# WHAT IS THE BEST BURNING LASER TO PURCHASE



## TurboLou

Also being able to burn from the furthest distance the further the better.


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## TurboLou

I ment to say what is the best laser for burning purposes?


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## AnthonyMcEwen2014

Were talking Hipower lasers here, likely IR lasers to as colourd lasers (Green for exsample) can get very pricy in this power range.

I suggest if your asking this is becuse you you have seen some cool videos on youtube of people burning things with lasers, Now I HATE to be a kill joy but with this type of laser you need to know all the safty advice and follow it unless you wan to go blind, so I suggest you sosome readin on laser safty first.

(These lasers are invisble and even a reflection (wich you wont be able to see) will blind you if you look at it / t gets you in the eye and you wont even know it is shinging in your eye becuse it is invible....but even if you could see it it is so powerfull it will damage your eyes before you can blink bascily...scary huh? If you dont care for your eye sight go out and get one but if you do read up on safty first. (Such as laser glassses designed to block the lasers from blinding you)

Now I not saying dont get one they are epicly cool and a great thing to own, and in reality they ARE NOT any more dangours than a gun or a knife, its just knowing how to safly handel them I guess, I hope once you have done some reading you do get one and enjoy it! 
I know if I could afford one Id have one to!

A good place to start would be LPF, LaserPointFourms, they willl be able to give you much better advice on what one to buy....I would recomend looking at a lot of MFGs though a lot of noobs go for WickedLasers (They have good avdertising), and while they may be good lasers there also overpriced, and there are a lot better options out there to.

Its not whats best its just getting the right powerd one, its kind of like asking us what is the best Hipower flashlight....so yhea.


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## TurboLou

Thanks for the knowledge about safety i guess they are not a joke and i did not think they were but still very dangerous…
The only one so far that i saw that was for sale was Jd lasers but he wants like 599 for a 3 w one in a mag lite housing..
is there something comparable with a better price ????


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## Tmack

I was recommended here from LPF . I'm much more active the and have MANY more lasers than lights. 

I can build you a mag lite laser 3w for half that price. I've built and sold many lasers and am a trusted member over there. My username is the same if you want to check out what I've been selling. 

A 445nm (blue) laser is your best bet for power to price ratio if burning is your fancy. Let me know, I can build any host or power range you'd like, as well as direct you to a bunch of builders. 

If you look in the " rare mag lite" thread here at CPF, there is a pic of my personal mag laser 3w


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## Remington597

^^^What he said 445nm, but you still can't be far away from what you want to burn. Most of the youtube vids you see show lasers burning from inches away not several feet.


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## Tmack

I can burn from over 10ft 
Can light a cigarette or paper bag from 15ft. 

Inches away would be without focus. My 3w plus lasers can light thing fast at around 5ft. Smoke instantly

And under 1w would of course require close range. 

Not many youtube videos are of custom lasers though, so under 2w. 
Most of the guys building lasers are very bored of burning lol. It's still fun, but I'm more concerned with NOT burning things during testing 

Btw I have a 2.7w laser for sale in a custom black host for $200. This will burn anything you put in front of it. If focused, 5-10ft burn no problem.


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## caddylover

interested in your laser. PM sent.


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## TurboLou

Tmack said:


> I was recommended here from LPF . I'm much more active the and have MANY more lasers than lights.
> 
> I can build you a mag lite laser 3w for half that price. I've built and sold many lasers and am a trusted member over there. My username is the same if you want to check out what I've been selling.
> 
> A 445nm (blue) laser is your best bet for power to price ratio if burning is your fancy. Let me know, I can build any host or power range you'd like, as well as direct you to a bunch of builders.
> 
> If you look in the " rare mag lite" thread here at CPF, there is a pic of my personal mag laser 3w



Do you think it would cost $700 to build that mag laser again or do you think its cheaper now?
I just bought a 3.6 W laser for $249 with batteries n safety glasses i believe it really is 3.6W but it might not be IDK 
It is a blue laser mostpowerfullasers.com RickTrent you can see his videos on you tube just search rick trent


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## TurboLou

Also this flash light is killer for fire starting and highest heat i ever seen


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7O...Jus7Ag_pYnQJwcxKtEPYzFPXmng2XIHdzmQPB2nciYXob


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## caddylover

damn, that's one HOT mag!


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## Tmack

I know rick trent personally. His lasers are what they say they are. He just drives then very hard without heatsink the driver. So becarefule how long you run it.


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## Tmack

And if anyone wants a maglite laser I can build them for waaaayy less than $700. 

About $300 for a 3w.


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## TurboLou

Tmack said:


> I know rick trent personally. His lasers are what they say they are. He just drives then very hard without heatsink the driver. So becarefule how long you run it.



yes he said no more than one minute but can something be added to his to let it run for a longer period of time ?
I bought his most popular one looks like a mag C cell size?


