Khoonda
0
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2010
- Messages
- 60
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I've been reading about all the good things that people have been saying about these 405nm lasers that are sold on Ebay, all for about 10 dollars, and I decided to buy two of them and test them out.
The laser: 5mw Blue Laser Pointer US Quick Shipping 405nm Business - eBay (item 120580166420 end time Oct-04-10 22:04:23 PDT)
Shipping:
These particular package was sent from some guy named Alvin. The lasers were shipped in the all too common brown, bubble envelope. The two lasers were both individually packed in thin, plastic, bubble wrap sleeves. Shipping took three days. Umm....that's pretty much it.
First Impressions:
I was expecting a less than average quality build, but was surprised to find a really nice host. The outer aluminum has a rubberized grip, and the button clicks nicely. Unfortunately, there is a rattle coming from the switch when you shake the laser. Also, when the batteries are inserted, you can feel them moving around a bit. The threads for the battery cap are not bad, but they could be better. I could improve them with some teflon tape. The laser has a warning label stating that it is <50mW, which is also a pretty cool sticker. The clips has the *LASER POINTER* stamp too.
Beam & Dot:
....Yeah.... this thing is so not bright. :yabbmad: Well, that is what I expected from a 405nm laser, but I didn't know it was that much! A few nights ago, it was very dark outside, and the beam was faintly visible. When it is shined on things like tonic water or highlighters, it fluoresces very brightly. :drool:
I measured the beam diameter on the lasers to both be at around 3.5mm at aperture, and with an mRad of 0.59!!
Battery Life:
These lasers use 2xAAA batteries. Since I got them about a week ago, I inserted two non-rechargeable batteries, and used them constantly; they have not run out.
Power:
On my friend's lpm, one laser measured at 41.3 mW, while the other measured at 52.7 mW. The lasers feel warm when shined on the back of your hand for a few seconds, but never get hot or burning. I then decided to modify the one that was at 52.7mW by moving the focal point to about four inches from the aperture. (It was extremely easy) This laser can now smoke almost any material if it's not a light colour. I tried to light a match, but that is not possible; it just makes a lot of smoke. I'm sure it will pop some balloons. This modified laser now has a divergence of 45.9 mRad, by the way.
Pros: :yh:
Cons:
Overview:
All in all, this is a great laser. You couldn't ask more for this price. The power will be usually be around 40mW on these lasers, and they're pretty well built. They're perfect for having fun and collecting at a good price.
The laser: 5mw Blue Laser Pointer US Quick Shipping 405nm Business - eBay (item 120580166420 end time Oct-04-10 22:04:23 PDT)
Shipping:
These particular package was sent from some guy named Alvin. The lasers were shipped in the all too common brown, bubble envelope. The two lasers were both individually packed in thin, plastic, bubble wrap sleeves. Shipping took three days. Umm....that's pretty much it.
First Impressions:
I was expecting a less than average quality build, but was surprised to find a really nice host. The outer aluminum has a rubberized grip, and the button clicks nicely. Unfortunately, there is a rattle coming from the switch when you shake the laser. Also, when the batteries are inserted, you can feel them moving around a bit. The threads for the battery cap are not bad, but they could be better. I could improve them with some teflon tape. The laser has a warning label stating that it is <50mW, which is also a pretty cool sticker. The clips has the *LASER POINTER* stamp too.
Beam & Dot:
....Yeah.... this thing is so not bright. :yabbmad: Well, that is what I expected from a 405nm laser, but I didn't know it was that much! A few nights ago, it was very dark outside, and the beam was faintly visible. When it is shined on things like tonic water or highlighters, it fluoresces very brightly. :drool:
I measured the beam diameter on the lasers to both be at around 3.5mm at aperture, and with an mRad of 0.59!!
Battery Life:
These lasers use 2xAAA batteries. Since I got them about a week ago, I inserted two non-rechargeable batteries, and used them constantly; they have not run out.
Power:
On my friend's lpm, one laser measured at 41.3 mW, while the other measured at 52.7 mW. The lasers feel warm when shined on the back of your hand for a few seconds, but never get hot or burning. I then decided to modify the one that was at 52.7mW by moving the focal point to about four inches from the aperture. (It was extremely easy) This laser can now smoke almost any material if it's not a light colour. I tried to light a match, but that is not possible; it just makes a lot of smoke. I'm sure it will pop some balloons. This modified laser now has a divergence of 45.9 mRad, by the way.
Pros: :yh:
- Nice build quality
- Great button switch
- Amazing divergence
- Fast shipping
- EXTREMELY cheap price
- Over 9 times the advertised power
- Long battery life
- Cool warning labels
Cons:
- For this price, I wouldn't dare say anything bad.
Overview:
All in all, this is a great laser. You couldn't ask more for this price. The power will be usually be around 40mW on these lasers, and they're pretty well built. They're perfect for having fun and collecting at a good price.
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