# 50mw CR2 Green Laser for $26.31



## Thujone

http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3304

What are the odds this thing puts out anywhere near 50mw? Anyone going to take a shot at it?


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## Illum

from the looks of it....its promising
but the price kind of throws me off

the fact that is uses a CR2 battery over AAAs probes my sense of curiosity


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## swordfish

It *might* be worth the gamble... :devil:


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## The_LED_Museum

Thujone said:


> http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=3304
> 
> What are the odds this thing puts out anywhere near 50mw? Anyone going to take a shot at it?


I just took the bate...I'll post in this thread when it arrives.


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## allthatwhichis

The_LED_Museum said:


> I just took the bate...I'll post in this thread when it arrives.


 
You're that man Craig! Always sacraficing for the community. :thumbsup:


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## LowBat

The_LED_Museum said:


> I just took the bate...I'll post in this thread when it arrives.


You must have a money tree growing in your yard. I look forward to your review, especially if it has an IR filter.


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## Trashman

The_LED_Museum said:


> I just took the bate...I'll post in this thread when it arrives.



I'm not really a laser guy, but I also took the bate a couple of days ago (within a couple of minutes of first seeing this thread!). Hopefully Craig's equipped to take some proper measurements, as I'm curious as to the actual output of these. The website does say "true advertised output 50mW rating," which, of course, makes finding out the truth much more fun!


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## allthatwhichis

Trashman said:


> The website does say "true advertised output 50mW rating," which, of course, makes finding out the truth much more fun!


 
50mW of what though... I didn't see anywhere that specified wavelength. Guess we can't call em liars no matter how much green comes out... :candle: Where are they being shipped from, country wise?


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## Illum

mmm...KaiDomain [I.E. 209.249.221.21] is hosted in a server in Illinois....but from company review its
from _[FONT=宋体] Main Office (China):
A1701 Shenfang Building,
Huaqiangroad, Futian,
Shenzhen, China.[/FONT]_


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## marianne

aren't the kaidomain lasers the same ones as what dealextreme are selling? real cheap and pretty good value for what they are, but also real cheaply built and prone to problems...?


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## LowBat

I was going to wait for the review but instead felt the need to make an impulse buy this week, and this was cheap enough to keep my wallet happy while still satisfying my shopping habit. Now I'll find out how much green laser I can get for $26.31.


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## The_LED_Museum

marianne said:


> aren't the kaidomain lasers the same ones as what dealextreme are selling? real cheap and pretty good value for what they are, but also real cheaply built and prone to problems...?


Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I'm equipped to perform spectroscopy and laser power output measurement.
Spectroscopy first in order to to determine the presence or absence of an IR filter, then at least one power output measurement.


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## 3rd_shift

Both my 5mw and 50 mw lasers from dealXtreme are still kickin' posterior buns at this stage a month after I got them.
I did manage to juice up the performance of my 5mw with lithium AAA batteries enough for it to have a visible beam at night.  
It temporarily worked the same magic with my 50mw too, before I switched back to nimh cells on it.
It didn't have enough heatsinking to sustain that amount of drive and kept dimming until I switched back to the nimh recharge-ables.
Not much room for overdrive with some of the stronger rated ones.


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## LowBat

Comparing the pictures on both the Kaidomain and DealExtreme websites they do appear to sell the same lasers; except for the 50mw CR2 at Kaidomain. This laser appears to have a three sectional tube and a different warning label. Maybe its a different maker altogether which would help explain why its cheaper that the 10mw model. Whatever the case, we'll soon have a chance to see how it rates. BTW, with this laser having similar dimensions to an AA Fenix, I'm hoping it'll fit nicely in a stock Fenix holster.


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## GrooveRite




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## Isak Hawk




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## Illum

EDIT: :sweat:
sorry for fluffing  on my part

Kiessling, I'm sure you have more humor than anyone could ask for...but its better suited for other threads


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## Kiessling

The next -post will end the thread. Fluff we do not need. And no, humor I have none. 
bernhard


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## ixfd64

Cheers to those who "take one for the team!"


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## Thujone

I couldn't wait, went ahead and jumped as well... This will be my first greenie.


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## The_LED_Museum

Be careful with that thing.
You'll shoot your eye out (like Ralphie on "A Christmas Story").


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## cryhavok

anyone receive the laser yet?


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## dr_lava

My brain dump:

I did some testing of a laser that looks just like this a while ago. (center laser)























From what I remember, collimation wasn't that great, IR leakage was Low, but present, and power output was pretty good. Nice solid brass casing is a nice heatsink. a good value! hope youall get yours soon.


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## cryhavok

Thanks for this. Is that a CR123 laser you have at the top of the pictures? any info on that one?


