The 125W DL Compares with which WL?

[windstrings]

I currently have what I believe to be a CNI laser "black with gold rims" and black button..... it is supposed to be 130mw constant with around 140mw initial. It will pop a red balloon instantly and punch a hole in a red drinking disposable cup in about 2 seconds once its warmed up.
However, it will not light a match if thats has to be a big deal. I believe its because the mrad may be too big as well as divergence is probrably not perfect since the beam does not go "exactly" though the center of the lens.

At any rate, I am wondering if the dragon 125mw will outperform what I have... it sounds like they do like to light matches.

Its important it has the IR filter..... I don't want a 10mW light that registers 125mw because of full IR hitting the registering meter.
I also don't want to burn matches with all IR.

I want a true green laser with IR filter that has 125mw of green "or more" and even after being IR filtered, still has punch to burn matches.

I don't know how good the QA is on the dragon lasers, but I don't want another that doesn't even shoot through the center of the lens... although I can still burn, I'm sure divergence must be affected with the one I have.

So which Wicked laser would I compare the dragon 125 too?.. Does anybody have both or have played with both to know where the bargain lies?

According to what I"ve read, they do much better than the ebay units, but I'm curious how they stand up to the WL units too.... not that I intend to spend the money they want for a laser, but I'm curious to know what it compares to.

Can anybody help?

 

[SenKat]

Can't answer the 125mw question - but I have a Nexus that I got second hand and it smokes in seconds ! External lenses make it even more powerful - I haven't been able to measure the output scientifically yet - but it seems to be just slightly less power than my 120mw fleabay special. By the way, I got an IR filter, slapped it in my fleabay special, and it still has the same burning power, and brightness - so I believe it does have an IR filter already installed - just cannot disassemble far enough to get to it ! Hope this helps some ?

 

[gemenakis]

Get a wicked fusion...or a laserglow aries or hercules....they really perform great...and both have the right filters for ir light...also they are stable and can light matches

 

[windstrings]

Get a wicked fusion...or a laserglow aries or hercules....they really perform great...and both have the right filters for ir light...also they are stable and can light matches

I've heard alot of issues about the fusion.. "not" burning matches etc... but anyway... are you saying the wattage rating is an easy way to get a match and comparison between DL lasers and WL's.... Even ignoring price, that would normally make sense.. but I"m seeing the DL's advertized at doing things the fusions are have difficulty doing?

Is the beam "smaller" with the DL's giving better ability to burn?
I too have a similiar powered laser and it won't burn matches.
In fact mine looks just like the fusion.......

 

[SenKat]

I've heard alot of issues about the fusion.. "not" burning matches etc... but anyway... are you saying the wattage rating is an easy way to get a match and comparison between DL lasers and WL's.... Even ignoring price, that would normally make sense.. but I"m seeing the DL's advertized at doing things the fusions are have difficulty doing?

Is the beam "smaller" with the DL's giving better ability to burn?
I too have a similiar powered laser and it won't burn matches.
In fact mine looks just like the fusion.......

If you have a laser that the power rating is in excess of 100mw and it will not burn - there is something wrong....either the colimination is off, or something else - I have a WL 95mw Nexus - and it lights matches, burns electrical tape (takes a while, but it DOES do it), etc...Not into the whole burning myself with the laser thing - so I couldn't tell you if it burns skin or not...
What is the power rating of yours ? Try it at various distances, too - my Siklaser 100mw red has to be a certain distance away before it smokes tape or matches - that is due to the focusing optics on it...

 

[windstrings]

[quote author=windstrings link=1167458108/0#3 date=1167502942]

I've heard alot of issues about the fusion.. "not" burning matches etc... but anyway... are you saying the wattage rating is an easy way to get a match and comparison between DL lasers and WL's.... Even ignoring price, that would normally make sense.. but I"m seeing the DL's advertized at doing things the fusions are have difficulty doing?

Is the beam "smaller" with the DL's giving better ability to burn?
I too have a similiar powered laser and it won't burn matches.
In fact mine looks just like the fusion.......

If you have a laser that the power rating is in excess of 100mw and it will not burn - there is something wrong....either the colimination is off, or something else - I have a WL 95mw Nexus - and it lights matches, burns electrical tape (takes a while, but it DOES do it), etc...Not into the whole burning myself with the laser thing - so I couldn't tell you if it burns skin or not...
What is the power rating of yours ? Try it at various distances, too - my Siklaser 100mw red has to be a certain distance away before it smokes tape or matches - that is due to the focusing optics on it...[/quote]

Mine is supposed to be 130mw continuous and 140+ initial.. I can pop a red balloon almost instantly from about 4 feet away and I can burn tape and punch holes in those disposable cups that are red on the outside, white on the inside. ... it only takes about one second once its warm.... but it won't seem to light a match at any distance..even if its painted black.

The beam does "not" go through the center of the lense perfectly and is off to the side a bit.. I blame it on that, unless this is one of the ones that has a wide divergence of around 2.0 or so and can't develop the temps high enough.

