We lost another company!

[kaunak]

Every unit is different--luck of the draw and shock free shipping really--could be yours got rattled in shipping --it happens---people have been generally pretty happy with laserbtb 532nm lasers---some a little underspec but not a big drop like what you received

Here is a 7 minute test of a PL-E Pro 400mW 523nm : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZbwSfBE4Fc
Google "you tube jetlasers" there are dozens of videos.

If I ever decide to buy another DPSS 532, it'll probably be from Jetlasers. I don't think BTB will respond back to me telling if my laser is fine or it was damaged in shipping. I tend to think that it wasn't damaged in shipping and it's just how the laser was sold.

 

[paul1598419]

As a consumer who was justifiably unsatisfied, you have the right to turn your business to anyone you feel will do a better job. Poor QC cannot be excused.

 

[Encap]

As a consumer who was justifiably unsatisfied, you have the right to turn your business to anyone you feel will do a better job. Poor QC cannot be excused.

Good points and true, however in this case laserbtb not longer accepts orders or sells lasers so any new business has to be turned to another company.

If I ever decide to buy another DPSS 532, it'll probably be from Jetlasers. I don't think BTB will respond back to me telling if my laser is fine or it was damaged in shipping. I tend to think that it wasn't damaged in shipping and it's just how the laser was sold.

Keep after laserbtb---they have had a pretty good reputation on LPF and you should get what you in good faith paid for.
Laserbtb owes you a refund, replacement or repair.

Can you dispute payment with whomever you used to make payment for the laser? IF you have not heard back from laserbtb I would do so---perhpas that will get them to reply and sort it out for you.

 

[kaunak]

Can you dispute payment with whomever you used to make payment for the laser? IF you have not heard back from laserbtb I would do so---perhpas that will get them to reply and sort it out for you.

I think I may go that route. I wish there were more people on here who have experience with laserBTBs PL532-200 lasers who can tell me if theirs has a power drop after a few minutes of use. As I said, it peaks around 320mW for a good 90 seconds or so which is great, but after about 5 minutes of use, it stabilizes around 115-125mw. Based on other reviews I've seen it seems normal, and pretty much all green DPSS lasers I've come across recently have that issue.

 

[Razako]

I think I may go that route. I wish there were more people on here who have experience with laserBTBs PL532-200 lasers who can tell me if theirs has a power drop after a few minutes of use. As I said, it peaks around 320mW for a good 90 seconds or so which is great, but after about 5 minutes of use, it stabilizes around 115-125mw. Based on other reviews I've seen it seems normal, and pretty much all green DPSS lasers I've come across recently have that issue.

What was the listed duty cycle of that laser? It sounds like you're just exceeding the duty cycle and your laser is probably fine. Many DPSS lasers will drop in output once they get too warm.

 

[kaunak]

What was the listed duty cycle of that laser? It sounds like you're just exceeding the duty cycle and your laser is probably fine. Many DPSS lasers will drop in output once they get too warm.

Yeah, I think that's basically the issue. The listed duty cycle of the laser on the website was 15 minutes on/10 seconds off for the 200mw version, although on the laser itself it says the duty cycle is 5-10 minutes on/1 minute off.

I just didn't expect a high quality laser of this type to have a power drop problem like the 301s and other cheaper DPSS greens. The only green 532 laser I've ever had that didn't have this issue was a 100mw mini 532 unit from lazerer that cost me $50 back in 2012. Can you believe that? All of the other 532 units I've bought since then have that issue.

It seems the only way to go is expensive Jetlasers and every other seller of 532s possibly sells 532s with power drop, even highly rated sellers.

 

[Razako]

Yeah, I think that's basically the issue. The listed duty cycle of the laser on the website was 15 minutes on/10 seconds off for the 200mw version, although on the laser itself it says the duty cycle is 5-10 minutes on/1 minute off.

I just didn't expect a high quality laser of this type to have a power drop problem like the 301s and other cheaper DPSS greens. The only green 532 laser I've ever had that didn't have this issue was a 100mw mini 532 unit from lazerer that cost me $50 back in 2012. Can you believe that? All of the other 532 units I've bought since then have that issue.

It seems the only way to go is expensive Jetlasers and every other seller of 532s possibly sells 532s with power drop, even highly rated sellers.

The website listed DC doesn't even make sense. 15 min on to 10 seconds off? How can it cool significantly in only 10 seconds? I wouldn't go by the website listed DC. It seems like they made a mistake listing it or something. I would go with the DC on the laser itself. That would explain why you see the power drop. You're exceeding the 5 minute limit, and need to give it a little cool down time. Even JL 532nm lasers generally have a duty cycle of under 5 minutes. The only portable 532nm lasers I've known without some form of duty cycle were the laserglow Hercules lasers. They have massive finned heads, with a small fan inbuilt into them.

 

[kaunak]

The website listed DC doesn't even make sense. 15 min on to 10 seconds off? How can it cool significantly in only 10 seconds? I wouldn't go by the website listed DC. It seems like they made a mistake listing it or something. I would go with the DC on the laser itself. That would explain why you see the power drop. You're exceeding the 5 minute limit, and need to give it a little cool down time. Even JL 532nm lasers generally have a duty cycle of under 5 minutes. The only portable 532nm lasers I've known without some form of duty cycle were the laserglow Hercules lasers. They have massive finned heads, with a small fan inbuilt into them.

I've heard that the Jetlaser 532s have an unlimited duty cycle, and plenty of youtube videos with continuous runtimes of 5 minutes+ on an LPM seem to support that. As I said, the mini 100mw green from Lazerer I had a while ago could run continuously with no power drop until the battery was drained. That's pretty impressive to me, although I no longer have that laser, unfortunately. Either way, it seems the problem with the BTB laser is simply that the duty cycle is much shorter than what was listed on the website. It's frustrating because the laser host itself is heavy and high quality, but apparently the actual module in the host is not so good.