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## Tmack

It's a mx900 host. If you go into it and heatsink the driver it can run longer. If you've never built a laser I don't recommend it. Just a static shock can kill a diode. They are extremely sensitive. 

..






This laser has heatsink everywhere and can be run much longer


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These are my blue 445nm and from left to right duty cycle from 1min to 10min. All these will burn from over 5ft easily


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## TurboLou

Tmack said:


> And if anyone wants a maglite laser I can build them for waaaayy less than $700.
> 
> About $300 for a 3w.



OK so your 3W mag light laser what kinda of run times do you get on that and if more than a minuet whats the difference of yours n ricks?
also if you could send a pick of your mag lite laser or link to see it and is it focusable?


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## TurboLou

Tmack said:


> It's a mx900 host. If you go into it and heatsink the driver it can run longer. If you've never built a laser I don't recommend it. Just a static shock can kill a diode. They are extremely sensitive.
> 
> ..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This laser has heatsink everywhere and can be run much longer
> 
> 
> .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These are my blue 445nm and from left to right duty cycle from 1min to 10min. All these will burn from over 5ft easily



ok so if you sold these what would be the price of each from left to right ????


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## Tmack

A 3w mag can be run for up to 5min. The pictures are above. That's my personal mag with extended heatsink. One I'd build would be flush to the bezel. The difference is that I extensively heatsink my drivers which rick does not. They are just as important to heatsink as the diode but rick claims they run cool at 2.5a. I'm a good friend of rick's, but that's just not the case. At 2a plus the driver NEED to be heatsink for increased life of the unit, as well as better runtime


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## Tmack

All my builds are focus able. When you're dealing with thousands of milliwatt you need to be able to focus.


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## Tmack

I can also build matching sets if anyone is interested 







..





But if you really want to burn blue is your laser. Or violet, but it's much less powerful.


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## wolfstyle

PM sent Tmack.


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## Tmack

Sold this one to a fellow CPF member too. GITD epoxy mixture. 2.5w 445nm


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## CyclingSalmon14

TMACK Please stop posting.....I really want one.....but can't afford one haha!

Nah in all honestly your work looks amazing! Keep it up! One day many I can Gert one haha!


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## Tmack

Allow me to further tease you 

 new pen hosts! 1.6w 445nm, and 500mw 405nm. Solid copper pens. 

Anytime your ready, let me know.


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## CyclingSalmon14

Just to be nosy do you make P60 laser dropins and what do they go for (Unlikely I'll be ale to afford soon though but nice to know anyways)


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## Tmack

Hmm I've never tried. I'm sure I could. I'd have to have everything in hand for measurements but any flashlight can be made into a laser. It would be nice to have all the colors in drop in and just use 1 body. I'll look into it.


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## CyclingSalmon14

Cheers, if you do decide to start makeing them can you PM me, prices ect. Id likly use it in a solarforce host or something.


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## Tmack

Not a problem. You've intrigued me  now I need to try it haha.

If you're definitely interested, when you're ready, you can send the unit and I can see what I need to make it work. I don't have one of them. 

The diode and driver I would use is arround $150. Just to give you an idea of parts costs.


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## CyclingSalmon14

Thanks, might be waiting a while just to let you know though, but Ill keep it in mind, I just dont often have that kind of spare cash and when I do I tend to spend on my other hobbies but I have always wanted a HiPower laser....darn it lol!


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## Tmack

Lots of guys that like flashlight can't help but be interested. Just let me know man. I'm always down for new project.


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## Tmack

Here's the pens 

500mw 638nm (red) 
500mw 405nm (violet) 
1700mw 445nm (blue)


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> Here's the pens
> 
> 500mw 638nm (red)
> 500mw 405nm (violet)
> 1700mw 445nm (blue)



stop teasing me:twothumbs


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## Tmack

I'm not teasing. I'll make you one whenever you want  haha.


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> I'm not teasing. I'll make you one whenever you want  haha.



we'll see after I pay off all my flashlights


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## Tmack

I know your pain!


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## CyclingSalmon14

STOP IT TMACK!!! GO AWAY NOW!! 


XD!....Now were did I leave that $200 bill laying aorund....one day.

Give it a few mounths and providing nothing comes up and I have bought the flashlight I want, I might be sending you a PM haha...maby, I sure would love to anyways.


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## Tmack

I can see I'm not wanted here..  

But I will continue to torment you all with beautiful photons! 

.. 
Muuhaahaa!  how's this for lux?


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> I can see I'm not wanted here..
> 
> But I will continue to torment you all with beautiful photons!
> 
> ..
> Muuhaahaa!  how's this for lux?



