# AtlasNova vs. DealExtreme



## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 6, 2007)

What kind of "high precision" laser pointers does atlasnova carry that are not listed on their site? How will the prices compare to the low power New-Wish lasers from DE?

Are the lasers sold at atlasnova already modded leadlights that are maxed out/close to being maxed out?


I'm looking for my first green laser, I was going to buy one from dealextreme(knowing that modding this pointer would mean destroying the case so I won't do it) specifically the 30mW model since it is cheap and the performance won't be far off from the 50mW despite being half the cost.


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## jbviau (Jul 6, 2007)

I have an astronomy-grade greenie from Atlasnova that I've been happy with. It's ~36mw. This isn't one of the "high-spec" ones that they sell by invitation only. I paid $79, but they've gone up to $99 now. 

Arnold has posted many times that these are *not* Leadlights and are *not* modded, and I have no reason to doubt him. I've never tried to mod mine, as it's powerful enough already.

No experience with the Newwish lasers, so I can't speak to that. If you care about getting your laser fast and/or good customer service, you should probably just pay more for the Atlasnova.


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 6, 2007)

I'm pretty sure through all my reading on other forums that atlasnova has special made leadlights specifically for his company, they use a higher power rated diode( standard is 200mW, his are 350mW) and higher quality PCB construction compared to normal leadlights. His pointers also have glass optics while the New Wish lasers use plastic.

I have read that he has sold 50mW for $79 to members of other forums, but he seems so strict on talking about what he carries that he wont even tell you what he has in stock.

Here is a review of one of his 55mW modules http://www.greenlasers.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1116954981


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## lazerlover (Jul 6, 2007)

I would stay away from new sellers such as Dealextreme who carry NewWish products. NewWish products are sold generally without an IR filter, and the power ratings are totally inaccurate. For example, I purchased a 150mW Dealextreme, and it only registered as 30mW on my Coherent meter that does not pick up the IR. On my lasercheck it will say around ---, because due to the IR the total power is over the maximum limit of 200mW.

Atlasnova is one of the earliest sellers of green lasers, even before Wicked Lasers, and is a one man company that runs itself quite honorably in my personal opinion. I have had multiple dealings with him, and his prices as well as the lasers he stocks are above average quality. One issue I do not like is that he lies about how his lasers come "premodified" from Leadlight. Not only would this be risking the entire company of Leadlight's import license into the USA, but I verified from the lead engineer of Leadlight that they do not ship anything over 5mW to USA for anyone. By law, Arnold would be admitting he was breaking more laws than just selling overpowered laser pointers to the public.

Leadlight lasers have recently declined in quality, I purchased a total of 10 lasers for my friends and family over the past 6 months, some from Arnold, Vital and Wicked (LC). 3 of them failed within one hour, and when I tried to call Leadlight and ask them why, I found out that most of the technicians in charge had left the company to start their own company. I hope that either Leadlight gets their shape back in gear or we will have to start looking elsewhere for high quality 5mWs.


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 6, 2007)

lazerlover said:


> I would stay away from new sellers such as Dealextreme who carry NewWish products. NewWish products are sold generally without an IR filter, and the power ratings are totally inaccurate. For example, I purchased a 150mW Dealextreme, and it only registered as 30mW on my Coherent meter that does not pick up the IR. On my lasercheck it will say around ---, because due to the IR the total power is over the maximum limit of 200mW.
> 
> Atlasnova is one of the earliest sellers of green lasers, even before Wicked Lasers, and is a one man company that runs itself quite honorably in my personal opinion. I have had multiple dealings with him, and his prices as well as the lasers he stocks are above average quality. One issue I do not like is that he lies about how his lasers come "premodified" from Leadlight. Not only would this be risking the entire company of Leadlight's import license into the USA, but I verified from the lead engineer of Leadlight that they do not ship anything over 5mW to USA for anyone. By law, Arnold would be admitting he was breaking more laws than just selling overpowered laser pointers to the public.
> 
> Leadlight lasers have recently declined in quality, I purchased a total of 10 lasers for my friends and family over the past 6 months, some from Arnold, Vital and Wicked (LC). 3 of them failed within one hour, and when I tried to call Leadlight and ask them why, I found out that most of the technicians in charge had left the company to start their own company. I hope that either Leadlight gets their shape back in gear or we will have to start looking elsewhere for high quality 5mWs.


All New Wish lasers carried by DealExtreme that are 50mW and weaker have minimal IR leakage(less than a remote control) I would order from them if shipping wasn't known to be as ridiculously long as it is(some people didn't get their modules for up to 4 months!) I know it is a company that means good and provides decent customer service, but they are still based in China making things difficult. 

I would still like to purchase a module from AtlasNova, but he seems really skeptic about selling anything to anybody over the normal power rating.