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## Trashman

Mine came in today. I don't have any way to measure it, but I'm gonna say that it ain't even close to 50mw. At first, it was a little flakey. It would come on for a very short while and them dim out, then it came on constant, but it looked dim, like a <5mw. I don't know if I just didn't have it screwed down all the way or what, but after a little fiddling, it started to work reliably. I've also got a Lucky Duck APC (I think it's a Leadlight 105 or 110) that I pot modded, and the Lucky duck is brighter than this "50mw" laser. I'm not sure how bright the Lucky Duck weighs in at, but I think I've read that they usually mod up about 15 or 20mw. Based on that assumption, I'd guess this looks to be about a 5-10mw greenie. Weak!


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## Isak Hawk

Well that sucks 

Looking forward to seeing spectroscopy and output measurement when The_LED_Museum gets his unit.


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## rizky_p

new 90mw Green srrived at DX check it out! dont know how good or bad it is.


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## Turd_Ferguson

Trashman said:


> Based on that assumption, I'd guess this looks to be about a 5-10mw greenie. Weak!



Bummer! How long between your order and delivery? I sent payment on 10/19 and am anxiously awaiting disappointment. 

No biggie, $26 won't kill me, I suppose.


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## The_LED_Museum

Mine came this afternoon; guess I'd better perform spectroscopy & power output measurements a bit early.


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## The_LED_Museum

Spectrographic analysis.
Note that there is *SOME* NIR output, but I've seen much, much worse.

Power output measures 31.075mW.
Current consumption: 230mA on my DMM's 4A scale.


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## Turd_Ferguson

Nice! I can live with that. 

Thanks, Craig!


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## comozo

The_LED_Museum said:


> Spectrographic analysis.
> Note that there is *SOME* NIR output, but I've seen much, much worse.
> 
> Power output measures 31.075mW.
> Current consumption: 230mA on my DMM's 4A scale.



What units are intensity counts measured in ?


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## The_LED_Museum

They're arbitrary units; this allows the instrument to measure sources with a wide range of intensities.


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## LowBat

So this sucker must have an IR filter if I understand the results correctly. As far as output goes I'll be happy with 30mw, but not the <5mw. Mine should arrive shortly and I'll see how I fared in the laser lottery.


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## allthatwhichis

Craig, did the seller know _anything_ about you and your reviews before it was shipped? They could have sent you a golden egg or something. 

Based on you short analysis it looks like a good lil laser to me. :thumbsup:


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## Trashman

Hmmm....I wonder if I really got a stinker, or if I've got one of those rare Leadlights that turn up extra high, making this CR2 laser seem dimmer? My Lucky Duck APC (the Leadlight 105 or 110 that I'm talking about) is definitely brighter than the "50mw" laser, no question about it. I just don't remember what a regular ol' >5mw greenie looks like, now.


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## LowBat

BTW Craig, is your museum open to the public? I'm driving by Sacramento around 6pm on Nov. 2nd and I would be interested in seeing your unique LED collection if that's possible.


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## Isak Hawk

Hmm, I hope Trashman's unit is the exception. I think 30+ mW with almost no IR is pretty good.


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## Turd_Ferguson

Well, I got mine today. I have zero experience with these things but to me it's scary bright. Thing makes me a bit nervous to be honest. I can't imagine this not being worth $26 bucks. 

It may just be more than enough bright for my application, though, which is to paint rocks in daylight at around 800 yards. I'll give it a try. Should be interesting.


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## The_LED_Museum

allthatwhichis said:


> Craig, did the seller know _anything_ about you and your reviews before it was shipped? They could have sent you a golden egg or something.
> 
> Based on you short analysis it looks like a good lil laser to me. :thumbsup:


Although it is rather unlikely that Kaidomain knows about my website and the reason I purchased the laser, it *IS* at least somewhat possible. So although cherry picking is unlikely in this case, the probability of it is not mathematically zero.





LowBat said:


> BTW Craig, is your museum open to the public? I'm driving by Sacramento around 6pm on Nov. 2nd and I would be interested in seeing your unique LED collection if that's possible.


Sorry, but The LED Museum is on the internet *ONLY* - I do not have a brick and mortar facility open to the public.
I live with my sister, and she would go ape if I let anybody inside the house I hadn't previously met - I learned this the hard way in June 2006 when a CPFer came by to deliver some batteries and I let him in the house - she let me know in no uncertain terms that doing so was a rather severe no-no.


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## Thujone

Cause... Of course this is where all the crazy people hang out..


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## Turd_Ferguson

I'm thinking about purchasing one of those very inexpensive laser optical sensors on eBay which provides a signal that can be read with a simple multi-meter. Do these work reasonably well?

