S3 Arctic Question

[wornover]

First off let me say I have read the forum rules, searched for every question I had on here, & spent countless hours reading on the safety requirements for owning a laser - all acknowledged. It is not a toy....GOOD goggles are a must for everyone in the area every time operating the laser.

Now to the questions,
I was looking into this laser

Blue Laser Pointer 1 Watt | S3 Arctic | Spyder III | Wicked Lasers

I have read many many reviews & looked into the company, it seems their act has cleaned up a bit in regards to shipping so I believe I can trust them after speaking with the company owner I believe who's name is Joe.

I was wondering if this laser will last a lifetime or if all lasers die eventually.? I know the battery can die for good, that can be replaced - I mean the laser itself, will it last?

I planned on using this for a survival beacon as I fly over forests/seas a lot......but it will get used every now & again for other things, like just enjoying a $300 big boys toy (handled with care/caution).

I know it is not the 1w advertised & so on, but I love the looks of it & hear it's machined very nicely. So what does everyone think of this model in regards to reliability?

And can the blue laser be seen easily in the sky?

 

[kiyoukan]

well for 300$ your getting under a 1W laser.
But you want it to last.
Well maybe yes maybe no. not the best track record but then again they sell more than anyone else in the world so.
but for 300$ here you could buy alot more than a 700mw laser

 

[eexe]

If you want reliability, go with a reliable laser company, not Wicked, it's that simple. A bad driver, shitty wires, questionable heatsinking just doesn't sound "reliable". 1W 445s are not rare, there are plenty to choose from, you might like one from jetlasers in a Titanium B host: ¤Jetlasers B Ti Laser Pointers with Waterproof Focusable Features at Jet Lasers, the world's only Titanium laser pointers
Beam wll always be visible for near spectators, it depends if it will be visible from far away on many factors.

 

[wornover]

That host looks nice.

I guess after seeing youtube videos of the arctic it kind of had me sold at the initial gander....the blue laser on it seems unreal & is very nice & thick/bright. I really liked the arctic for the smartswitch feature.

However if it is not reliable I guess I will be looking at other brands/lasers unfortunately.

 

[kiyoukan]

that right there is 75% of their sales.
Someone sees it and goes so blue and cool i must buy.
Then they decide to read and go aww i just paid 300$ for a laser that is cheaply made and besides from looking cool nothing good about it.
that may be a bit harsh, but i would rather throw money to the people with standards.

 

[wornover]

Completely understood. I always read & know exactly what I'm getting before I buy, which is why I'm here.

I would like the strongest laser possible while still being reliable & last a lifetime & not look like a small flashlight. I'll keep checking back here for links everyone posts on good lasers.

I appreciate all the help

 

[eexe]

1w is more than enough IMO, and that titanium host from jetlasers looks badass. If you like the look go for it, they are of exceptional quality, I don't know the price though A lower power one might be even better, I want to buy a 18650 battery just to reduce the power of a laser I got from Yobresal to ~150-200 mw, it would be safer.

 

[wornover]

Jetlasers has the "smartswitch" feature as well, very nice.

Is there any difference between colors of green/blue? Say both at 1000mw.
It seems green is brighter but blue burns more?

It looks like I may be ordering from Jetlasers very soon - any more input from everyone on their reliability/quality? The more reassurance on the brand the more confident I feel in my order.

 

[wornover]

Also is it just me or do the youtube videos of the jetlasers beam look real thin?
Can this be adjusted to be thick like the arctic?

Here is what I have my eye on, I really like the smartswitch feature & host - any opinions on this specific model?
http://www.jetlasers.net/Handheld-Laser-d.html

And a concern, it says diode life is >8000 hours - when the diode dies is the laser rendered useless or can a diode be replaced?

