a stranger tomorrow to purchase their used Krypton which he claimed to have purchased in 2017 from Wicked Lasers.
He was unable to supply the specifications and didn't seem too knowledgeable in general regarding lasers. (recommended wearing sunglasses in the ad)

We agreed on approximately $91 USD

From my research online, it appears the Krypton has been made in 5 versions but I do not own a LPM and will have trouble determining which one it is, even when examining it in person.

The models are:
Older: 532nm 100/250/500/750mw
Newer: 520nm 1w

I understand that Wicked's products are typically frowned down upon in the community but I think the value of this looks good.

Would you guys have any recommendations on how to examine/test it out?

My plan is to bring my sanwu 150mw 520nm pocket along and compare the beams and points to try to estimate its power output and check signs of distortion.
I also be examining it closely for signs of physical damage and looking at the lens area to see if it looks like it's made of plastic like the one in this thread I came across.

I don't plan on trying to burn anything as we will be meeting in a public location.

Do you guys have suggestions of other things I could do to ensure I'm not purchasing a damaged laser?

Thanks for reading such a long post and have a great weekend!

Attached is a photo from his ad

 

[Encap]

All I can suggest is that you bring a fully charged fresh battery to use when testing it out.

 

[paul1598419]

Anything approaching 1 watt in green is very bright and you would know it immediately. If it is only 100 mW to 250 mW of 532nm green, I wouldn't buy it. 500 mW or higher in 532nm is a good deal, but will be very bright to your eyes. I have 1+ watt 532nm and 520nm and both light up a dark room by themselves.

 

[Sunny17]

Anything approaching 1 watt in green is very bright and you would know it immediately. If it is only 100 mW to 250 mW of 532nm green, I wouldn't buy it. 500 mW or higher in 532nm is a good deal, but will be very bright to your eyes. I have 1+ watt 532nm and 520nm and both light up a dark room by themselves.

Hey, thanks for the reply and the info. I’ll likely be testing it outdoors against a hedge or something else non reflective. From what I’ve read on the forums, only beams of ~1.5w+ green is visible in direct sunlight so that’s another reference I can’t really use. I’ll just do a side by side compare my pocket laser and it to see how bright it is.

 

[paul1598419]

Direct sunlight makes estimating the output power very difficult. Try using it in shade at the very least or somewhere indoors if you can.

 

[Sunny17]

I met up with the guy yesterday and tested it out behind a building. On the lowest setting, the point appeared significantly brighter than that of my 150mw 520nm pocket and looked to be of the same colour.

As I was testing it, two security guards came up and looked at what the seller and I were doing. I was worried because of laser laws in Canada but they were just genuinely interested. With the three people watching, I told everyone to close their eyes and on low power it popped an orange balloon almost instantly without any focusing.

Once I got home I cleaned it up a bit by using some hand soap to remove some dust and oil. Afterwards I was left with a pretty good handheld laser.

This thing is quite large, a lot bigger than I had imagined it.
I’d rate the condition of the unit at 8 to 9 out of 10 with a few small paint chips but no major blemishes. The unit doesn’t appear to have been used too extensively as the small secondary power/mode control button shows no sign of wear and tear.

The seller couldn’t produce a receipt nor did he have the sticker with the serial number or any other identification for the laser.

It came with the carrying pouch and 4 lenses: the + shaped one, a bar shaped flashlight one, a star lens, and the coveted focusing lens. I‘d like to get my hands on the 100% lens which is essentislly a secondary protective layer.

I also got a free 18650 but it measured at 1.37v so I’m going to recycle it.

Overall I think I got quite a good deal ($91 USD) for a pretty decent laser in fairly good shape. I believe It is 1w of 520nm green but I do not have a way of measuring it.

The beam gives me the brightness I always thought my little 150mw sanwu pocket was missing. I used to chuckle a little when seeing how bright my 150mw pocket is but this 1w simply makes me go “whoa.”

Here’s a photo of the beams side by side (High Power vs 150mw pocket) and (Low power vs 150mw pocket)

Thanks for you suggestions and help Paul and Encap!

 

[KathleenLantz]

All I can suggest is that you bring a fully charged fresh battery to use when testing it out.

Yes, You are right.