As my informal power reading, for what it's worth, bouncing it off my vaulted ceiling which is a cream color at about 18' will sufficiently illuminate the entire 15x30 room in moonlight darkness. Makes a great night lamp.

Like I said, though, I'm have no experience with green lasers so I'm probably easily impressed.


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## RDZombie

Turd_Ferguson said:


> I'm thinking about purchasing one of those very inexpensive laser optical sensors on eBay which provides a signal that can be read with a simple multi-meter. Do these work reasonably well?




NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/174847


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## Turd_Ferguson

Thanks!


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## LowBat

The_LED_Museum said:


> Sorry, but The LED Museum is on the internet *ONLY* - I do not have a brick and mortar facility open to the public.
> I live with my sister, and she would go ape if I let anybody inside the house I hadn't previously met - I learned this the hard way in June 2006 when a CPFer came by to deliver some batteries and I let him in the house - she let me know in no uncertain terms that doing so was a rather severe no-no.


That's ok, maybe someday you'll expand beyond the internet.


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## LowBat

I got my $26.31 laser yesterday and here is my impression for what it's worth.

Build quality is decent and the finish is flawless. This laser is very heavy and that's probably due to all the brass inside the casing. I like that the tail switch is a forward clicky allowing for both momentary and continuous operation. The switch is also recessed allowing for tail standing if anyone likes that in a laser. Upon firing it up I noticed it comes on a little weak for a half second before achieving full brightness. I have no way of measuring the output, but having used a few other green lasers before I'd guess this is well above 5mw and probably less than 50mw. The beam is very fine and produces a nice clean dot without any keyhole effect. The beam is also very visible in darkness, unless you're observing it at a distance in which case it's hard to make out.

One thing odd I noticed is inside the case on the pc board there is a tiny black click switch. I can't both power up the laser and click the tiny switch at the same time so I don't know what it does. It seems to have made no difference after I screwed the casing back on. Anyone else care to guess what it's for?

I'm happy with this little laser although it's a bit thin to fit in a Fenix holster as I was hoping. It is however short enough to fit inside a shirt or pants pocket. Basically it's a decent green laser for a very low price.


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## The_LED_Museum

LowBat said:


> ...One thing odd I noticed is inside the case on the pc board there is a tiny black click switch. I can't both power up the laser and click the tiny switch at the same time so I don't know what it does. It seems to have made no difference after I screwed the casing back on. Anyone else care to guess what it's for?...


I just metered it (for continuity), and it appears to be shorted - that is, the switch was probably intended to be a barrel-mount momentary pushbutton, but since this particular laser has a tailcap switch, shorting the one on the PCB simply serves to make the laser functional with the tail switch. If it were left alone, the laser would never turn on when mounted in the body it's in.


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## LowBat

The_LED_Museum said:


> I just metered it (for continuity), and it appears to be shorted - that is, the switch was probably intended to be a barrel-mount momentary pushbutton, but since this particular laser has a tailcap switch, shorting the one on the PCB simply serves to make the laser functional with the tail switch. If it were left alone, the laser would never turn on when mounted in the body it's in.


So you're saying this is just another activation switch that was originally designed for a different casing?


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## StainlessSteel

rizky_p said:


> new 90mw Green srrived at DX check it out! dont know how good or bad it is.




I noticed that, AND it takes 123a batteries. here is the link.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9311

I know it isnt going to be 90mW, but, if it is HALF that, that's still a pretty nice green laser. AND, I can use all my 123a batteries I already have a ton of.


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## instinct

hmmm.. i am definitely considering to get this laser now..


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## pyrokid3

StainlessSteel said:


> I noticed that, AND it takes 123a batteries. here is the link.
> 
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9311
> 
> I know it isnt going to be 90mW, but, if it is HALF that, that's still a pretty nice green laser. AND, I can use all my 123a batteries I already have a ton of.




Is it possible to put an IR filter on this laser for safety reasons?


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## The_LED_Museum

LowBat said:


> So you're saying this is just another activation switch that was originally designed for a different casing?


As far as I am able to determine, yes.


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## bouncer

would the output increase if using a RCR2 @3.7v over a cr2 primary?


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## Illum

bouncer said:


> would the output increase if using a RCR2 @3.7v over a cr2 primary?


