Review: KD 150mW Baton Style Green Laser

[Razako]

well i almost never let my batteries completely drain, i charge it every now and then..before it runs out.
keep an eye on it while charging? what could happen? i usually charge it before i go to bed.

will Two 3.6V UltraFire or TrustFire CR123A's work?

NVM MY PREVIOUS COMMENT. DO NOT use two cr123A's in it. You will kill the laser. Only use a single 18650 in this laser.

 

[Razako]

knimrod how was your experience with the included battery? does it charge alright? have you been regularly using it? I really don't wanna buy another battery, but if this is a horrible/dangerous battery then i may have to.

The included battery should be fine. Just don't fully discharge it and stay in the room while you charge it.

So even tho it would be putting out a total of 7.2V, it really wont put out that much?
btw what's the difference between the two 18650 batteries? one is a dollar more..

The ultrafire batteries have a pointed end while the trustfires are flat ended. The trustfire 18650's should work best in this laser.

 

[mikeeey]

[quote author=mikeeey link=1210024232/84#92 date=1212618067]well i almost never let my batteries completely drain, i charge it every now and then..before it runs out.
keep an eye on it while charging? what could happen? i usually charge it before i go to bed.

will Two 3.6V UltraFire or TrustFire CR123A's work?

NVM MY PREVIOUS COMMENT.  DO NOT use two cr123A's in it.  You will kill the laser.  Only use a single 18650 in this laser.[/quote]
you are sure about that? knimrod said he used two 3.0V batteries and it worked, but it was tight.
does the pointed end have any purpose?
ok i have some money in my paypal. if i dont like the included battery then ill get the trustfire ones. But i would like to hear knimrod's input on it.

Currently i own some Unprotected 3.0V CR123a batteries which i would use on previous lasers that took 3.0V. Silly me, i had it plugged in the wall for about 3 months in the nano charger. it was behind my bed in a wall outlet and nothing ever happened to it, the nano's light just stayed green.

 

[Razako]

[quote author=Razako link=1210024232/96#96 date=1212631598][quote author=mikeeey link=1210024232/84#92 date=1212618067]well i almost never let my batteries completely drain, i charge it every now and then..before it runs out.
keep an eye on it while charging? what could happen? i usually charge it before i go to bed.

will Two 3.6V UltraFire or TrustFire CR123A's work?

NVM MY PREVIOUS COMMENT. DO NOT use two cr123A's in it. You will kill the laser. Only use a single 18650 in this laser.[/quote]
you are sure about that? knimrod said he used two 3.0V batteries and it worked, but it was tight.
does the pointed end have any purpose?
ok i have some money in my paypal. if i dont like the included battery then ill get the trustfire ones. But i would like to hear knimrod's input on it.

Currently i own some Unprotected 3.0V CR123a batteries which i would use on previous lasers that took 3.0V. Silly me, i had it plugged in the wall for about 3 months in the nano charger. it was behind my bed in a wall outlet and nothing ever happened to it, the nano's light just stayed green.[/quote]
I would avoid hitting a laser designed for 3.6V-4.2V with over 6V. Even if the laser doesn't immediately die you might cause long term damage to the driver or diode and shorten the laser's life.
The batteries didn't explode in the nano charger because it has an auto-cutoff. If you charge the included battery in a DSD charger you won't need to worry. If the included battery has 2 flat ends you should order the $9 protected trustfire batteries so you have some spares. If the battery has a flat cathode(-) and pointed anode(+) you should get the Ultrafire bats.

 

[knimrod]

knimrod how was your experience with the included battery? does it charge alright? have you been regularly using it? I really don't wanna buy another battery, but if this is a horrible/dangerous battery then i may have to.

The stock battery seems fine. It certainly lasts a long time.. I've been working (playing) with it quite a bit and it seems to run for hours on a single charge. I also picked up a UltraFire WF-137 charger and two extra UltraFire 18650 batteries on Ebay for cheap.. I haven't had a chance to even try the new batteries yet..

 

[mikeeey]

[quote author=mikeeey link=1210024232/96#98 date=1212632272][quote author=Razako link=1210024232/96#96 date=1212631598][quote author=mikeeey link=1210024232/84#92 date=1212618067]well i almost never let my batteries completely drain, i charge it every now and then..before it runs out.
keep an eye on it while charging? what could happen? i usually charge it before i go to bed.

will Two 3.6V UltraFire or TrustFire CR123A's work?

NVM MY PREVIOUS COMMENT.  DO NOT use two cr123A's in it.  You will kill the laser.  Only use a single 18650 in this laser.[/quote]
you are sure about that? knimrod said he used two 3.0V batteries and it worked, but it was tight.
does the pointed end have any purpose?
ok i have some money in my paypal. if i dont like the included battery then ill get the trustfire ones. But i would like to hear knimrod's input on it.

Currently i own some Unprotected 3.0V CR123a batteries which i would use on previous lasers that took 3.0V. Silly me, i had it plugged in the wall for about 3 months in the nano charger. it was behind my bed in a wall outlet and nothing ever happened to it, the nano's light just stayed green.[/quote]
I would avoid hitting a laser designed for 3.6V-4.2V with over 6V.  Even if the laser doesn't immediately die you might cause long term damage to the driver or diode and shorten the laser's life.
The batteries didn't explode in the nano charger because it has an auto-cutoff.  If you charge the included battery in a DSD charger you won't need to worry.  If the included battery has 2 flat ends you should order the $9 protected trustfire batteries so you have some spares.  If the battery has a flat cathode(-) and pointed anode(+) you should get the Ultrafire bats.


