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Survival Laser I 445nm Parts Bundle - Laser Components Only
I am going to try to keep this review simple and to the point.
Communication
The communication with gary from survival laser was stellar. He answered all my questions quickly and fully and was overall very helpful before and after I placed my order and received my laser.
(Rating: 9/10)
Shipping
Shipping was very fast. I placed my order late on a sunday night , it shipped tuesday and arrived thursday so in all with priority shipping it took 2 days from ship date to get from Utah to Long Island, NY
(Rating 10/10)
Packaging
Everything was packaged very well. The laser comes in parts so the empty host was put inside it's own box surrounded by foam packing and the other parts such as the diode, driver, heat sink, lens etc were all packaged in small plastic bags also surrounded by foam packaging. All in all I was not at all worried about the possibility of damage during shipping.
(Rating 9/10)
Specs
When ordering this laser you are given the option of an aluminum (standard) heat sink or a copper heat sink. I used the aluminum for this review. You also have the option of a nickel plated brass diode module (standard) or copper. I used the nickel plated brass for this review.This laser uses a Cree C6 host.
Peak power after start up: 1,073mW
Power after 60 seconds:1,057
The stated output power for this laser is 1,150mW +/- 150mW
Using a laserbee 2W model A power meter and the 2 included CR123A batteries at full charge from 8 inches away I measured the peak output at 1,073mW (pictured below) and after 60 seconds it only dropped to 1,057mW. When I used my own ultrafire brand batteries I was able attain a peak power of 1,186mW and after 60 seconds the power dropped to 1,153mW so I would recommend trying some different batteries if you want to get better output with this laser. At the 60 second mark you can feel the front of the host begin warming up . Over all even with the included batteries this laser performs within the power range that it is advertised. Recommended duty cycle is 1 min on 1 min off.
(Rating 9/10)
Build quality
Overall the build quality is top notch. As I said it uses a Cree C6 host which takes 2 CR123A batteries. The soldering on the driver/pill and diode is clean, solid and very well done and the wires between the diode and driver have shrink tubing all the way up to the solder point. Batteries go in + first so the spring is located in the tail cap. Everything is a tight fit no rattling of the batteries, driver or heat sink. The laser was very easy to assemble, it took me no more than 4 minutes to get it 100% assembled. Overall the connections and materials seem solid.
(Rating 9/10)
Complaints
My only complaint is the focusing ring (pictured). In the picture you can see that the lens is screwed into the module and then a spring is put over it with the focusing ring screwed on after. The problem I have found is that quite often you end up turning the focusing ring but it doesn't actually turn the lens along with it. This isn't a huge problem and it can be fixed in several ways, one being the use of the extended focusing ring Survival lasers sells and the second being the use of teflon tape.
(OVERALL RATING 8.5/10)
I am extremely happy and satisfied with this laser and my experience with survival lasers. I would definitely recommend this laser to anybody looking for a nice powerful 445nm laser for a reasonable price. I am looking forward to my future with this laser and if I have any updates as far as performance goes I will update this review.
Peak output with included batteries.
Output after 60 seconds
Beam profile at tightest focus from 5 feet away
Unassembled components included in this laser package (not including charger and protective eye wear)
I will be taking some beam shots soon and I will include them a little later.
EDIT: Another thing I forgot to mention was that if you use one 18650 battery the laser will output around 200-300mW so its kind of like having 2 lasers in one. I tend to go with the 18650 if I want to use the laser inside without having to worry about accidentally burning things and using my beam dump. It also means that the 1 minute on 1 minute off duty cycle is no longer necessary which I like.
I am going to try to keep this review simple and to the point.
Communication
The communication with gary from survival laser was stellar. He answered all my questions quickly and fully and was overall very helpful before and after I placed my order and received my laser.
(Rating: 9/10)
Shipping
Shipping was very fast. I placed my order late on a sunday night , it shipped tuesday and arrived thursday so in all with priority shipping it took 2 days from ship date to get from Utah to Long Island, NY
(Rating 10/10)
Packaging
Everything was packaged very well. The laser comes in parts so the empty host was put inside it's own box surrounded by foam packing and the other parts such as the diode, driver, heat sink, lens etc were all packaged in small plastic bags also surrounded by foam packaging. All in all I was not at all worried about the possibility of damage during shipping.
(Rating 9/10)
Specs
When ordering this laser you are given the option of an aluminum (standard) heat sink or a copper heat sink. I used the aluminum for this review. You also have the option of a nickel plated brass diode module (standard) or copper. I used the nickel plated brass for this review.This laser uses a Cree C6 host.
Peak power after start up: 1,073mW
Power after 60 seconds:1,057
The stated output power for this laser is 1,150mW +/- 150mW
Using a laserbee 2W model A power meter and the 2 included CR123A batteries at full charge from 8 inches away I measured the peak output at 1,073mW (pictured below) and after 60 seconds it only dropped to 1,057mW. When I used my own ultrafire brand batteries I was able attain a peak power of 1,186mW and after 60 seconds the power dropped to 1,153mW so I would recommend trying some different batteries if you want to get better output with this laser. At the 60 second mark you can feel the front of the host begin warming up . Over all even with the included batteries this laser performs within the power range that it is advertised. Recommended duty cycle is 1 min on 1 min off.
(Rating 9/10)
Build quality
Overall the build quality is top notch. As I said it uses a Cree C6 host which takes 2 CR123A batteries. The soldering on the driver/pill and diode is clean, solid and very well done and the wires between the diode and driver have shrink tubing all the way up to the solder point. Batteries go in + first so the spring is located in the tail cap. Everything is a tight fit no rattling of the batteries, driver or heat sink. The laser was very easy to assemble, it took me no more than 4 minutes to get it 100% assembled. Overall the connections and materials seem solid.
(Rating 9/10)
Complaints
My only complaint is the focusing ring (pictured). In the picture you can see that the lens is screwed into the module and then a spring is put over it with the focusing ring screwed on after. The problem I have found is that quite often you end up turning the focusing ring but it doesn't actually turn the lens along with it. This isn't a huge problem and it can be fixed in several ways, one being the use of the extended focusing ring Survival lasers sells and the second being the use of teflon tape.
(OVERALL RATING 8.5/10)
I am extremely happy and satisfied with this laser and my experience with survival lasers. I would definitely recommend this laser to anybody looking for a nice powerful 445nm laser for a reasonable price. I am looking forward to my future with this laser and if I have any updates as far as performance goes I will update this review.
Peak output with included batteries.
Output after 60 seconds
Beam profile at tightest focus from 5 feet away
Unassembled components included in this laser package (not including charger and protective eye wear)
I will be taking some beam shots soon and I will include them a little later.
EDIT: Another thing I forgot to mention was that if you use one 18650 battery the laser will output around 200-300mW so its kind of like having 2 lasers in one. I tend to go with the 18650 if I want to use the laser inside without having to worry about accidentally burning things and using my beam dump. It also means that the 1 minute on 1 minute off duty cycle is no longer necessary which I like.
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