 
I don't know of any lasers having a flexible input voltage thresold that will allow the extra 0.7Vs input without frying it...but since the model here isn't too expensive it might be worth a try, post your result here :thanks:


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## Isak Hawk

Illum_the_nation said:


> I don't know of any lasers having a flexible input voltage thresold that will allow the extra 0.7Vs input without frying it...but since the model here isn't too expensive it might be worth a try, post your result here :thanks:



I've got an RCR2 in mine right now and it works like a charm, much brighter than when I was using primaries (I tried both the one that came with the laser and a fresh duracell primary).
It even stings my skin a little after a few seconds


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## Illum

Isak Hawk said:


> I've got an RCR2 in mine right now and it works like a charm, much brighter than when I was using primaries (I tried both the one that came with the laser and a fresh duracell primary).
> It even stings my skin a little after a few seconds


 

Im not a laser nut...I guess I was wrong about them being picky about voltage input
good to hear of it :thanks: for the reply


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## Thujone

Isak Hawk said:


> I've got an RCR2 in mine right now and it works like a charm, much brighter than when I was using primaries (I tried both the one that came with the laser and a fresh duracell primary).
> It even stings my skin a little after a few seconds



How much time have use got on the laser running with the rcr2? Can anyone verify that this is safe for the life of the laser?


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## Isak Hawk

Thujone said:


> How much time have use got on the laser running with the rcr2? Can anyone verify that this is safe for the life of the laser?



Maybe 30-45 minutes total. I'm probably overdriving the diode and shortening it's lifespan considerably, but it's such a cheap laser that I don't really care 

I just got smoke from a red match, couldn't get it to light up though.


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## pyrokid3

I got my laser today. It is my first green laser and I am very happy with it. It is incredible for the price in my opinion. You can see the beam in a pretty well lit room. It has the power to sting your skin too. In my opinion it is well worth the 27 bucks.


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## cryhavok

When running the laser from a RCR2, the dot of the beam splits after about 10 seconds into 2 dots about 1cm apart. Anyone know why this is happening? Is the diode being driven too hard? It doesn't do this when running from a primary...


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## LowBat

cryhavok said:


> When running the laser from a RCR2, the dot of the beam splits after about 10 seconds into 2 dots about 1cm apart. Anyone know why this is happening? Is the diode being driven too hard? It doesn't do this when running from a primary...


Hmmm... maybe you could make some money selling the diode on eBay as the main phaser array for someones starship Enterprise model kit. Seriously though, I've never heard of a laser beam splitting before.


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## Isak Hawk

I think that's called mode hopping. Anyway, mine doesn't do it, at least not after only ten seconds.


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## The_LED_Museum

Mine doesn't do it either, at least not within sixty or seventy seconds.
This is when operating from a primary CR2 cell though...I do not have RCR2 recgargeable cells handy at the moment.


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## Athoul

Rechargable Lithium CR2's have a nasty habit of ruining lasers, even those with a good driver board. I've gone through many dead lasers because of the use of RCR batteries. Of course the "rechargability" is why I used them, but they often put out much more voltage then CR2A's initially (even those RCR's rated for 3V will initially be at 3.8-4+V). If it says CR123A or runs on 3V, don't use rechargable lithium cells.


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## pyrokid3

Does anybody know if you can buy a screw on focusing lens or and focusing lens you can use with this laser. I would like to increase the burning power if possible. 


Thanks


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## tuckerdog1

This is interesting, but what would this be used for?

Tuckerdog1


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## krutzbeuazen

I got mine (50mw from KD) today. very heavy casing, impressive beam, and just bright!
however, i would like to adjust the collimation. how would I remove the "module" from the top part of the casing? like having the inner part like in the pic from dr_lava? not sure if it is threaded, or even glued in with hotglue. the driver is glued with said hotglue into a brass part, which could be the casing, or threaded into the casing.
dont want to ruin it on its first day, any hints?

oh, i shone it through a diffraction grating, and could not detect *any* IR, neither 808 nor 1064 with my "IR-webcam" (IR-filter removed, very IR sensitive).
for the power, no idea nor way to measure. stable 10 minutes (longest i had it running). it seems to brighten in the first second and then simply stays stable, and doesnt get warm (outside) neither.
edit:
in fact, it does modehopping! the first half second, it has two dots, very near together, only visible when enlarged or close to the aperture. further away and collimated, it just looks a bit dimmer. those two dots merge, and immediately it brightens to its full brightness too, which is higher than the added output of the two dots. it looks nice, actually, and since it is really short and barely noticeable even when looking for it, i like my freak-pointer. so still:

I am happy! 

manuel


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## instinct

I ordered two of them a couple of days ago... Hmm, hopefully they com soon.. I'll be sure to review mine when I get it.


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## Njschad

i ordered one of these just to has been nearly 2 weeks and kaidomain order processing is still showing collecting from supplier... about how long did it take most of you guys to recieve your laser?? may have a lot to do with the passing holiday but im anxiously waiting its arrival


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## The_LED_Museum

I ordered mine on 10-13-07, and received it on 10-27-07.


