In a nutshell, LEDShoppe is an online retailer of cheap small electronic goods sourced from Hong Kong. They carry a range of pen style green laser pointers very similar to those carried by DX/KD, and priced to match. Shipping is free worldwide, with (as of yet) no restrictions of any kind. Average shipping time to the US is less than 1.5 weeks from the date of purchase. Payment options include their own credit card payment system or PayPal, with your final transaction being between the US based online retail framework provider CCNow and you/PayPal. There are also options for you to track your order, change your order, or cancel your order before it's shipped.
My experience with this company has thus far been very positive. The first laser pointer order I made was for a green 30mW unit, which arrived in my mail in a discrete package with good bubble wrapping for protection. The unit itself delivers excellent power, with a highly visible beam and exceptional brightness, although there was bad conductivity between the pointer's base and the diode, so at first the power delivery was inconsistent and sometimes the pointer failed to work. I've already corrected this problem myself by cleaning / modifying the pointer's base, but this was unnecessary: after I explained my situation to LEDShoppe via their online feedback form, I was immediately informed by them that they would send me a tested replacement pointer free with another order I had just made. Thus, I am impressed by their level of service, and I won't hesitate to purchase goods from them again.
For buyers, current pricing of green pointers is as follows:
Personally, I wouldn't pay the tracking for small orders since it's not really accurate, and only told me when my pointer left Hong Kong and nothing else.
UPDATE: The consensus is in: LEDShoppe pointers rock, especially their 50mW pointer. Check page 2 for some good photos of their packaging. As others have said, if you receive a defective pointer, they will send you a replacement NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Truly superior customer service.
My experience with this company has thus far been very positive. The first laser pointer order I made was for a green 30mW unit, which arrived in my mail in a discrete package with good bubble wrapping for protection. The unit itself delivers excellent power, with a highly visible beam and exceptional brightness, although there was bad conductivity between the pointer's base and the diode, so at first the power delivery was inconsistent and sometimes the pointer failed to work. I've already corrected this problem myself by cleaning / modifying the pointer's base, but this was unnecessary: after I explained my situation to LEDShoppe via their online feedback form, I was immediately informed by them that they would send me a tested replacement pointer free with another order I had just made. Thus, I am impressed by their level of service, and I won't hesitate to purchase goods from them again.
For buyers, current pricing of green pointers is as follows:
- 5mW: $12.99 (Reviewed by Cyparagon, almost always consistently overpowered, sometimes by a factor of 8-9) (UPDATE: Personal experience and other people's testimonials indicate these and other "black" type pointers have sub-par quality control. Silver pointers are very consistent in build and output quality.)
- 10mW: $14.99 (Reviewed by Jimmymcjimthejim, with a good testimony to their superb customer service)
- 20mW: $17.99
- 30mW: $19.99
- 50mW: $24.99 (Reviewed by Benm, real output power is dead on with rated power, decent beam specs)
Personally, I wouldn't pay the tracking for small orders since it's not really accurate, and only told me when my pointer left Hong Kong and nothing else.
UPDATE: The consensus is in: LEDShoppe pointers rock, especially their 50mW pointer. Check page 2 for some good photos of their packaging. As others have said, if you receive a defective pointer, they will send you a replacement NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Truly superior customer service.