**For some reason the "edit" button would not work, sorry for the double post**

 

[eexe]

That thinness of the beam i greatly appreciated by laser enthusiasts here, beam looks nicer and brighter that way. Also they say that dot diameter at aperture is adjustable, I believe that it is a mistake, though. Green is brighter per photon (and similar power) but blue has more energy per photon, is much more absorbed by environment, more affected by rayleigh scatter(affects beam visibility) and is cheaper per mW at high powers.
You might want to check out this graph of visibility: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Eyesensitivity.png
A blue laser will have a fatter beam and will "spread" (diverge) over distance faster and forms a rectangular dot due to being a multimode diode (check out some pics in reviews, 445 or multimedia section). Greens are DPSS(a sticky in the green section explains that, it's interesting) and form a nice dot if properly assembled. That is tricky, so higher powers cost more.
When a diode dies in a laser it is not something that cannot be replaced, it is quite a simple process with blues and somewhat more tricky with greens, because it needs to be realigned and polarization must be matched, I think. It costs ~40$+work for blues and varies for greens.
Read some stickies on this forum, it is a great source of information and might help with your decision, especially don't cheap out on safety.

 

[blue bumblebee]

i think the jetlasers "D" model looks EXACTLY like the arctic?
¤ Jetlasers Portable D Waterproof and focusable Lasers Pointers, titanium laser pointers, ti laser pointer, jet laser, jetlasers price, how to buy jetlasers, jetlasers green lasers, PL C jetlasers, jetlasers cni lasers, PL-D jetlasers, upgraded cni l

you can get better quality builds from forum members that are all over 1W and all MUCH cheaper than the arctic (50%)

 

[wornover]

No I agree the jetlasers pl-d looks just like the arctic, which I like personally.

I like the host, I hear it's reliable - looks like I may be getting the pl-d.

 

[PersonGuyDude]

I have read many many reviews & looked into the company, it seems their act has cleaned up a bit in regards to shipping so I believe I can trust them after speaking with the company owner I believe who's name is Joe.

If you are willing to spend the cash to buy the Artic, I suggest watching for a really high powered build in the BST section of LPF, someone had a 2W Saik build up for $350 if I remember correctly.
Thats ~266% more powerful than a typical Artic (750 mW)

If you want it here and now, I HIGHLY suggest Garoq from survival lasers.

He has a spectacular kit with EVERYTHING you will need for $470 -10% LPF coupon = $423 for a 1.8W 445
""""external lens spring, laser warning label, silicone lens cap and a blue anodized extended focusing ring), a syringe of Arctic Silver™ Ceramique 2 high-performance thermal compound, 2 rechargeable RCR123A batteries, a dual RCR123A battery charger, a laser holster, a set of Eagle Pair OD4+ 190-540nm goggles (your choice of standard or slip over styles), an 18650 battery extension tube"

Or you can get a bundle for a 1.1W laser in the same host for $139, not including goggles.
You will not get better than that from a company.

If you want a unique looking host I, again, suggest watching the Buy sell trade section like a hawk.

-Goodluck! :wave:

 

[eexe]

[EDITED OUT - was wrong about the price]

"More power" doesn't necessarily equal to "better". OP seems to prefer a nice host, so I don't know if he would prefer C6 over something from jetlasers or something custom(Ehgemus, that new host maker that makes "steampunk"). It also depends on the budget that he wants to spend, maybe he didn't know the prices.

 

[blue bumblebee]

No I agree the jetlasers pl-d looks just like the arctic, which I like personally.

I like the host, I hear it's reliable - looks like I may be getting the pl-d.

if you really like it, i would suggest to join the (maybe last) Jetlasers group buy
here: http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/jetlasers-gb-6-phase-two-make-your-choices-66576.html
you get a lot of discounts

but if you are a "right here, right now" sorta guy, you can just order it from Jetlasers website

 

[wornover]

The 2nd picture down

Survival Laser Photo Gallery

Will the Jetlaser PL-D beam look like this? I guess I sort of like the option to have that larger looking beamline. When viewing videos of the arctic all the videos of the beam line looked similar to the right-most side of that 2nd pic I linked above, see how it is almost fake looking? Very very bright. The left-most side of the pic you can kind of see through the beam line, It seems I'm looking for a lightsaber huh? I seem to prefer the faker brighter beam lines though.

Lol, just trying to find the right laser for me as this will be my first & only. (Yeah....I say that now) ; )