I'll take that one!!!:twothumbs


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## Tmack

Lol that one was sold a while back. But I can make the exact one. I have the exact host and can order the module whenever you like  I can actually make a stronger one this time.


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## hansheng

Hey Tmack, do the pen laser pointer have side switch? i am looking for a custom blue/violet laser pointer with side switch. Thanks!


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## Tmack

I'm sorry the pens have a tail switch. The side momentary switch on high power lasers is extremely dangerous. Believe me, I know first hand.


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> Lol that one was sold a while back. But I can make the exact one. I have the exact host and can order the module whenever you like  I can actually make a stronger one this time.



I'll see what my finances look like next month, I've always liked Green:green:


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## Tmack

That one is a sipik host, so it's very small. 
I need a little recovery time myself.


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## caddylover

Deleted post quote. Deleted as per rule 11 - Norm
I've got a six d-cell mag hangin' in the garage, what can I put in that??:naughty:


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## Tmack

Double diode 6w. Or if you got some extra change double diode of the big boys 12w


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## caddylover

sounds like it would burn through a phonebook


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## Tmack

15w cuts think steel.


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> 15w cuts think steel.



that would be nutty! how much to do the 12w?


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## Tmack

Man it'd be hard to put an estimate on it. The parts is one thing but alignment of the beams is another. We're talking night after night of trial and error getting them into the combining optics. I'd definitely do one for myself before making any attempt to quote someone. Custom machining, custom optics, = custom price


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> Man it'd be hard to put an estimate on it. The parts is one thing but alignment of the beams is another. We're talking night after night of trial and error getting them into the combining optics. I'd definitely do one for myself before making any attempt to quote someone. Custom machining, custom optics, = custom price




I gotcha. Is the 6w that involved?


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## Tmack

6w can be achieved just recently now with a single diode, so as of a few months ago, no. Only problem is taking care of all the heat. But that's pretty easy.


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## caddylover

would it run off of 6 batts or does it need a couple spacers?
also, do you need my flashlight or, is it a dropin?


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## Tmack

I would need the light, but I don't need that many cells unless you want to run regular D cells. If i run lithium ion, I only need two 32650's. And I need to mount the driver in the head permanently so I'd need the light. My machinist stocks 2D maglite in every color, ready for custom heatsinks.

Oh and that diode alone is $700 or so


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## caddylover

thanks for the info. I'll let you know on that. A 2D mag is so cheap, if I decide to do it, I'll just have you start from scratch. My t45cvn comes tomorrow, you got anything on its way?


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## Tmack

The x3vn pdt, the tk61vn also pdt lol, 

Oh that set if 4 marble anodized zasers is coming. 

And a Cold Steel Warrior Katana lmao. 

So 3grand? A bit more


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> The x3vn pdt, the tk61vn also pdt lol,
> 
> Oh that set if 4 marble anodized zasers is coming.
> 
> And a Cold Steel Warrior Katana lmao.
> 
> So 3grand? A bit more



my visa is $3500 this month


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## Tmack

Haha, great minds spend alike.


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## CyclingSalmon14

Mother of all go***.....I wish I had that kind of money XD, but a if I ever win the lottery....12W seems about right XD!


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## Tmack

Haha I'll make one for both of us. 

PS, damn katanas, I just got another one!


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> Haha I'll make one for both of us.
> 
> PS, damn katanas, I just got another one!



I expect a sword and flashlight combo pic pretty soon:naughty:


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## Tmack




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## caddylover

Tmack said:


> Haha I'll make one for both of us.
> 
> PS, damn katanas, I just got another one!



Make it a buy one get one free! I'll take the free one:laughing:


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## caddylover

Tmack said:


>



Nice!!! Where are you finding those?


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## Tmack

Battle ready katanas at sword buyers guide, 

I have a cold steel warrior katana, 

And a Ronin Hagakure. "sword of the falling leaf" on the way. 

All very strong, battle ready blades. 
In the cold steel demos, they cut pigs clean in half. (dead already of course) the Ronin I'm really looking forward to  Very traditional.


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## caddylover

nice!!!


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## Kevin1322

Tmack your pm box is full. Trying to contact you but can't haha.


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## Tmack

Ready for action my friend


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## Tmack

Cold Steel pics as promised  
Can you tell which one is real, manta ray skin handle, 1055 carbon steel, and which one is Chinese junk lol.


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## Tmack




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## caddylover

Tmack said:


>



Hey! I think I can do that picture also! :twothumbs


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## Tmack

Check out my new hosts!


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## caddylover

awesome, love the purple!


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## TurboLou

sick laser hosts and killer light n blade collection man


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## Tmack

Thanks fellas. I have many more, but not picture worthy imo.


