Where Do Laser Retailers Source These Diodes?

[Braddubya]

Is Dragon Lasers ripping apart video projectors and disk drives in order to get these diodes? Are they each ordering in bulk from the same source? If so couldnt they order many other diodes in bulk and sell them for similar prices?

I havent seen anything on this nor was I able to find anything...

 

[Meatball]

Dragon Lasers and Laser Glow for instance are CNI retailers... if you will. So the products are the same, but advertised differently.

A good question would be... where does CNI get their diodes?

I don't know if the manufacture their own, or if they buy from Nichia, or from any of the other numerous manufacturers.

 

[Braddubya]

Dragon Lasers and Laser Glow for instance are CNI retailers... if you will. So the products are the same, but advertised differently.

A good question would be... where does CNI get their diodes?

I don't know if the manufacture their own, or if they buy from Nichia, or from any of the other numerous manufacturers.

I would imagine they buy them from Nichia for at least many of the popular wavelengths because they have the same specs as the diodes we use in DIY for the most part. 1W 445 (447 rumored to be the same) etc. Also once a diode is used in other products (again like the 445nm diodes and 405nm etc etc) it ends up in a retailers line up. This makes it seem like they are either extracting them from the same products or buying them from the same middle man.

Im sure someone here can explain this. It seems quite odd that smallish laser manufacturers can have access to these diodes but no one is selling new unmounted ones...

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

It seems quite odd that smallish laser manufacturers can have access to these diodes but no one is selling new unmounted ones...

CNI is far from small. To buy singles would be a huge cost. They buy thousands, along with thousands of other diodes from Nichia, so cost is drastically reduced.

 

[Braddubya]

CNI is far from small. To buy singles would be a huge cost. They buy thousands, along with thousands of other diodes from Nichia, so cost is drastically reduced.

I may be mistaken but arnt there non CNI cheap brands (smaller operations) of lasers out there in both the 405nm and 445nm wavelength? I wasnt referencing CNI in my comment.

Also anyone ever try contacting CNI or others about buying diodes? Might be a conflict of interest on their part I guess. Im just amazed that there companies selling lasers with brand new 445nm lasers out there for under $200 dollars but yet you still cant buy just a single unmounted diode for under thousands of dollars even from these manufacturers.

I cannot think of any other products like this. Components of computers, components of cars etc etc all available for a reasonable price. Somewhere in china there is a company with a box full of new 445nm diodes that they could sell for $50 a piece.....but they dont.