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## instinct

The_LED_Museum said:


> I ordered mine on 10-13-07, and received it on 10-27-07.



Hmm.. That has me a little worried.. I ordered mine 3 weeks ago.. Still nothing. You received yours in 14 days. Hmmm... I hope it comes in soon.. I'm getting anxious..


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## pyrokid3

Mine has stopped working and I don't know why. Well, i guess it still works, but you can barely see the dot now. I have been using rechargeable batteries and the batteries are good. I know another user has posted that rechargeables can burn out the laser. Is this what happened to me, or do I just have a bad laser? I didn't drop it or anything like that.

Thanks

:mecry:


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## Isak Hawk

Mine is dead also, completely dead. I was using a rechargeable battery too, and that's very likely why it died. It was cheap so no worries, I was even kind of expecting it to die so...meh, whatever :shrug:


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## Njschad

instinct said:


> Hmm.. That has me a little worried.. I ordered mine 3 weeks ago.. Still nothing. You received yours in 14 days. Hmmm... I hope it comes in soon.. I'm getting anxious..


 

i feel your pain, been over 3 weeks and i wake up everyday looking for a package in the mail box.. still not here but im sure it will be soon enough.. its the holidays overseas shipping takes some time i guess..


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## Athoul

I fear I was to late with my warning :/ It sounds like you have indeed killed the pump diode with the rechargable CR2's. It may still lase, if the diode is putting out enough energy, but usually it will not be much brighter then a 0.5mW laser. In many cases the pump diode no longer provides enough output to stimulate a lasing action in the ND:YVO4 crystal, although technically it is still "lighting" up.

Please keep in mind that any laser which runs on 3V and takes CR123A or CR2's in not designed to take the rechargable versions. You might find the odd one out of 20 or so that will survive, but 99% of the time they will die within a short period of time (of not the same day). So if anyone is considering using these with their working laser, don't! Stick with primary cells, www.batterystation.com sells them cheap.


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## Oznog

Hey, what about the other 50mW here? Same price, different case... same hardware inside maybe?






http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2180

How are Kaidomain's pen-style laser pointers? They list up to 150mW!


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## Hemlock Mike

I received my <50 about two weeks ago. I had switch problems out of the box and had to clean the switch to get over 5 mW. Also check the two solder joints in front of the switch - It's been reported that these connections aren't too good.
Mode Hopping ?? Mine mode hops if it is cold (~ 65 deg F or less) or low voltage. At body temp I get a good single dot.
I'm using CR2 rechargeable 3 volt cells. Warm and with a fresh charge, I can get almost 50 mW dropping to about 40 mW. IR output is 5.4 mW.

Mike


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## dr_lava

Hemlock Mike said:


> I received my <50 about two weeks ago. I had switch problems out of the box and had to clean the switch to get over 5 mW. Also check the two solder joints in front of the switch - It's been reported that these connections aren't too good.
> Mode Hopping ?? Mine mode hops if it is cold (~ 65 deg F or less) or low voltage. At body temp I get a good single dot.
> I'm using CR2 rechargeable 3 volt cells. Warm and with a fresh charge, I can get almost 50 mW dropping to about 40 mW. IR output is 5.4 mW.
> 
> Mike



Exactly the same as mine, thanks for the detailed synopsis.


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## Athoul

~9-10% IR output is not that bad considering the price of them.

If mode hoping is a trend with these, it's likely due to a fast building process where there hasn't been much QC taking place at the alignment stage.

Does the beam exit fairly straight on those that people have so far?


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## comozo

What is the diameter of this unit ?


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## instinct

I got my unit today.. The battery that ended up coming with it was bunk... I had to buy a new one.. but it works really good now.


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## Hemlock Mike

The case OL is 3.942" x 0.744" Dia.
AND OOps..... at 41 mW output total, the IR output is 3.07 mW --My mistake.

The CR2 cell provided measures 0.597' Dia Max and the Ultrafire TR12570 800 mA rechargeable measures 0.598" Dia Max. The bore of the module measures 0.610"

Mike


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## panflute

Mine came in from Hong Kong - took maybe 3 weeks to arrive, but it did.
The beam is bright, but not 50 mw. Maybe 20-25? For the price is it fine.
Is there a pot in this to adjust?


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## Hemlock Mike

Pan ---
There'a no pot in mine. I tried jumpering resistors with a 4.7Kohm to see if I could increase the current and most every try shut it off. When it's warm and charged, it will hit 52 mW for a short time !!