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## Tmack

Here's a monster 405nm (violet) I finish minutes ago for a Canadian member. 
750mw is a beast for this wavelength. 

THE DOMINATOR


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## DJ JIGGLER

Tmack, Do you have any hosts that look similar to the wickedlasers ones? Love their look, just not the price tag..

Also is Blue or Green better? What color gives you more bang for your buck?


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## Tmack

Depends what you want it for. Burning, or distance. Blue is your extremely powerful burner. Green stays very thin and bright, but won't burn. 

It's rare to find wicked laser hosts because they are usually bought by newcomers to the hobby, and often never modify them.


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## Tmack

I have a wicked laser EVO Pen I modified to be stronger than an artic. Muhaha!


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## Tmack

Just finished these up. The one on the far left needs a home! Blue 445nm 1.7w = $200 ( c11 side click. Very nicely heatsinked) 2 x 18350 I can add if needed.


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## hansheng

Hey Tmack,

Are those pointers with side switch? i am looking for some high powered pen pointer. thanks!


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## Tmack

The pens have a rear switch. They have proven very temperamental in high power. The highest power I can do is 1w in those. 
VERY short battery life. (1x10440) 

I recommend something larger when considering high power.

Edit: Those were the last of the pens and are no longer available. 

I have a wicked laser pen modified to be 1.7w and focus able, but because of the host, and labor involved, that one is expensive. It has a custom driver with a switch right in the board so it does have the side button. It has a rear key pin to lock out the laser. It's very nice, and I put alot if work in it, with parts I'll probably never be able to get again.


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## Tmack

I have only seen one of these ever made, and it was not focusing at all. 
I would have to ask $250 for it because it was so difficult to make, it required custom machined parts to make it focus , uses the side button x switch driver, I'll and I guarantee you will never find another person with one.

.





I have since mirror polished the button. I personally love to this laser, and it's part of my collection.


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## Tmack

1.7w c11 side click. Very nicely heatsinked. Takes 2x18350. 
Burns EXTREMELY WELL.
Just found a new home!


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## wolfstyle

WOW!!! Just received my laser from Tmack yesterday, truly amazing. Mine was the blue Mag in the pic he posted earlier. He answered all my questions and provided updates along the entire build process. I can definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a custom built laser. Happy Burning!


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## dradee1

Tmack said:


> Check out my new hosts!



Tmack, what kind of blue burner can build with this style of host?


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## Tmack

I can build a 3w 445nm monster in one of those. That's the strongest you can go safely right now. They are custom made to order and take a couple weeks, but man they are worth it. A complete 3w would be $400. 
They are $100 more than a maglite, but just look so good 
They are pretty large. 2 18650s to give an idea. Heatsink is beautifully, finned helping with heat dissipation of course. It's been my unrivaled favorite for a while now. The host is over $100 without the marble anodization. Made specifically for high mW lasers, this is no flashlight host


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## Tmack

Just have to build that expensive green! 

By far my favorite hosts. Marble Zasers. Some of the best performing hosts too. The 3w lpm graph is almost dead level at three minutes during heat testing. This is attributed to the mass and fins of the heatsink. 

Hopefully soon I'll be building actively cooled maglite with unlimited duty cycles. 

3w blue, 500mw red, 500mw violet. Came out beautiful.


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## Arilou

I bought the 1.7W 445nm laser (above) from Tmack. Works great and doesn't get hot at all. It's built into a flashlight case, so it has an on/off switch rather than a momentary pushbutton switch.

Very bright... I measured the output and it is close to 1.7W. Use eye protection if you buy this!


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## Tmack

Monster 1w 638nm red in a solid copper custom host. "The Cyprus" 
Camera really doesn't do the red justice here. Irl the red beam is spectacular to say the least. I'll get a better camera for beams shots and put them up tonight. Really happy with this build  




. 
That's a whole Lotta red! Not your typical cat toy here fellas


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## RCantor

Can you explain to me (or give me a link) why blue is a better burner than red?


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## Tmack

Blue can be had in 3x the power for the same cost. 

This 1w is an accomplishment for red. While I can make blue wavelength 3w. 

More power = better burning.


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## Tmack

445nm(blue) vs 638nm (red) 
The blue is a shorter wavelength, making it higher frequency. That makes more of the energy absorbed by the target, = better for burning. 
405nm ( violet) is even better for burning, but can't be had in 3w. So 445nm is the best middle ground. The most power, and a good wavelength for burning.


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## bshanahan14rulz

Energy density and the target material's absorptive properties play a role in "burning" too. 405nm can be focused smaller than most available 445nm diodes, given the same lens. But these are not used for lighting, so are not commonly available in multi transverse mode variants.