 

[gemenakis]

Mine is supposed to be 130mw continuous and 140+ initial.. I can pop a red balloon almost instantly from about 4 feet away and I can burn tape and punch holes in those disposable cups that are red on the outside, white on the inside. ... it only takes about one second once its warm.... but it won't seem to light a match at any distance..even if its painted black.

The beam does "not" go through the center of the lense perfectly and is off to the side a bit.. I blame it on that, unless this is one of the ones that has a wide divergence of around 2.0 or so and can't develop the temps high enough.


if the laser is ok at least 100mW you should easily light a match...remember that color is very important buy black matches..not painted..my wl phoenix 75mW lights a black match not in distance but very close to it...so the 100-130mW laser shoud light it imidiatelly..also at a distance of a few cm the divergence is not a matter...the divergence is a matter aftes 10 meters a'd say...where the dot gets bigger and bigger....try with a black match...it should work...maybe your laser is getting at about 130mW on startup and then drops a lot??? if it still doesn't work maybe your laser doesn't have enought power after the startup or maybe the aperture dot(not divergence but initial beam diametre) is bigger than normal? more then 1-3mm max?

 

[Placebo]

My Nexus and 125 DL both light matches, but the DL does so almost instantly from 8" and instantly at 2" it'll light them from 4-5 feet if I bench-rest it. The Nexus won't light 'em past 12" and it takes it a little while, stilll a great laser though.

EDIT: This post WAS confusing, hopefully a little more coherent now. Or more spectra-physics now.

 

[NairB]

Alot also depends on the match you are using too.

The secret with any laser lighting matches depends on whether the laser is above 75mW and that the beam thickness is 1.5mm and well collimated.

Try to find the waist of your beam, looking along the beam POINTING AWAY from you and you will see the waist(thinnest point of beam) approx 6 to 10 inch's in font of the laser. This is where the beam will burn the best.

Sometimes its hard to find the waist as it may be very slight and harfly noticible so instead try match lighting at different distances say 3 inch 6 inch 12 inch till you find your beams burning point. These distances are common with the old CNI models!!!!!

 

[windstrings]

My Nexus and 125 WL both light matches, but the wicked does so almost instantly from 8" and instantly at 2" it'll light them from 4-5 feet if I bench-rest it. The Nexus won't light 'em past 12" and it takes it a little while, stilll a great laser though.

OK.. I"m confused.. Isn't the Nexus a "wicked" laser too? http://www.wickedlasers.com/products.php?content=extreme
Are we comparing a 95mw with a 125mw both being wicked?
Are we just talking power differences alone?

I thought we were comparing WL with equilivant DL's?

 

[Placebo]

Are we comparing a 95mw with a 125mw both being wicked?
Are we just talking power differences alone?
I thought we were comparing WL with equilivant DL's?

You're right, Not really a comparison. I should have been more specific. There IS however, something I noticed that one might consider when choosing between a 95mW and 125mW laser and that is battery efficiency. When the batteries in my 95mW WL Nexus get too low to light matches or cut tape, I can put them in my 125mW DL and they work great. I'd say overall that the 125 gets 35-40% more usable cutting and burning time out of a set of (e2 lithium) batteries. This is also evidenced by comparing currents, the higher powered laser actually draws less current:

Fresh batteries at 1.72v:
125mW DL = 510mA
95mW WL = 645mA

I guess Ohm's law kind of goes out to window with these things. I should note that the WL appears to be slightly better columnated.

Collumnated.
Colummnated.
Kollum....Goddamnit!

Anyways, I use e2 liths exclusively. It's only money. I have 2 sets of brand new 1000maH Duracell NIMH's I plan on using for a more scientific set of tests. They're too wimpy for anything else. I just need to get the lasers qualified somewhere first. (output, beam profile etc.)

I am not a laser expert by any means, I just like to say things like "mW" and "get the lasers qualified"

WAIT!

"beam profile" God that feels good!

 

[windstrings]

Fresh batteries at 1.72v:
125mW DL = 510mA
95mW WL = 645mA

Interesting.. its like taking medicine.. many think if a little is good, them more must be better!..

Not so when turning up the power to the diodes.

Providing they both have the same size diode or the 125 has a lesser powered diode that would only mean the 125's crystal is "much" more efficient... especially if the diode is smaller... but its entirely possible.

You can have lasers with a 1.2 diode for instance that all pull the same power from thier circuitry yet output can vary from 100 to 225mw, or 2.5W diode can vary from 225 to nearly 500mw. Maybe the 125 is "tuned" better too.... having the pod turned to the max does not alway gender the best results if you are creating more heat than power because the crystal has hit its efficiency curve and only burning heat with the added current, its better to run it cooler and pull less current in those cases.

It may not make sense to many, but some crystals can take the added current as pass it "or use it" because the crystal is good enough, others only take the added current and are already saturated and only burn it up in heat thus actually reversing the power curve to go backwards.