 

[Encap]

I've heard that the Jetlaser 532s have an unlimited duty cycle, and plenty of youtube videos with continuous runtimes of 5 minutes+ on an LPM seem to support that. As I said, the mini 100mw green from Lazerer I had a while ago could run continuously with no power drop until the battery was drained. That's pretty impressive to me, although I no longer have that laser, unfortunately. Either way, it seems the problem with the BTB laser is simply that the duty cycle is much shorter than what was listed on the website. It's frustrating because the laser host itself is heavy and high quality, but apparently the actual module in the host is not so good.

Did you hear anything back yet from laserbtb? If nnot--email lasesbrtb again and dispute the charge also to encourage them to reply.

Especially at only 200mW and with the larger PL host you should get more runtime without dropping down below 200mW .
Make sure you are using a excellent+ battery and the low output after a few minutes is not just because of the battery getting weaker with continous duty.

Jetlasers , lasersbtb, and lazerer--are all apples and oranges comparisons--all of them very different quality.

JetLasers are really excellent and have long run time especially a low output--their minimum is output 532nm is 300MW and probably has an unlimited duty cycle.

Here is a test of a JetLasers 800mW 532nm running for 6 minutes and never drops to below 900mW whcih is typical product quality made by JetLasers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUChQ0gO5JI

 

[Razako]

Gray told me that the recommended duty cycle for my 800mw 532nm PL-E pro is around 3 mins on/one min off. Considering the price I won't push my luck and try running it for longer.

 

[Encap]

Gray told me that the recommended duty cycle for my 800mw 532nm PL-E pro is around 3 mins on/one min off. Considering the price I won't push my luck and try running it for longer.

Sounds right--probably good practice but is extremely conservative and very protective--better to err on the side of caution as the saying goes. Unless there is a real need for longer runtimes--why push it.
Would guess several more minutes beyond 3 would be no problem for a JetLasers 800mW.

There ares several videos of 5 minutes plus for 532nm 500mW to 800mW --here is a 6 min+ test of another one--at end is still over 900mW - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztrObQJEKmQ

 

[Zathras]

I wish there were more people on here who have experience with laserBTBs PL532-200 lasers who can tell me if theirs has a power drop after a few minutes of use.

I have an HL532-300 that outputs 460mw. But I admit, I don't have it on for minutes at a time. It's on for less than 30 seconds then off until I need it again, not continuous.

So basically, I'm no help here. :crackup:

I guess a good thing to ask it "what does it output now"? The original 326 or the final 100-130.

 

[kaunak]

Did you hear anything back yet from laserbtb? If nnot--email lasesbrtb again and dispute the charge also to encourage them to reply.

Especially at only 200mW and with the larger PL host you should get more runtime without dropping down below 200mW .
Make sure you are using a excellent+ battery and the low output after a few minutes is not just because of the battery getting weaker with continous duty.

Jetlasers , lasersbtb, and lazerer--are all apples and oranges comparisons--all of them very different quality.

JetLasers are really excellent and have long run time especially a low output--their minimum is output 532nm is 300MW and probably has an unlimited duty cycle.

Here is a test of a JetLasers 800mW 532nm running for 6 minutes and never drops to below 900mW whcih is typical product quality made by JetLasers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUChQ0gO5JI

I just heard back from them, they said that the power drop will normally start from 60 seconds onward, which is exactly what I experience.

I have an HL532-300 that outputs 460mw. But I admit, I don't have it on for minutes at a time. It's on for less than 30 seconds then off until I need it again, not continuous.

So basically, I'm no help here. :crackup:

I guess a good thing to ask it "what does it output now"? The original 326 or the final 100-130.

You bring up a good point, even if it was unwittingly. The vast majority of people who buy these lasers don't use them for more than 30 seconds at a time, and the power will not drop significantly at all during that period. I think that's why most people, even experienced laser users on here, are not dissatisfied with DPSS greens that have a power drop, like the 301s.

I think I'm just being a bit too perfectionistic. I do like it when I buy a laser, flashlight, or something else with a rating, and I would normally like it to keep its rating even over a longer duration of use. I really think I'm just biased towards that 100mw mini 532 I had from lazarer years ago, and because it was cheap and never had a power drop problem, I was like "WTF is wrong with this other DPSS laser when its power drops?" However, it seems to be the norm. If I never had that laser, I probably wouldn't have an issue at all with most of these other DPSS 532s.

 

[Encap]

I just heard back from them, they said that the power drop will normally start from 60 seconds onward, which is exactly what I experience.

I guess you are SOL then---you got what you paid for unfortunately---still not bad for $150 or so.

Maybe tell them you are unhappy with it and want to return it for a refund and use the money towards a Jetlasers PL-E 532nm 300mW which I am reasonably certain you will be very happy with.

 

[kaunak]

I guess you are SOL then---you got what you paid for unfortunately---still not bad for $150 or so.

Maybe tell them you are unhappy with it and want to return it for a refund and use the money towards a Jetlasers PL-E 532nm 300mW which I am reasonably certain you will be very happy with.

I think I'm just going to keep the laser. LaserBTB isn't even selling lasers anymore and I'm kinda glad I got one of the last. I really don't feel like shipping the laser back to them for a refund in this case. It definitely wasn't THAT bad of a deal, and I know most people would probably be satisfied with the laser. From now on if I do buy another 532 it'll probably be from Jetlasers, or maybe I'll just go with diode lasers from now on.

 

[paul1598419]

It's not out of the ordinary to have a 532nm DPSS laser that has an unlimited duty cycle. I've build several myself. Some have IR filters and others don't, but the 200 mW is constant as long as it is on.