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## barkingmad (Jul 6, 2007)

Ballz2TheWallz said:


> All New Wish lasers carried by DealExtreme that are 50mW and weaker have minimal IR leakage(less than a remote control) I would order from them if shipping wasn't known to be as ridiculously long as it is(some people didn't get their modules for up to 4 months!) I know it is a company that means good and provides decent customer service, but they are still based in China making things difficult.
> 
> I would still like to purchase a module from AtlasNova, but he seems really skeptic about selling anything to anybody over the normal power rating.


 
I have ordered 3 green lasers from DX over the last few months - all have arrived within 2 weeks. IMHO for the money they are a bargain!


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## senecaripple (Jul 7, 2007)

i've ordered a couple from one, and found it overpriced, underpowered, and now just flickers like a weak led light. 
I also ordered 3 from the other you have on you list.
for the money you cant beat it. but it seemed it took for ever to get it, but, as they say, good things come to those who wait. but I think the wait is not as bad now. growing pains.
I would definately order from one again, as I have been, but not from the other. 
prices for laser have come down alot since when I first ordered 2.5 years ago.


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 7, 2007)

Does anyone else have the astronomy grade laser from atlas? Has anyone modded it and measured the output?

I'm going to order a 50mW from DX when they come back in stock, can anyone link me to reviews of this model or opinions on it?


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## nerdgineer (Jul 7, 2007)

senecaripple said:


> i've ordered a couple from one, and found it overpriced, underpowered, and now just flickers like a weak led light.
> I also ordered 3 from the other you have on you list.
> for the money you cant beat it...


Huh...can clarify which was the good one and which was the bad one?

BTW, I really like my DX 30 mw laser. Works great and was a steal at $32. Now less than $28...


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 7, 2007)

nerdgineer said:


> Huh...can clarify which was the good one and which was the bad one?
> 
> BTW, I really like my DX 30 mw laser. Works great and was a steal at $32. Now less than $28...


Considering DX is the cheapest place on the web for these lasers, we can assume atlasnova is the overpriced one which means the bad one in his eyes.


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## senecaripple (Jul 7, 2007)

Ballz2TheWallz said:


> Does anyone else have the astronomy grade laser from atlas? Has anyone modded it and measured the output?
> 
> I'm going to order a 50mW from DX when they come back in stock, can anyone link me to reviews of this model or opinions on it?



try kaidomain's he has 2 different 50mw lasers, I got the cheaper one for $31.75. havent tried it out yet, live in the city. have to wait til i'm out in the country.
I should however test to see if it works.
i'll do that now.


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 7, 2007)

senecaripple said:


> try kaidomain's he has 2 different 50mw lasers, I got the cheaper one for $31.75. havent tried it out yet, live in the city. have to wait til i'm out in the country.
> I should however test to see if it works.
> i'll do that now.


Can you take pictures of it in action indoors? The cheaper one is the same New-Wish laser sold by DX, the more expensive seems to have better focus/less flare(Its the same as the one DX use to sell with higher quality parts check here)

How long did it take to ship to you? Do they still sell the more expensive laser even though it says discontinued? You can add it to your cart.


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## senecaripple (Jul 7, 2007)

Ballz2TheWallz said:


> Does anyone else have the astronomy grade laser from atlas? Has anyone modded it and measured the output?
> 
> I'm going to order a 50mW from DX when they come back in stock, can anyone link me to reviews of this model or opinions on it?



check out kaidomain's 50mw lasers.he has 2 different 50mw lasers I got the cheaper one for $31.75.


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 7, 2007)

senecaripple said:


> check out kaidomain's 50mw lasers.he has 2 different 50mw lasers I got the cheaper one for $31.75.


You already told me this :thinking:

And I replied


Ballz2TheWallz said:


> Can you take pictures of it in action indoors? The cheaper one is the same New-Wish laser sold by DX, the more expensive seems to have better focus/less flare(Its the same as the one DX use to sell with higher quality parts check here)
> 
> How long did it take to ship to you? Do they still sell the more expensive laser even though it says discontinued? You can add it to your cart.


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## senecaripple (Jul 7, 2007)

Ballz2TheWallz said:


> You already told me this :thinking:
> 
> And I replied



sorry about that, I didnt see it so I reposted again.
my lappy is not working anymore. ordered another one but that wont til when ever dell gets around to producing it.
so it's been awhile. 
i'm just using my t-mobile internet phone and that wont allow me to put pix on these threads.

it took about 3 weeks for kaidomain's 50mw lasers to get to my house. 
I didnt know he discontinued the more expensive one.
I went for the cheaper one because I didnt think they could tell the difference.


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## Daedal (Jul 10, 2007)

Well... they have both of them pictured there and they correspond to the explanation linked to above. The one with the smaller aperture is the better one, and about $4 difference, why wouldn't anyone pay for that? 