Mike


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## instinct

By the way.. I should mention, i ordered one of these for myself and my girlfriend ordered me one for my birthday so now I have two of them.. They are both pretty similar in brightness, but one is obviously brighter than the other.. but not by much.. I would guess about a 10mw difference at most.. but I'm no expert.. This is the first pointer i've bought (i have two other laser projectors though).. I'm very satisfied for the price.. None of my friends could believe it was on $30.


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## Lunal_Tic

This is taking a while. Sent payment on the 3rd and no sign yet. Anyone receive theirs recently?

-LT


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## MaxIcon

I ordered mine 12/10/07, and it arrived today, 1/8/08. I figure things got slowed down by the Christmas shipping rush.

Mine came with a Phenixoptics brand battery, labeled half in Chinese, half in English, with 200809 stamped on it (whatever that means).

I'm pretty impressed with this thing. It's very solid and heavy, feels very well made, and is extremely bright (but I don't have anything but red lasers to compare it to). We played with it turned on for 4-5 minutes, and it got a little warm, but never faltered.

It's damp weather here in San Jose, and the beam from this thing lances off into the night sky, very visible, like a 200 yard light saber. When it's drizzling a bit, it really sparkles. No low clouds to bounce it off of, but it lights up every tree I can see.

My wife's not very impressed with optics toys, but she said "Wow! Cool!" over this. Then she asked "What do you use it for?" 

Even though I didn't have a good answer, I want to order more!


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## Lunal_Tic

Mine finally arrived but there have been some problems with them. At first nether would turn on. Took them apart, really cranked down on the threads then tried again and they worked. Sometimes one is much brighter than the other but after fiddling with it it gets closer. The other is bright at first then gets dimmer then a bit brighter again. I'm not sure if it's the contacts in the body and switch or the laser module themselves but they aren't very consistent. The tail switch is pretty wobbly but I can't be sure that's a contributing factor to the inconsistent output.

-LT


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## nanoWatt

Was it worth the wait? What hobbies have you done with your laser?



instinct said:


> I got my unit today.. The battery that ended up coming with it was bunk... I had to buy a new one.. but it works really good now.


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## instinct

Totally worth the wait. I want to order another, but I'm not sure if I should get the Ultrafire 90MW one..


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## Hallis

I ordered one yesterday. I have never owned a laser. And i figure for the price it's worth the gamble. 

Shane


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## X_Marine

I grabbed one of these about 6months ago and was very pleased. Takes 1 cr2 and will knock out streetlights a block away. Not nearly as good a gauge as dr_lava or Hemlock Mike but it works for me.. lol

Only prob with the bottle type is switch is to easy to turn on and because I hang it in the car it will sometimes come unscrewed and dump bat on floor. Think it needs an Oring. :thinking: 
GL.
X..



Oznog said:


> Hey, what about the other 50mW here? Same price, different case... same hardware inside maybe?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2180
> 
> How are Kaidomain's pen-style laser pointers? They list up to 150mW!


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## roSSco

Mine should be here any day now. :twothumbs


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## Hallis

Oznog said:


> Hey, what about the other 50mW here? Same price, different case... same hardware inside maybe?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2180
> 
> How are Kaidomain's pen-style laser pointers? They list up to 150mW!



A friend of mine has the 125mw. I saw it yesterday for the first time. Seemed like a nice little piece of hardware. Nice little case and everything. And we nearly set fire to his mousepad with it lol accidently. I dont have any equipment to take a reading but I may buy one and send it to the LED Museum for a bench test. 

Shane


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## ash057

I recieved my Kai 50mw today and only get a dot with no beam,,, I read through the posts in this thread and obviously it should be brighter than this. I tried replacing the battery but it is still the same. This doesnt seem any brighter then your run of the mill laser pointer. Any suggestions?


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## Hallis

Mine has shipped but only god knows when i'll get it. My friend that i mentioned above ordered one as well. So we'll have 2 side by side to compare notes. 

Shane


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## Hallis

Well the mail lady just dropped it off  It's oddly heavy for its size and god it's bright. I do also like the case that it comes in. The spot is definately bigger than my WL Core 5mw from the same distance so that is likely a biproduct of cheaper manufacturer. But overall, as long as it doesnt crap out on me within the next day or 2 i'll say it's worth the $27

Shane


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## wasBlinded

The two I've had were both brighter than a 5 mw greenie, but visibly less dim than a measured 35 mw pointer. If I were to guess, the brighter of the two is 20 to 25 mW, and the dimmer one is about 15 mW.

Both came with good Panasonic CR2 Lithium cells.


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## instinct

One of my two that I ordered crapped out.. I'm going to see if I can get it to work.. the other one is still working.. anyways.. even if it only worked for a month or so... It was still worth the $27...