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## Arilou

RCantor said:


> Can you explain to me (or give me a link) why blue is a better burner than red?



Simply that gallium nitride has a higher melting point than GaAs or GaP. You can push a lot more power through it without it overheating and damaging the crystal.

A red laser wil burn just fine, if you can get enough power output.


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## Tmack

Just put this kit together for someone. 

2.8w 445nm MS-SSW 
1w 638nm Cypress 
700mw 405nm Copperhead 

A charger for each 
And those are actually my 
NOIR Lasershields DBY filter. 

Nice grab and go kit.


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## Arilou

The reason I would not recommend a red laser for burning has nothing to do with the power output. I have a 400mW 808nm laser and it burns just fine. The problem is, if you are wearing safety glasses that block the red light, then you can't see it at all. Most materials have a red fluorescence when illuminated with blue light. If you are using a blue laser and wearing goggles that block the blue light, you can still see the spot because of the red fluorescence. With a red laser, there is no visible fluorescence and you can't see it at all unless you take off the safety glasses, which I wouldn't recommend doing.


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## Tmack

I only recommended red for beam viewing, never burning. Because of 445nm extreme power, that's all I'd state as a good burner. 808nm may burn well, but at very close range.

I just want to remind people this wasn't my thread, and my full focus of laser ownership is not burning. It's just a feature many people want to know about. 
I stumbled across this thread, and just started posted laser related things 
I don't want people to read the title, assuming it's my thread, and think it's all about burning


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## Str8stroke

Tmack, I clicked on the thread to read about what is the best burning laser, and you opened my eyes (my cheap attempt at a pun) to the whole Laser thing. WOW, I had not thought about the invisible reflections zapping ones eyes. I have always wanted a laser to bring out at the next camping event or bbq and fire up the pit to impress people! lol I am guessing unless everyone within a 1/5 mile radius dons some shades that look like they are off the set of Terminator 2, I shouldn't do it! I also understand different power levels would require different safety precautions. I am just curious and kinda generalizing. 

If I get a laser that burns well, how far are they dangerous to bystanders? I ask because I like to look at stars and astronomy I use a small pointer it goes out a little ways, I just thought it would be cool to have one laser that could do that and then with a flip of a switch light the camp fire! Do they and or you make a two mode laser? 

Also, do I understand you correctly in that depending on the wavelength, one should have appropriate safety glasses for each wavelength? 

So in summation, I now understand blue is the way to go for burning and I should have safety glasses for that wavelength. 

Thanks for the info. Neat stuff.


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## Tmack

I recommend glasses if your indoors and viewing the dot at a fairly close range. Kind of like a firearm. You and the people very close or participating need protection, but not everyone spectating. 

There are many glasses that cover several wavelength. You can get filters that cover few or many of them. Mine cover all but red, and I have a separate pair for red when I'm testing. When star pointing, even with a very strong laser, I don't wear glasses. 

I personally don't make lasers with mode selection. I use drivers with a soft start feature, that multi setting drivers don't have. The drivers that I use are especially made for lasers diodes and don't offer more than 1 setting I'm sorry. 
There is a custom builder that offers this, but I do not agree with many aspects of his builds, and would tend not to recommend his lasers. 

Let me know if you have any further questions  

Happy to answer.


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## Loed7984

I make some artisans engrave in metal and glass, I find usefus for that purpose the famous arctic, from wickedlasers. Had momentary on and a secure,so one can use it safely


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## Tmack

I have a pen as strong as an arctic that would be very helpful for your task. Have the power of the Arctic but the dexterity of a pen.

It's actually in a wicked laser EVO body.


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## Arilou

Tmack said:


> I personally don't make lasers with mode selection. I use drivers with a soft start feature, that multi setting drivers don't have. The drivers that I use are especially made for lasers diodes and don't offer more than 1 setting I'm sorry. There is a custom builder that offers this, but I do not agree with many aspects of his builds, and would tend not to recommend his lasers.


 A low-power mode for aiming, and a high-power mode for cutting/engraving would be rather useful. How difficult would it be to connect two drivers?


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## Tmack

The custom laser host are made to just fit the intended driver and no more. Some of the flashlight host may be large enough, but connecting drivers wouldn't give you selection of each used. It would disperse the current between the two, making two different rated drivers, one higher current driver. To connect them in a way that one could select a specific one would take even more room for more circuits that just isn't there.


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## Tmack

Latest creation. A 2.9w custom MS SSW a host made by a custom host designer and good friend. "sinners secret weapon" really loving this monster host.


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## Tmack

Little diffraction grating fun 

Made this with 3 lasers and some diffraction film.






.


