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True 5mW Green Laser Pointer from DX
Intro
Yes I know there are a million "True 5" reviews out there. I'm writing this one so I can reference to it when I make the Youtube video. I enjoy writing reviews on lasers that I like.
The Basics
This laser is powered by two AAA batteries. Advertised power is <5mW, so this meets FDA regulations. That means DX can ship this laser to you (if you are in the US) unlike most other lasers on their site. Because this is only claimed to be 5mW, don't expect to be doing burning tricks with this. This is really only meant to be used as a presentation pointer or just for safely pointing around the house.
Shipping/Packaging
Shipping took about three weeks from China, but shipping from DX is free so I won't complain. It came in a white presentation box:
As you can see, it has a spot for the laser and two AAA batteries. It came with two cheap AAAs that surprisingly worked in the laser, although Eneloops proved to work better.
Overall Appearance/Feel
This laser feels very heavy for its size! Compared to my 170mW CNI this thing feels like a block of lead. To me this is a big plus because it feels sturdier, but some don't like this heavy feeling.
Aperture shot of the laser, in this picture you can see that the warning label is peeling up a little. It came like that, so I secured it with some superglue. I like warning labels on my lasers because they look cool.
The switch has a manly click on it that actually takes pressure to push down. Big plus in my book. ;D
Visibility
For being a 5mW rated laser, this thing is bright! Almost too bright actually...this thing would be binding if I tried to use this laser in a presentation. Although I haven't had this laser metered, I would guess this laser is putting out ~15mW compared to other metered lasers I have.
Here is a long exposure shot I took that is a good representation of the beam at night.
Here is a shot of the aperture while the laser is on:
Another thing I noticed is that this laser has great beam divergence. I haven't measured it but it is better than most of my green lasers.
Internals
The laser unscrews into two pieces for changing the batteries. The threads are a little squeaky but at least the contact is good.
I'm sure most of you know about the unsupported PCB problem in most NewWish pointers, but it looks like they fixed the problem. When I looked down into the laser it looked like a resistor helps keep the board from being bent down during operation.
I couldn't get any PCB shots because this laser is VERY hard to take apart and it would be a waste of time to tear this apart for a couple circuit pictures.
IR Filter?!
This laser looks to be IR filtered, so this would be great for people with IRphobia.
Overall
For $10.50, this laser is a steal. This makes a great first laser to a newbie who hasn't experienced green before.
Video
Intro
Yes I know there are a million "True 5" reviews out there. I'm writing this one so I can reference to it when I make the Youtube video. I enjoy writing reviews on lasers that I like.
The Basics
This laser is powered by two AAA batteries. Advertised power is <5mW, so this meets FDA regulations. That means DX can ship this laser to you (if you are in the US) unlike most other lasers on their site. Because this is only claimed to be 5mW, don't expect to be doing burning tricks with this. This is really only meant to be used as a presentation pointer or just for safely pointing around the house.
Shipping/Packaging
Shipping took about three weeks from China, but shipping from DX is free so I won't complain. It came in a white presentation box:
As you can see, it has a spot for the laser and two AAA batteries. It came with two cheap AAAs that surprisingly worked in the laser, although Eneloops proved to work better.
Overall Appearance/Feel
This laser feels very heavy for its size! Compared to my 170mW CNI this thing feels like a block of lead. To me this is a big plus because it feels sturdier, but some don't like this heavy feeling.
Aperture shot of the laser, in this picture you can see that the warning label is peeling up a little. It came like that, so I secured it with some superglue. I like warning labels on my lasers because they look cool.
The switch has a manly click on it that actually takes pressure to push down. Big plus in my book. ;D
Visibility
For being a 5mW rated laser, this thing is bright! Almost too bright actually...this thing would be binding if I tried to use this laser in a presentation. Although I haven't had this laser metered, I would guess this laser is putting out ~15mW compared to other metered lasers I have.
Here is a long exposure shot I took that is a good representation of the beam at night.
Here is a shot of the aperture while the laser is on:
Another thing I noticed is that this laser has great beam divergence. I haven't measured it but it is better than most of my green lasers.
Internals
The laser unscrews into two pieces for changing the batteries. The threads are a little squeaky but at least the contact is good.
I'm sure most of you know about the unsupported PCB problem in most NewWish pointers, but it looks like they fixed the problem. When I looked down into the laser it looked like a resistor helps keep the board from being bent down during operation.
I couldn't get any PCB shots because this laser is VERY hard to take apart and it would be a waste of time to tear this apart for a couple circuit pictures.
IR Filter?!
This laser looks to be IR filtered, so this would be great for people with IRphobia.
Overall
For $10.50, this laser is a steal. This makes a great first laser to a newbie who hasn't experienced green before.
Video
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