[/quote]
i did not know that, thanks for telling me, or i probably would have eventually ended up ruining my lasers in the future!

i hate waiting!, and the fact that the usps site has not updated since the 28th, it just says it was accepted in hong kong. but on the hong kong post website it says on the 29th it was shipped off. how long does it take for the plane to get from hongkong to the US? like a day? i should be getting it soon!...

 

[mikeeey]

[quote author=mikeeey link=1210024232/84#95 date=1212631193]knimrod how was your experience with the included battery? does it charge alright? have you been regularly using it? I really don't wanna buy another battery, but if this is a horrible/dangerous battery then i may have to.

The stock battery seems fine.  It certainly lasts a long time..  I've been working (playing) with it quite a bit and it seems to run for hours on a single charge.  I also picked up a UltraFire WF-137 charger and two extra UltraFire 18650 batteries on Ebay for cheap..  I haven't had a chance to even try the new batteries yet..[/quote]
thats good to know! how many hours is "hours"? My 3.6 800mAh ultrafire battery runs for a pretty good amount of hours on a single charge lol. probably 2-3 hours total. However this lasts me 2-3 days because i dont keep it on for 3 hours strait.

 

[mikeeey]

O my goodness! terribly sorry for posting 3 times in a row, but it has worried me that my USPS tracking has not updated since may 28th, and now it's June 7th. Normally the tracking updates every day.
As long as the usps have the package then it updates, could the customs have got a hold of it?? it was airmail shipped.
who else ordered this laser from Kaidomain and is currently waiting for it?
lazernut you said your tracking had stayed the same for a while, what's the status now?

wouldnt that be great of Kaidomain and USPS worked together to write misleading status updates and really it hasnt even left yet??

 

[Bionic-Badger]

If tracking for USPS Priority Mail weren't bad enough, the tracking, or lack thereof, for first class is far worse. The only "tracking" I've seen for first class mail is "package info received" and then I wait for the package to arrive.

 

[mikeeey]

If tracking for USPS Priority Mail weren't bad enough, the tracking, or lack thereof, for first class is far worse.  The only "tracking" I've seen for first class mail is "package info received" and then I wait for the package to arrive.

thankyou, i feel better. i guess your right about that. most tracking via air mail never shows up, so i guess im lucky to see this.

 

[lazernut]

Hey, I received my laser today ;D But I think it is a DOA. I checked everything and the led won't even come on? I think I am going to cry :'(

Curse you KD!!!

 

[lazernut]

NVM I got it working!!! ;D ;D ;D The button was just being a little bit stubborn! This thing is bright let me tell you and the build quality is absolutely amazing except for the button part :

I will write a review later but now I have to go to work from 12:30 to 8:30.

 

[mikeeey]

what?? noo! i want mine!!
what about your USPS tracking? did it ever change? or is it still stuck on the "accepted in hongkong on may 28th" stage?

[highlight]EDIT:[/highlight] i called the usps and i didnt like what i heard. aparently it's not even in their system yet cause the customs most likely still have it... :'(
should i worry?
he mentioned that it's a high security package that can be signed by anyone and that's why it goes through the customs? or something... i dont remember what he said lol

 

[knimrod]

I wouldn't sweat it too much. The tracking is just about worthless. I received mine long before it ever showed up in the tracking system.

 

[Kage]

I just received my "150mW Green Laser Flashlight V2" yesterday, after the obligatory 28 day wait, of course. The first thing I noticed out of the ordinary was the battery that came with it. On the KD web site it says it is a 2400mAH unprotected Li-Ion - the one that came in the box is a 3.0V 1800mAH LiFePO4. Oh, well, I thought, and put in the battery, plugged in the key, checked the aperture was open, pushed the button and - NOTHING! I messed with it, tried other batteries, including 2 - 3V CR123, still nothing, so I sent an email to KD support asking for an RMA for DOA laser.

I tested the tailcap continuity and discovered there is a rectifier diode in series with the tailcap to the key - no doubt the reverse polarity protection. Anyway the tailcap assemly tested fine. Then I found this thread again and noticed the recent post "Lazernut" about a flaky power switch. I tried working at the switch until finally it burst forth with a decrepit weak little flicker at first, then finally I could get a stable semi-bright beam but it only measured out to be 40mW at best. But now that I had it working I stuck in a regular Li-ion 18650 like they were supposed to ship with it in the first place. It was Much brighter and now measured 125-135mW depending literally how I hold my finger on the button! Up to a point, the harder I press on a certain side of the switch the brighter it gets up to 135mW. When not focused at infinity the dot is not circular but oblong - somewhat TEM01 looking.
Measured the current with the regular Li-ion at 650mA. Put 2 3.0V CR123's in and measured again - same 650mA, which suggests a linear regulator instead of a switcher - so run time is actually decreased by using 2 batteries!
All in all I am not very happy with the way this is turning out - the product needing maintenance right out of the box. I am still going through with the RMA - just too many things wrong here - supplied battery don't work with the unit, flakey switch, either not TEM00 or lens messed up, and lastly under-powered - GRRRRRRRRR! Might as well be DOA!
So let's see if KD's tech support will make good on this abomination to laser enthusiasts everywhere (they might be reading this). I will post the results of my KD RMA experience later on as it unfolds. Good luck with your purchases of this thing - it feels good in the hand and is seems better quality than their pointers - great potential - if you can just get a good one.

 

[mikeeey]

I wouldn't sweat it too much.  The tracking is just about worthless.  I received mine long before it ever showed up in the tracking system.

well it just worries me that both mine and lazernut's laser's were shipped at the same time, but he got his, and mine still is stuck on the may 28th thing.

Kage, it looks like your going to have to solder a wire over the switch if you want best peformance on your laser, and use the key as an on/off switch. i really hope mine isnt like yours...i dont know how your's and lasernut's could be faulty, without KD checking it.