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## Tmack

Little bit of everything
(forgot my d40avn! Obviously my most used light  )


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## BarryG

I thought some of you might like this...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...y-Maratac-AAA-(damaged)&p=3567107#post3567107




Barry


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## Tmack

Very cool. C02 lasers are pretty nasty. Love the flames to lol.


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## GhostReaction

I really like those zasers hosts. The custom looks and that purple really pops out.
I ll definitely will contact you when I have enough laser funds.


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## Tmack

No problem. I love building those. That's definitely my favorite custom host.


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## Tmack




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## GhostReaction

Nice beamshots :thumbsup:
Got me excited!


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## Tmack

This is a 2.6w MS-Envy.






Comes equipped with tripod mount. Very handy.






Metal tail switch. And the entire body acts as the heatsink. This host is beautifully designed to perform.


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## bshanahan14rulz

..nvm


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## Tmack

Finally started my own thread. 
"Tmack customs " 

If you didn't know, this was never my thread.


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## LEDrock

Hey Tmack! This is my first time asking you a question about lasers.

All these high powered laser pointers seem to take really expensive batteries. Is there any way of making one that has an electrical cord connected to it to enable it to be be plugged into the wall for AC power? That would seem to be able to eliminate short run times and power limits batteries introduce. Sure, it wouldn't be portable like a battery powered pointer, but power could be unlimited, right?

Before anyone here rolls their eyes (assuming this is a dumb question), I'll admit I'm a newb and have owned exactly one 5mw laser pointer, which I no longer have....I broke it trying to increase the power according to instructions found on the internet.


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## Tmack

I can build some that could be plugged in sure. 

But the batteries are no more expensive than a flashlight battery. 

The maglite use 26650 x2 
$8 a piece. 

The zasers use 2x18650 
I can even do 1w blues that use 1 18650. $6 battery is fine. 

And the duty cycle to keep the high power laser cool will never let a true unlimited run unless it has active cooling. Maglite have been built with fans and tec cooling, but even they need to rest to cool down. 

I actually have my own thread now. Tmack customs, 
In the laser section. 

Because of the title of this thread, I decided to start my own thread  
I don't want people to think it's all about burning. (although it is fun!)


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## LEDrock

Tmack said:


> But the batteries are no more expensive than a flashlight battery.
> 
> The maglite use 26650 x2
> $8 a piece.



Yikes! To me, that's much higher priced than flashlight batteries! Don't maglights use "D" batteries?


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## Tmack

But they are rechargeable. 
You'll only need 1 set. 

What kind of batteries do your flashlights use. 

Mine mostly use 18650 's 
Which are about the same price.


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## LEDrock

Tmack said:


> But they are rechargeable.
> You'll only need 1 set.
> 
> What kind of batteries do your flashlights use.
> 
> Mine mostly use 18650 's
> Which are about the same price.



The flashlights I have only use the common household batteries like AA and AAA, although I've had D and C battery lights. Never had one that uses 5 digit numbers or CR123.

Can high powered lasers use AA batteries, or is that just too much of a power requirement? Also, I had assumed your Maglite lasers would use D batteries since that's what Maglite flashlights use normally, unless you do some modifying to the flashlight body to make it accept something else.


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## Tmack

I use a sleeve to run 26650. 

If the guys have a charger bug enough you can use 32650 x2. That's what I use and they run for hours. Over 7000mah I've heard.


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## Tmack

I can make up to 1w using two AA cells, or c/d cekls


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## Zenon

If you just want raw power 3 watt IR 808nm ( not eye safe )
or 1 watt green are coming down to around 200$ 
But it's far more fun to build on then just buy + it's cheaper

You will spend 5 to 10 X as much buying off the shelf


Zenon


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## Bill1959

Hi
I am building a cnc router it was for pcb making but I would like to be able to cut white or bright coloured paper as my wife does rainbows and brownies and punches a lot of shapes. I think she would get a bit of fun out of this linked to her laptop and it will help me bribe more money off her for my hobby. Can you suggest a laser and a rough price for it please.
Cheers
Bill


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## Tmack

I can suggest some diodes. But I don't build such machines I build handheld devices. 

You would want a pioneer 16x 405nm diode driven at 700ma. 

You can find the diodes in the pioneer blue ray players and would have to extract it and press into a copper module, then wire yo driver, then to power supply. 
Lol nothing to it  

The 405nm is single mode and keeps a very clean dot. Making it ideal for your task.


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## double0thirteen

Tmack,

Hi! What options are there for you to build me a 445nm blue?
And what kind of damage am I looking at (for the wallet)??


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## Tmack

Check out the thread "Tmack customs" 
There are many choices for you before a price. 
3w is in the neighborhood of $300-400 depending on host, lens, etc. 
1-2w is $250 - 300 give or take. 

