Review (video): DX SD Laser 301 & Rayfoss RF532-200mW-B03

[Orcrist666]

I began the process of ordering the 100mW version of the B03 model laser from Rayfoss last week. It was going great, I got replies to all emails and the customer service seemed great. I sent the payment through paypal at about 4am Friday morning (I have bad sleeping patterns(EDIT:it was actually more to do with studying for my final exams this time)).

Then later during the day on Friday I asked if she could take a photo of the power meter as the laser was being tested and send it to me because I had read that this model was underspec and I didn't want mine to be the same. I haven't heard from her since. Granted by the time I sent the email work would have finished for the day over in china, so I would completely understand if I didn't get a reply until Monday. But it is now Wednesday and I have not gotten any word back yet. This was after being told Friday (before requesting an image of the testing of the laser) that the laser would ship on or before Monday.

So I don't know what is going on. According to Faona it should have been shipped by now. Maybe it was delayed in order to take the photo of the testing, but I would have at least expected to be updated on the progress of my order. I emailed yesterday for an update but got no reply today. I feel stupid for having sent the payment right away as now I don't know what they are planning to do with regards to my order. I hope I get word soon or I will be tempted to try get my money back through paypal.

 

[oikos]

thanks for sharing Orcrist666.... im sorry to hear that

see? CAM... this also happened to me.... i was actually buying the 400mW version of the exact laser you're getting.... only this time i asked her i am from LPF and if she could honor her output to match the output on my LPM... thats when she STOPPED ALL COMMUNICATION :scowl: read about it:

Little harsh dont ya think? I dont care for noobs either, but there is a difference between the morons here to troll, and the people actually trying to get along with other members, both you and I were 'noobs' here once.

Rayfoss has had some great rep around here, and still does IMO as well, however just because its considered a 'discount' site doesnt mean they can get away with selling underspec products, thats what DX does and look what we all think of DX(>20mW). Its acceptable for a site like rayfoss to have some slight differences in power compared to its rating, but if faona gives a customer a power rating, claiming she tested it or had it tested at that output, then oikos should recive that power rating exactly minus a 5mW meter difference, and if rayfoss cant back their statments thats their fault, and considering all the broken and underspec lasers showing up around here from rayfoss, I feel its perfectly acceptable to ask them for a near spec, fully fuctioning unit.
Companies can go bad quickly and without warning, it happens, and when the signs are present, a smart consumer should be cautious even if that caution isnt always accurate.

very well said kingdave :yh: in fact, i would be okay even if it's a +/- 30mW due to temperature, meter etc. but if it's like 50mW difference (we're talking about average) personally, i think it's a little off....

i was ordering the RF532-400mW-FMK(IR filtered) she told me via email that the 400mW laser was available (on the site, there's the RF532-300mW-FMK but not 400mW) i just wanted to make sure she doesn't send me the 300mW for the extra i was paying... the fact that she did not put that 400mw version on the site is what kept me thinking.... i thought for $50 more, $570 (what she wanted for the 400mW) was too good to be true when the 300mW was @ $525.....

i even did some extensive research on why the host looks different and here's the answer i got from JETLASERS (the comany that made the RF532-300mW-FMK that faona is selling:

hi Gary i have a question.. is there a fake JETLASER on the market? i saw two versions. one version has the handle bar area round all the way

http://www.freaklasers.com/laser-pointer/org-pioneer-series-green-laser-red-infrared-model-11.jpg

the other version has a little flat surface on the handle bar

http://www.rayfoss.com/Uploadfiles/UploadFile/201029184411975.jpg

are they both legit??

----------- reply -------------

Thanks for your quick response, and I know the fake versions here in Chinese market, while the 2nd one is the duplicate and we cannot say it's all bad, but it uses the domestic LD that costs cheap enough, and through the test we did at the beginning of this year, though the 2nd version leaked a great deal of ir power though they claimed it's ir filtered. And during the power test, except for the underspeced 532nm power, we can see the stability is far from satisfying and the mode hopping(skip) is obvious. You can test both and make comparison if you have the chance.

But you may know, in China, there is no strict copyright stuff, so it's commonplace that people make quick money by copying and duplication, and they're cheap and people like it. Never mind.

Honestly, the model is originated by scitower(scitower.com, a laser manufacture, only second to cni, and more famous than viacho), and you can see the originated model at ÉÂÎ÷ͬΪ¹âµçÉ豸ÓÐÏÞ¹«Ë¾ - רҵƷÖÊ ×¿Ô½·þÎñ . This manufacurer is mainly committed to making labs lasers for China-located universities and military departments, and they also partner with US army. So they don't sell portable lasers much. Meanwhile, while jetlasers(the company i'm working for right now) is made of a dozen of young engineers, so jetlasers first partnered with scitower while the latter agreed to provide the crystal assemblies(the index uses this assembly and pumped via their own 3w LD, plus a additional heat sink, finally achieving the 700mw + stability for around 45 mins.) . Then the jetlasers pumped it with nLight LD here, and achieved a high stability laser power.