GL;
DDL


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 10, 2007)

Daedal said:


> Well... they have both of them pictured there and they correspond to the explanation linked to above. The one with the smaller aperture is the better one, and about $4 difference, why wouldn't anyone pay for that?
> 
> GL;
> DDL


Because from what I've seen kaidomain isn't a reliable site *at all, *where as dealextreme may take a long time to ship they have great customer service.


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## not2bright (Jul 10, 2007)

I ordered the "Laselly" 50mW SKU1363 on 7/8/2007 for $35.30. My order status is "shipped".

I'll let you know if it is indeed the "higher quality" model as compared to my DX 2nd gen 30mW.


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## LightForce (Jul 16, 2007)

not2bright said:


> I ordered the "Laselly" 50mW SKU1363 on 7/8/2007 for $35.30. My order status is "shipped".
> 
> I'll let you know if it is indeed the "higher quality" model as compared to my DX 2nd gen 30mW.



Hi not2bright!

I'm also interested if "Laselly" is better than 30 mW from DX! I want to buy SKU1363 from KD.

Please take some detailed photos of label and front lens of SKU1363 and tell if it's brighter than "true 30 mW" from DX.

Damian


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## dirtbikepilot (Jul 16, 2007)

I have both, but I seem to have extraordinarily bad luck with lasers lately. The tweaked 5 mw leadlight I got from atlasnova over two years ago is still working perfectly. The 30 mw from dealextreme is a pos. It isn't even as bright as the leadlight and I can't see the beam in the dark at all. Yes, I put new batteries in the dx and no change. :thumbsdow


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## Crossfire (Jul 17, 2007)

Atlasnova. I've had nothing but good experience with them, and would recommend their lasers highly. They don't specialize in the 100mW burning greenies but if you need a super stable mid-power (10-50mW), this is the place to go.

They do screen their customers and do not sell to minors under 18 years of age. Since these are actually Class IIIb lasers they need to be real careful.

To be honest, with a name like "Ballz2TheWallz", I'd suspect you're under 18. Just my $.02.


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 17, 2007)

dirtbikepilot said:


> I have both, but I seem to have extraordinarily bad luck with lasers lately. The tweaked 5 mw leadlight I got from atlasnova over two years ago is still working perfectly. The 30 mw from dealextreme is a pos. It isn't even as bright as the leadlight and I can't see the beam in the dark at all. Yes, I put new batteries in the dx and no change. :thumbsdow


They will exchange it you know.


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## not2bright (Jul 18, 2007)

not2bright said:


> I ordered the "Laselly" 50mW SKU1363 on 7/8/2007 for $35.30. My order status is "shipped".
> 
> I'll let you know if it is indeed the "higher quality" model as compared to my DX 2nd gen 30mW.




I picked up the package from the Post Office today, as they attempted to deliver it yesterday. Shipping wasn't bad as the attempted delivery was 7 business days from the order date.

The problem is that it appears that they shipped me the SKU#2179 "Billy" rather than the SKU#1363 "Laselly" that I ordered. :scowl:

The aperture is larger than the image shows and the sticker is not as detailed as the one pictured for SKU1363. The laser construction and appearance is identical to the 2nd generation DX 30mW I have. :thumbsdow

I'll wait to comment on performance between the two until it gets dark.

The sticker does state "Max Output <50mW"

I wrote to Kaidomain and explained that I ordered the higher priced unit that still shows "In Stock - Ship in 1-2 days" but received the lower priced, lower quality unit. :shakehead

I'll post back here when I get a response.


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## npkeith (Jul 18, 2007)

Dealextreme has just listed a 50mW green for $26: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2390

So. I've been following this thread for a while now, and I'm hoplessly confused.

1: do DX greens have an IR filter or not?

2: are they actually a good deal or not? $26 for a 50mW seems good, but if its a piece o'crap that burns out in a day, then it isn't.

3: are they easily (that is easily for a moron who can just about use a screwdriver without drawing blood...) moddable? (I.E. can I get a 30mW and mod it up to 50 ish etc.)


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## Ballz2TheWallz (Jul 18, 2007)

npkeith said:


> Dealextreme has just listed a 50mW green for $26: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2390
> 
> So. I've been following this thread for a while now, and I'm hoplessly confused.
> 
> ...


1. They are brand new, this is unknown but they aren't made by the same manufacturer as the $50 50mw laser which DOES have an IR filter

2. Unknown, no one has one yet, the more expensive one is considered the best 50mw per dollar out there

3. No, you are looking at possibly damaging the case or drilling into the case to get to the pot.


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## not2bright (Jul 19, 2007)

After trying my DX 30mW and the Kai 50mW "SKU1363" in the dark it is clear that the 50mW is FAR brighter than the 30mw.