Have a look at the pictures and tell me what you like. We'll work something out if you like my friend


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## elnino

Tmack said:


> I have only seen one of these ever made, and it was not focusing at all.
> I would have to ask $250 for it because it was so difficult to make, it required custom machined parts to make it focus , uses the side button x switch driver, I'll and I guarantee you will never find another person with one.
> 
> .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have since mirror polished the button. I personally love to this laser, and it's part of my collection.



Tmack, I am interested in buying this Wicked Lasers pen from you. Please PM me with the specs and details. Thanks.


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## BoCoMo

Tmack said:


> Little bit of everything
> (forgot my d40avn! Obviously my most used light  )



Awesome collection!


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## Tmack

Thanks man. Lol it hasn't been that long and I have 3x the amount of lights, and a handful of lasers to add.


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## RayJayLPF

Zenon said:


> If you just want raw power 3 watt IR 808nm ( not eye safe )
> or 1 watt green are coming down to around 200$
> But it's far more fun to build on then just buy + it's cheaper
> 
> You will spend 5 to 10 X as much buying off the shelf
> 
> Zenon



Wow.. How many false and misleading comments can you fit in one sentence Zenon???

First.. Not only a 3W 808nm is dangerous.. ANY laser at 3W is dangerous!
Please send me 10 of those 1W greens you are talking about. The last time i looked 1W 520nm's were $575.

And T-Mack.. You know the NDB7A75's are only $300 now yeah? I saw you said somewhere they are $700?​


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## Tmack

That was when first released. 

Yeah I know they dropped a bunch.  Good! 

When they first released they were more than $700

Or you may have seen me refer to the 1w 520nm. That one is still about $600


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## RayJayLPF

Yeah the NDG7475 has dropped to $575 as well.. It's awesome how cheap these high powered diodes are getting now! Like even the 9mm 3W diode is only $70 now. It's crazy..


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## Tmack

Absolutely! 
I rarely look at the bare diode prices though. Although I have flaminpyro awesome press and extractors kit, I always get them at least preset in the modules. 

If I have a tiny host, and I need a free floating driver, I'll even get pre-wired. 

But with my bigger builds I always heavily heatsink the driver, so pre-wired isn't an option. 

I do have a bunch of bare modules laying around. 
Maybe I'll grab some bare diodes thanks to you  

Appreciate it ray


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## RayJayLPF

No Wukkaz bruv.

Yeah that 7475 is almost a steal at $575 now.. So much cheaper than what it was! Its pretty much half price!


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## Tmack

Hey half of a million is still a whooolleee lotttt  

Out if my price range. I'm just not going to have $600 worth of fun with it lol. .......... 

I'm lying.. Yes I would


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## John Crichton

Tmack said:


> I was recommended here from LPF . I'm much more active the and have MANY more lasers than lights.
> 
> I can build you a mag lite laser 3w for half that price. I've built and sold many lasers and am a trusted member over there. My username is the same if you want to check out what I've been selling.
> 
> A 445nm (blue) laser is your best bet for power to price ratio if burning is your fancy. Let me know, I can build any host or power range you'd like, as well as direct you to a bunch of builders.
> 
> If you look in the " rare mag lite" thread here at CPF, there is a pic of my personal mag laser 3w



Hey, I am thinking about buying a burning laser because of YouTube videos lol. I saw one online for around $250 that claims to be 20 watts. 

Is is that likely it's real power? If so is that a good price? You mentioned you build 2 and 3 watt lasers, could you build a 20 watt? How many watts is feasible in a device no bigger than a flashlight?

Sorry if my questions are noobish, lol, unfortunately I am a noob in this department and would appreciate any info or advice that could help me not waste my money. Thanks


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## bestellen

It's unlikely that it would burn anything at 150mW. Your best bet is to purchase a 20x DVD burner (which you can get for half the price of that laser pointer). The lasers in those things are normally 400-500mW, which is powerful enough to burn things at relatively short distances. Removing the laser and installing it into a cheap laser pointer or small flashlight is not terribly difficult.


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## Tmack

I can build you up to 3500mw in a handheld form off lithium ion cells. 

This will burn from up to 20ft . 

445nm, 3.5w 


There is no way 20w is that cheap. 

Thats ir laser territory, and those are invisible just about.

Check.out the "Tmack customs" thread

Ive done 5.5w lasers, in maglite hosts. They are quite expensive.

Unless your combining diodes, it would be impossible to get 20w without ir diodes. 

3w burn plenty good. 
Immediate smoke, flames in seconds.

My 2w maglite builds have run for 8+minutes. . Sleeping a diode in a host is easy, but getting optimum performance takes some experience, and quality components.


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## capone-c.m.