Best regards,
Gray

so i thought since it's JETLASER the power output shouldn't be that much off.... that's why i was strict with faona


@Pontiacg5 plus, i heard many ppl's spec sheet from fanona have the EXACT mW (ie: 210mW for a 200mw rated) if the lasers are low quality i assume it may fluctuate and have all kinds of readings for different ppl.. :thinking::thinking::thinking::thinking::thinking:

im not trying to put rayfoss down.... but when it comes to choosing sides between a LPF member and rayfoss, of course i would try to protect you..... after all, we're one big family right? :angel::yh:

i just checked my last email to faona, look i wasn't even being harsh! "do you guarantee output ~400mW? we have been reviewing and talking how reliable your lasers are at laserpointerforums.com but what happens if my LPM test it being underspeced upon arrival of my laser?" tsk tsk perhaps she got intimidated by ppl who actually have a LPM? :twak:

the reason faona is communicating is because u probably sounded like a noooob, (someone they can prey on) now i suggest before you decide to finally pulll the trigger, ask the same question like i did..... pretend to be a pro.... say yoouu're from LPF and you own a LPM... and SEE IF SHE WILL RESPOND.... you donn't want to be like Orcrist666 good luck

 

[Orcrist666]

Just thought I'd update you guys on my situation.

Well, I eventually got a response, on the following Wednesday(about 4 or 5 days after I asked for the photo), which said that the laser was already shipped and they didnt get to take a photo of the laser's testing. Now she said it was shipped on the 16th, which was a Sunday. I thought that people in china didnt work over the weekend? If they could ship my laser, why could they not answer my emails?

Anyway, she apologised for not getting to take a photo, but said that it was tested and found to be 120mW stable for 30 seconds. I dont know whether thats true or not. Well there is a review of the same laser here that provides graphs showing 122mW so maybe its true. I wouldnt bet on it though, but at least theres a fair chance the laser will be fully up to spec.

I have received a letter from customs in Ireland stating that they have my laser right now and wanted a copy of the paypal receipt forwarded so that they could charge tax on it. I asked Faona what she wrote on the package for the value but got no reply. I forwarded the receipt to customs and got a reply saying that I will be charged just under 20 euro for tax and handling fees by customs, but the good news is that I know where it is and that it will be delivered on monday the 31st.

So to sum it all up, I asked for a photo but got a late response saying it was already shipped (funnily enough tho it was shipped 2 days after I asked for the photo!), I was told it was tested at 120mW stable for 30 seconds, I later received a letter that its held by customs so I have to pay an extra 20 euro but I know now exactly when it will arrive (3 days), on Monday I should be able to try it out and report back.

EDIT: Just to clarify, I dont mean to sound negative towards Rayfoss at all, I'm just a little wary. But I will wait until I get my laser and try it out before I make any kind of judgment on Rayfoss. Hopefully the laser will work great and I can come back with a happy update on it's functionality.

 

[Mik]

Beam Shots(night and daytime), other burning tests (like the usual matches, duct tape and baloons) and from different distances, information about the room temperature during the tests, if the beam comes out straight ( some buyers have complained that the beam doesn't come out really straight) are some of the tests you could do with de SDLaser if you want to

I'm just asking you a favor and giving you suggestions. =)

Thanks !

Another suggestion is: how much of the output is IR. You can try to get an estimative puting goggles between the laser and the LPM.
Well, sorry for asking all this things.

Thanks for the review (once more)

74 degrees F, beam is straight

Mine is making 22mW of IR. No more beam shots, it looks just like every other 50-80mW green laser.

It fails to burn through Panduit eletrical tape (this stuff is thicker than average) but does leave a mark on the surface.

It fails to pop balloons from 6 feet. I think this is due to the poor focusing range of adjustment. it does not seem to really focus down, it only focuses up (increasing the dot size). At 2 feet it pops select color balloons, such as orange, red or black. Purple, blue, pink or green it won't pop. It will not fire red or white tipped matches.

 

[Deleted member 8382]

I think the problem started once all the "qualifound" stuff started. They used to be a great companie, at least my 200mW torch is a great laser

 

[siqueirah]

Thanks for everything, Mik !

Wow, 22mW IR, that's too much for a 50mW unit. I'm a little disappointed...
Well, still a good laser for the price.
When mine arrives I'll review it too. I don't have a LPM, of course.

 

[Orcrist666]

Wow, 22mW IR, that's too much for a 50mW unit.

It's not a 50mW unit, its supposed to be a 200mW unit, but only averages about 130mW. So its 22mW out of ~130mW, not out of 50. Assuming you were talking about Mik's laser.

Anyway, I said I would update people on how my experience with Rayfoss turned out, so I came back to report my findings so far. I ordered the 100mW version of the B03 model laser, the RF532-100mW-B03.
www.rayfoss.com
I explained how things went up to the point where the laser had been shipped, so now it has arrived and I've tested it out a bit, here is how I feel about it so far...