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## MMXER

I ordered one of these. It will be nice to see how it compares to my pot modded one that burns plastic.


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## CarbonCrew

I just got my laser in yesterday and it is bright. Very solid construction. 

I just tested it using the dmm and green led and I got 148.0 uA ~ 52.85 mW. Not bad eh?


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## HRUDKA

Come on guyz,

does this one http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=2180 burn? Can you feel it as a pain while beaming it on your hand?


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## Tachikoma

Hallis said:


> I do also like the case that it comes in.


Can you post a photo?
Btw I've just ordered mine, but considering the Italian postal service I'll probably receive it in a month or more :thumbsdow


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## zerafull

i would know if its esay ton remove the focusing lens of this model, or how get a beamshot like a flashlight with this laser (30 cm of diameter at 1 meter by exemple) ? any ideas ?


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## Tachikoma

Someone suggested me in the past to use a cheap lens from disposable cameras and put it directly in front of the laser aperture, I still have to try it, I'll let you know when I'll do it


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## zerafull

Tachikoma thx, and what is the type of lens ? negative asphrical lens ?

We got the choice here, but i dont know what i must take :

http://www.surplusshed.com/pages/category/lenses_1.html

Sincerly regards


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## Tachikoma

mmmm not sure, I've been told to get the lens from a cardboard disposable camera like the ones you can buy for $5, so buy it and remove the lens


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## MMXER

I just recieved it today. It camp in a small shipping bag, and I recieved NO GIFT BOX! It was just in the shipping bag wrapped up in cheap bubble rap.

In comparsion to my pot modded Changchun GLP-1, its not even close in power. Maybe 1/2 as powerful. Of course im not sure of the output of the Changchun GLP-1. 
No burning at all. My Changchun GLP-1 will burn through bags and such easy.... This wont even smoke black leather.

Of course battery could be weak.. Will do some more testing...


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## IgorT

I ordered one of these as well, on monday, still no shipping confirmation..

How long does it usually take them to ship these out?


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## Lunal_Tic

Still having trouble with the two I have. Neither will turn on first try and I've sanded off the paint between body parts for better contact and tried new batteries. I've even had a 2xAA body made that uses a Kroll to get around the switch that comes with these and I still have to fiddle with them to get them to come on. 

On one unit the laser unit just dropped out of the head when I unscrewed it to check the contacts. The threads aren't held in by anything and just backed out of both sides. I'm guessing there is some kind of contact problem but I can't find it. Any ideas?

TIA,
-LT


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## IgorT

Lunal_Tic said:


> The threads aren't held in by anything and just backed out of both sides. I'm guessing there is some kind of contact problem but I can't find it. Any ideas?


 
It probably is a contact problem, since your module is not held tightly enough on the inside..

I've seen this laser powered outside it's enclosure, and there is a gap, that needs to be filled for this to work.. Inside the enclosure, the contact is created by the enclosure itself, but maybe there is something wrong with yours...

You could try filling that gap with a piece of wire, and try it then.. The person who tried this, left the wire inside for a better contact, so why not..


I'll go search for the pic, so you know what i mean....









This is the gap i was talking about..

And this is how you fill it:









Try it, and let me know if it works...


BTW: I heard some of these don't have this gap and some do, but if yours does, it could be the source of the problem..



The pics were made by Benm on LPF:
http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1193766153/30



Another problem could be a badly soldered switch, which is also discussed on that thread.. In that case you can simply resolder the switch..

This is what the switch resoldering looks like (by Knimrod in the same thread):









If none of this helps, you should return the lasers and ask for a replacement.


If it does help, let us know.


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## Lunal_Tic

Thanks for the help. It looks like contacts are the main problem. In mine B and C don't touch and if you trim the glue and slid C all the way onto B then the circuit board sticks out too far to go back into the battery body. I took aluminum foil and wrapped it around B and folded it just over A so that the collar C wedges just on top. It doesn't appear to cause the length problem and the laser works better. 

I would have liked to solder it but C is resting on glue so I don't think I could have gotten it hot enough. The design or manufacturing are off since this wouldn't be a problem if they had extended B or even integrated B & C into one piece of metal.







The switch contacts don't even appear to be soldered in mine, only pressure fit. I tried to solder them to the brass housing but it's probably a cold solder joint since the contacts themselves are sitting on plastic I didn't want to apply too much heat, it does help a little though, may try to do a better job later. I'm just a little worried about the distance between the positive terminal and the newly soldered negatives. They seem to be a bit close and I'd not like to short the battery. I'm thinking about putting epoxy or something like that on the new solder points.