At startup the beam brightness of the 30 and 50 are nearly the same. After 2-3 seconds of warm-up the 50mW becomes what appears to be at least twice, probably three times as bright.

My 30mW is clearly visible, with a distinct reasonably bright beam in the dark. The beam while clearly visible, appears to be translucent. After warm-up the 50mW appears to project a solid green tube of light.

Both were running on freshly charged ROV Hybrid 800mAH cells.


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## LightForce (Jul 19, 2007)

not2bright said:


> After trying my DX 30mW and the Kai 50mW "SKU1363" in the dark it is clear that the 50mW is FAR brighter than the 30mw.
> 
> At startup the beam brightness of the 30 and 50 are nearly the same. After 2-3 seconds of warm-up the 50mW becomes what appears to be at least twice, probably three times as bright.
> 
> ...



Wow, great!

My 50 mW is now shipped, I'm waiting for the postman

What about divergence? How large in diameter is the beam at 10 meters distance?


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## not2bright (Jul 19, 2007)

I'm not sure how big the beam is at 10M (32.8').

How do you measure this? I don't want to walk out in front of the laser while it is powered on. :duh2:


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## LightForce (Jul 19, 2007)

You can throw the beam at elevation or the tree at the known, far distance (it can be also 100' or 1000') and use binoculars for observing how large is the projected spot. You can also place the scale there in the distance and shine on it while observing. the scale and the target cannot be reflective or high-albedo!

Divergence of 1 mrad is when the spot has +1mm in diameter at every meter of distance. (10 meters - 10 mm, 100 meters - 10 cm etc.) It must be added to the starting diameter of the beam at 0 meters.

You can use another unit and prescale it. (I use meters becouse I feel certain when I use this unit)

Damian


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## luvlasers (Jul 20, 2007)

I'd go for Atlasnova for low powered lasers.

Never bought from them but i've heard so many good things about their service and laser quality. Kudos to them


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## Lew Fong (Jul 27, 2007)

Arnold got a large quantity...very large...of Taiwanese-made Leadlight 105's years ago, and has a way to go before depleting this supply. They are infra-red filtered. They are easily disassembled and modified. Quality is very good, although no longer state-of-the-art. Lenses are glass. I agree that AtlasNova is the way to go for mid-powered lasers, despite the higher prices. I have alot of them. Most will easily make 40 mW with the pot mod. About one in ten will tune up in the 65 mW range. I have a few that tuned up to 80 mW. Those are rare.

The mainland Chinese made New Wish models sold by DX are not IR filtered. This single fact alone is enough for me to recommend that you not buy them, if for no other reason than to send a message to China that we don't want unfiltered lasers. Unfortunately, now they produce lasers in powers as high as (claimed) 200mW that are also un-filtered. These things are truly dangerous.

I have found QC and repeatability of the New Wish units to be wanting, as well. Plus, they play fast and loose with their power specifications. At one point, a laser that made 20 mW of green and 80 mW of invisible IR was considered by them to be a 100 mW laser. That was bad enough from a consumer confidence standpoint. But now they sell a "true" 30 mW for example, that makes 125 mW of IR in addition to the 30 mils of green because there is no IR filter. So a person thinks he is holding a 30 mW when he is actually holding 155 mW of total power. I think this is dangerous because the guy who thinks it is only a 30 mil unit doesn't realize he should give the laser more respect, perhaps. I know that is flaky logic on the surface, but you know what they say about knives....people only get cut with dull ones. The sharp ones they are more careful with, because they know it is more dangerous!

The NW/DX lasers are easy to disassemble and re-assemble without damaging the barrels, so if you are going to mod one, think about installing a filter.

If you go to the thread about the new DX 30, you will find lots of folks love'em. They are cheap and bright. For most folks, especially those who are looking for units in the low-ball price range, that is all they expect or care about...cheap and bright. So lots of folks are very happy with them. Having seen how they are built, especially compared to the GP-105's, I can't recommend them from an engineer's point of view....plastic lenses, _tiny_ MCA, loose focus barrel threads, poor machining, cold solder joints, switches that fall apart, non-coaxial beam, noisy and/or spurious outputs, mode-hopping, etc. It takes alot of effort to get them to tune up very well at all. Repeatability from one unit to the next is poor, so you might get a good one, or you might get a bad one. It's a coin toss. But I guess for the money it's not much of a gamble.

Cheers,

Lew


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## Crossfire (Aug 2, 2007)

Now that I've got both AtlasNova and Deal Extreme lasers, I have to say that both suit their purpose well. The AN's got excellent build and unrivaled stability at a good price. The DX lasers have decent build quality, but short duty cycles before stability loss occurs. Their price can't be beat, however.

I am quite happy with both my AN 40.6mW and my DX30.


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