Its great! I havent had any problems with it so far. It seems to be up to spec as far as I can tell. I dont have a power meter, but it does melt most black plastic very easily, and burns dark paper. I tore a black piece of paper out of a magazine and the laser smoked it and burned it brown (one side was a light colour but was turned brown), and when I focused it, it burned a hole straight through the paper. Unfocused, it burned holes through a thin black plastic instantly. I tested the laser on a sheet of black plastic material that was to be used in my girlfriends garden, it was laid down before adding stones and gravel and stuff. The laser burned through this plastic material unfocused with ease, even folded so that there were 4 layers of it, it burned through it after about 4 seconds. When focused, it stings the skin, like being poked with a needle, almost instantly. Now I havent got safety glasses (I know, thats terrible! I'll be ordering some probably tomorrow if I can!), so its hard to tell where the focal point is after focusing. When I say it was focused, I mean I had it focused and I had a rough but not very accurate idea where the focal point was. The beam is visible pretty much all the time. even during the day when its sunny outside and the light is shining through the window, its possible to see the beam. At night, it is very bright! It produces a very bright green beam that has amazed everyone I've shown it to so far (dont worry, I am extremely careful with it and would not do anything stupid with it, if I show people, it is always done in an extremely careful manner).

I have not yet had the chance to try popping a balloon or lighting a match, but I will try to do these tests within the next few days. I suspect it will do well enough with these, obviously I cant be sure but I have a feeling it will.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with you guys. I think it would be wise to exercise caution if ordering from Rayfoss simply because a lot of people have complained about them recently, but I cant complain about the results of my dealings with them. Yeah, that stuff about the request for a photo and the way they responded seemed a little suspect, but as far as I can tell that was the only really negative thing about my experience. I dont like the way they contacted me 4 days after I sent them the message and claimed it was already sent, but I think it turned out ok in the end. (EDIT: Maybe I was just lucky! I dont know! Ha ha!)

To sum it up, I'm pretty happy with my laser, I have a feeling it is up to spec, or close enough that it would be within the +/-10% tolerance. But note that I dont own any other laser at this power range, so I'm still a bit inexperienced at judging the power of lasers. But the examples of performance should give a bit of an idea for those that are good at judging the power output.

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know how things turned out for me, I didnt intend to ramble on so much! Ha ha!

 

[siqueirah]

It's not a 50mW unit, its supposed to be a 200mW unit, but only averages about 130mW. So its 22mW out of ~130mW, not out of 50. Assuming you were talking about Mik's laser.

Yes, I'm talking about Mik's laser and YES it is a 50mW rated laser.
You guys were so obsessed about Rayfoss that totally forgot the DealExtreme SDLaser.
It outputs 80mW (22mW IR) and I think it's too much for a 50mW rated green laser.

 

[Orcrist666]

Yes, I'm talking about Mik's laser and YES it is a 50mW rated laser.
You guys were so obsessed about Rayfoss that totally forgot the DealExtreme SDLaser.
It outputs 80mW (22mW IR) and I think it's too much for a 50mW rated green laser.

Sorry I thought he was talking about the Rayfoss because in his YouTube video where he tests the IR output of the Rayfoss you can see it drops to exactly 22mW after the green light is filtered out. Thats why I thought he was referring to the Rayfoss, not because of any obsession.

 

[siqueirah]

I didn't mean YOU. I was talking about the course this thread has taken.
Well, no problems though.
I'm now interested. what video are you talking about?

 

[Orcrist666]

Ah yeah I suppose, you werent wrong there anyway! Ha ha! The video is here:
YouTube - laserchase's Channel
The laser is at about 135mW and placing green protective glasses in front it drops, and after a few seconds its 22mW, at 3:06.

 

[Mik]

In my post number 68 I was saying that the SD Laser 301 makes 22mW of IR. It is completely seperate from the video showing 135mW dropping to around 22mW of IR.. That video is the Rayfoss laser. I never noticed this at all, but both lasers are making basically the same amount of IR. The rayfoss is making a lot more total power than the SD Laser, but they have equal IR output.. goofy. I would expect the SD Laser with lower overall output to make less IR.

Sorry for the confusion fellas!



As an update on the situation.. nobody wanted to buy the Rayfoss laser from me, so I set it for CR123A and I use it to consume my aging cells. That laser now lives inside of a small Pelican case and stays in my car all the time. It's nice to have a semi-powerful laser handy where ever you go. It's a lovely Canadian geese mover.

Additional update: Rayfoss never did give me a charger or a battery. I couldn't suggest that anyone buys from them based on my experience.

 

[siqueirah]

Got it today !

 

[mod101]

Nice review.

can someone please do that with a stronger laser :drool:
I wanna see a 1w burn through a chocolate bar

also sorry for bumping this old thread to life

 

[Orcrist666]

can someone please do that with a stronger laser :drool:
I wanna see a 1w burn through a chocolate bar

Agreed! I'd love to see a more powerful laser melt right through a chocolate bar!