Thanks for your help and the photos.
-LT


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## IgorT

Lunal_Tic said:


> Thanks for your help and the photos.
> -LT


 
No problem.. I'm waiting for one of these myself, and want to know as much as possible about them, before i get it..

Looks like your main problem is the contact between the main body and the lower battery compartment, but i don't know for sure, since i haven't held one in my hands yet...

Did you try filling that gap with a wire, like in that photo? If you did that, and used someting else to make a contact between B and C, it should work fine...


If the switch is just a press fit, it probably works that way.. But it has been soldered succesfully. Of course it means heating up the brass, untill it's hot enough, for the solder to attach to it.. The larger the chunk of metal is, the harder it is to solder to it...


So did you have sucess in fixing your laser or do you still have problems?


Oh, and could you please tell me, how long it took Kaidomain to ship it, from the time you ordered it?


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## Lunal_Tic

I used the foil rather than the wire. There's a small shoulder cut into one end of C and I basically folded a small portion of the foil over A and crammed on C. The foil should be filling the gap between the two.

The switch work is inconclusive, it's back to intermitant at this time. If I get the brass hot enough to melt the solder the plastic bits of the switch will melt. I've got a 2xAA tube with a Kroll switch that works fine now that I've got the head contacts set better. If I get motivated I may look for a more bomb proof fix but for now at least I know the laser modules are OK.

As for shipping, I was in the U.S. when I ordered and it took a bit over a month IIRC.

-LT


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## IgorT

Lunal_Tic said:


> As for shipping, I was in the U.S. when I ordered and it took a bit over a month IIRC.
> 
> -LT


 
A month? Wow... 

What i meant was, how long it took them to ship it, from the day you ordered.. I ordered mine a week ago, and still didn't recieve a shipping confirmation.

I do know, that it'll take long for it to come here, even tho i'm in Slovenia, EU, which is a bit closer..


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## Lunal_Tic

IgorT said:


> A month? Wow...
> 
> What i meant was, how long it took them to ship it, from the day you ordered.. I ordered mine a week ago, and still didn't recieve a shipping confirmation.
> 
> I do know, that it'll take long for it to come here, even tho i'm in Slovenia, EU, which is a bit closer..



I never got a confirmation. Actually I wrote to them in January to ask where it was then they sent me a HK Post link that said it had shipped about 15 days after I ordered it. Naturally it showed up in the mail a few days later, a bit over a month total. :shrug:

-LT


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## IgorT

Lunal_Tic said:


> I never got a confirmation. Actually I wrote to them in January to ask where it was then they sent me a HK Post link that said it had shipped about 15 days after I ordered it. Naturally it showed up in the mail a few days later, a bit over a month total. :shrug:
> 
> -LT


 
I should have ordered from Deal Extreeme... They're a bit faster than that i think... But they don't have the same laser.. On the other hand, i wouldn't mind having two.. Hmm... Maybe a different model? Better chance of having something live long...

Damn, now i feel like ordering some more...


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## rosskim1980

It is really cheap,I wonder how about the power? Does it a good laser?


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## IgorT

rosskim1980 said:


> It is really cheap,I wonder how about the power? Does it a good laser?


 
From what i heard, it does a good laser... 


But some people managed to kill them.. Maybe because they used 3.6V rechargables, which are 4.2V when full, and since these lasers don't have any real regulation, they slowly died..

But someone actually measured 72mW with it.. Don't remember what the voltage was..


If you want it to last long, use 3V rechargables.. On the other hand, it's so cheap, it's hardly worth mentioning if it dies..


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## Oznog

Ended up ordering the black "Edwina" model.

Yeah, it takes awhile to get here for sure. Many weeks. I don't have records.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!! Been using it here and there, it's working great. No "mode hopping" observed.

The switch DOES suck. If I touch it in the slightest when on, the laser starts to flicker off (but doesn't lock in the off position, you gotta press down for that). Is this a type of switch I can get from one of KaiDomain/DealExtreme that might replace it, even if it's one of the same type but maybe better luck with quality?

I also had this scary problem- if the end cap unscrewed a turn or so, the laser turns itself on even though the switch is off! I am unsure just why that was, I did some tweaking with the center wires and it stopped doing that. I don't recall what all I did but I am 100% certain that I saw this problem.

BTW, I should probably warn people- just because it has been shown to have an IR filter initially _does not guarantee yours will_. KD/DX have been inconsistent in their products in the past, it goes with the whole cost thing. As has been shown here, there are already more than one type of construction being sold. So, it might be best to not assume yours will have a filter.

Don't get me wrong, I have not heard or seen of one of these being sold without it. Just pointing out that they play mix & match sometimes and most people would have a hard time detecting the hazardous IR output.


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