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- Oct 18, 2013
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Just got my SF501B in the mail today, and after playing around with it for 3 hours I would say its time for a review!
So first topic to cover is shipping. Sci-Fi Lasers is known for fast shipping and the tradition continues, with it only taking 2 weeks and 1 day for my laser to arrive in Canada from Israel, and during the holiday season too! Thats faster than the usual shipping for my lasers from the USA.
Next up, lets take a look at the host:
The SF501B is in (as the model number says) a 501B host. I personally like this host, as its not too big nor is it too small. With batteries in it it has a nice weight that feels solid without being bulky. Its basic and clean, both are attributes I appreciate. Mine arrived in good condition, with the exception being a small smudge of what appears to be glue(?) under the logo.
The SF501B has a copper diode module enclosed in an aluminum heatsink. The 1 Watt version uses a 3 element glass lens with adjustable focus.
The SF501B uses 2 16340 or 2 18350 batteries. Batteries are inserted with the positive terminal facing the front of the laser.
Now lets talk about some of the specifications:
I ordered the 1 Watt version of the SF501B. Sci-Fi lasers is kind enough to measure the output of the laser before shipping and even includes a printout of the power chart.
As you can see by the chart, my laser clocks in at around 1400 mW. Thats over 40% over-spec :drool:
To say that I'm impressed would be an understatement.
The duty cycle for this laser is 60 seconds on, 60 seconds off, which is decent for the size of the host and the power of the laser.
The beam of the laser is nice and clean, with no distortions or aberrations present. When focused the laser produces a nice blue dot that appears round. When un-focused the beam resolves itself into a rectangular shape common of diode lasers and especially common with blue and near-UV lasers. As is common with shorter wavelength lasers, divergence over a distance isn't too great, with the dot becoming noticeably bigger over medium distances, however adjusting the focus of the laser counters this effect.
And finally, one of the aspects many people buy lasers for: burning!
At 1.4 Watts, this laser will scorch almost any material instantly (including humans and animals, so be careful). For the topic of burning, words don't really do much justice, so I will let my video do the talking for me.
So in summary, the SF501B is a excellent laser, and Sci-Fi lasers is an excellent place to buy from. for 95$ plus 10$ shipping you really can't go wrong. I highly recommend the SF501B and Sci-Fi Lasers
(Also, more pictures to come soon once my camera is charged)
So first topic to cover is shipping. Sci-Fi Lasers is known for fast shipping and the tradition continues, with it only taking 2 weeks and 1 day for my laser to arrive in Canada from Israel, and during the holiday season too! Thats faster than the usual shipping for my lasers from the USA.
Next up, lets take a look at the host:
The SF501B is in (as the model number says) a 501B host. I personally like this host, as its not too big nor is it too small. With batteries in it it has a nice weight that feels solid without being bulky. Its basic and clean, both are attributes I appreciate. Mine arrived in good condition, with the exception being a small smudge of what appears to be glue(?) under the logo.
The SF501B has a copper diode module enclosed in an aluminum heatsink. The 1 Watt version uses a 3 element glass lens with adjustable focus.
The SF501B uses 2 16340 or 2 18350 batteries. Batteries are inserted with the positive terminal facing the front of the laser.
Now lets talk about some of the specifications:
I ordered the 1 Watt version of the SF501B. Sci-Fi lasers is kind enough to measure the output of the laser before shipping and even includes a printout of the power chart.
As you can see by the chart, my laser clocks in at around 1400 mW. Thats over 40% over-spec :drool:
To say that I'm impressed would be an understatement.
The duty cycle for this laser is 60 seconds on, 60 seconds off, which is decent for the size of the host and the power of the laser.
The beam of the laser is nice and clean, with no distortions or aberrations present. When focused the laser produces a nice blue dot that appears round. When un-focused the beam resolves itself into a rectangular shape common of diode lasers and especially common with blue and near-UV lasers. As is common with shorter wavelength lasers, divergence over a distance isn't too great, with the dot becoming noticeably bigger over medium distances, however adjusting the focus of the laser counters this effect.
And finally, one of the aspects many people buy lasers for: burning!
At 1.4 Watts, this laser will scorch almost any material instantly (including humans and animals, so be careful). For the topic of burning, words don't really do much justice, so I will let my video do the talking for me.
So in summary, the SF501B is a excellent laser, and Sci-Fi lasers is an excellent place to buy from. for 95$ plus 10$ shipping you really can't go wrong. I highly recommend the SF501B and Sci-Fi Lasers
(Also, more pictures to come soon once my camera is charged)
