Buying lasers off eBay - anyone got any tips?

MadTaffCat

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Mar 16, 2017
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I would like to buy a reasonably powerful handheld laser. As I don't have a lot of money I am considering eBay where there appears to be wide range (even if the postage from China takes a while). Now, the problem is that, because eBay does not approve of powerful lasers, all the listings state the power as being <1mw althought with many this is obviously not the case. My question is: does anyone have any tips as to what to look for when buying lasers on eBay?
 

bdogps

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Sep 8, 2014
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618
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Melbourne Australia
I bought one laser from Banggood and one from GearBest. I bought a "blue" laser from GearBest and it was quite crap. You could barely see the blue light. I contact them if there's was something wrong with it and they said that it was normal. I bought a green coloured one from Banggood and that one was pretty bright, but don't believe the image where the laser lights up a match. Both lasers are crap. The switch design is flawed because there's nothing preventing the switch from sinking when you press it. It has no support to keep it place. If you are thinking about buying "laser 301" they are not that good. Depending where you live, research the laws in country because customs might confiscate the laser if it's not within their rules.
 

schuster

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Apr 10, 2001
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New Jersey
I bought one laser from Banggood and one from GearBest. I bought a "blue" laser from GearBest and it was quite crap. You could barely see the blue light. I contact them if there's was something wrong with it and they said that it was normal. I bought a green coloured one from Banggood and that one was pretty bright, but don't believe the image where the laser lights up a match. Both lasers are crap. The switch design is flawed because there's nothing preventing the switch from sinking when you press it. It has no support to keep it place. If you are thinking about buying "laser 301" they are not that good. Depending where you live, research the laws in country because customs might confiscate the laser if it's not within their rules.

Most of the cheap "blue" lasers use 405nm diodes designed for Blu-Ray drives; these are really purple and are difficult to see.
The real (more expensive) blue diodes are in the region of 450nm and come in much higher output power.
 

markr6

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Jul 16, 2012
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9,258
It's a total gamble. I bought two 18650 green lasers about 6 months apart, I believe different sellers. One was weak and not worth using. The other was obviously WAY over the 5mW spec, which made it a lot of fun to use at night! I also bought a blue laser, but the beam is purple and very faint. The "dot" is also purple on some surfaces, very brilliant blue on others...weird. Being about $10, I give them a try now and then.
 

chillinn

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Jul 19, 2014
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Mobjack Bay
Might I suggest you go to laser pointer forums and post your query there. You'll find much better advice there. :)

Reading the laser forum that is usually a top search result is almost as bad as looking right into a laser beam. You know the one I mean, that took their style from myspace or something. I found the most promising tip on lasers right here on CPF:
passing it on, check out Sanwu
 

bestellen

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Dec 5, 2014
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San Wu Rubber is a professional rubber conveyor belt manufacturer in Taiwan for more years. SWR offers more kinds of conveyor belts and power transmission .
 

etudiant

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Jan 3, 2010
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Reading the laser forum that is usually a top search result is almost as bad as looking right into a laser beam. You know the one I mean, that took their style from myspace or something. I found the most promising tip on lasers right here on CPF:
passing it on, check out Sanwu


Thank you for an excellent recommendation.
I was looking for a green laser pointer that would be visible in daytime. As a naturalist, it is very helpful to be able to point out where to look to allow a group to focus in on animals or plants of interest.
I ordered the Sanwu green laser pointer, driven by an 18650 cell, from their website on April 2, 2017, for $18 plus $3 shipping. It was delivered 10 days later, on April 12, 2017.

This is a spectacular value. The pointer itself is very robust, comprising several black anodized aluminum sections totaling 6 inches. There are O ring seals, so it is hopefully somewhat weather resistant.
It is labeled as a Class 3 device, with a max output power of less that 1000mW at 532 +/- 10 nM wavelength.
There is a keyed on/off lock in the tail cap with a spare key included, plus a short lanyard. There is also a screw on diffuser fitting for the laser end, which splits the beam into a kaleidoscope pattern of hundreds of much weaker beams.
Both these safety features appear fully warranted, this is a very powerful pointer.
It is really an industrial tool by all evidence and should be treated as such.

It was shipped in a bubblepack sleeve folded into a manila envelope. No battery was included, which sidesteps any shipping controversy and minimizes the cost.
One surprise for me was that there was no documentation whatever included with the pointer.
Given the quality of the device and its power, I think Sanwu could and should include some marketing oriented data sheets.
 
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