I was wondering what is the strongest burning ability laser that needs no modifications for sixty bucks, cause I got sixty bucks I can afford to spend on one and that's all uncle Sam wrote


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## amichljr1

capone-c.m. said:


> I was wondering what is the strongest burning ability laser that needs no modifications for sixty bucks, cause I got sixty bucks I can afford to spend on one and that's all uncle Sam wrote


I got a few on e-bay from China. They burn a hole clean through black glad trash bags in no time. Best part, the charger & batteries fit the Fenix flashlight I got too. Please note: Don't play with them at night outside. Ha Ha [emoji57] I did and my radio scanner went apeshit.


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## malcolmcal

LEDrock said:


> Hey Tmack! This is my first time asking you a question about lasers.
> 
> All these high powered laser pointers seem to take really expensive batteries. Is there any way of making one that has an electrical cord connected to it to enable it to be be plugged into the wall for AC power? That would seem to be able to eliminate short run times and power limits batteries introduce. Sure, it wouldn't be portable like a battery powered pointer, but power could be unlimited, right?
> 
> Before anyone here rolls their eyes (assuming this is a dumb question), I'll admit I'm a newb and have owned exactly one 5mw laser pointer, which I no longer have....I broke it trying to increase the power according to instructions found on the internet.



As long as the laser has a propper driver you can use pretty much any walwort poweer supply from 4volts to 7 volts. (If you're using a 2w or higher power, then your power supply needs to be 2 amps or so. Most drivers limit the current to 1.8 amps, not sure on the 3w though.)


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## Theodore41

Hi.
I bought a SHARP EAGLE ZQ-LA-301 445nm blue laser, declared as having between 1300 and 1500 mW, from Bang good at $69.00.I turned it on,saw a decent beam in the night sky,but when I tried to play, burning the usual things,as paper,plastic etc,I had no positive result.
Has anybody here any suggestion for this?I wish I had a laser meter,so as to return it if it is fake 1.5W.


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## fishingfor1822

Tmack said:


> I can burn from over 10ft
> Can light a cigarette or paper bag from 15ft.
> 
> Inches away would be without focus. My 3w plus lasers can light thing fast at around 5ft. Smoke instantly
> 
> And under 1w would of course require close range.
> 
> Not many youtube videos are of custom lasers though, so under 2w.
> Most of the guys building lasers are very bored of burning lol. It's still fun, but I'm more concerned with NOT burning things during testing
> 
> Btw I have a 2.7w laser for sale in a custom black host for $200. This will burn anything you put in front of it. If focused, 5-10ft burn no problem.



hello sir looking to purchase a few lasers from you please email me [email protected]


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## vicv

I'm curious. From reading your posts tmack a 1w diode on 2x18350 runs for about ten minutes. At one watt shouldn't it run for 2+ hours? At a vf of say 5 volts because these require more voltage than our flashlight LEDs that's 200ma. That's nothing for a driver. Shouldn't produce any heat really at all. Does 200ma going through a laser diode produce that much heat at the junction?


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## Dylanthedude

Tmack said:


> I can see I'm not wanted here..
> 
> But I will continue to torment you all with beautiful photons!
> 
> ..
> Muuhaahaa!  how's this for lux?



Hey tmack. I'm looking for a really bright laser for a Christmas present. Looking to spend about 200. Could go a little higher if it was worth it.. here's my email: [email protected] 

Looking forward to hearing from you


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## kardenm

Tmack said:


> I was recommended here from LPF . I'm much more active the and have MANY more lasers than lights.
> 
> I can build you a mag lite laser 3w for half that price. I've built and sold many lasers and am a trusted member over there. My username is the same if you want to check out what I've been selling.
> 
> A 445nm (blue) laser is your best bet for power to price ratio if burning is your fancy. Let me know, I can build any host or power range you'd like, as well as direct you to a bunch of builders.
> 
> If you look in the " rare mag lite" thread here at CPF, there is a pic of my personal mag laser 3w




Hi Tmack. I am very much wanting to buy a green laser from you. Maybe some others also.
How can we talk and set something up? 
I'm new to this forum and apparently don't have enough post to see your profile so tell me what to do next.
Thanks!


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## nbp

To my knowledge tmack is no longer building lasers on CPF.


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## kardenm

Ok. Thanks nbp.


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## Accutronitis

I just bought a Tror M II for $50 off ebay and it's a 1.33 watt 445nm blue laser, It burns through a spent Bic Lighter and ignites the remaining gas in less than 30 seconds if you hold it still enough....



The same guy I bought that laser from now has a 5+ watt laser called a "Thor Ultra" that comes with large rechargeable batteries, charger, safety glasses, 5 x Star caps, and a case and he's selling it for $350.00 !


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## Zombiextreme420

So so far what i am lead to believe is that blue lasers are the best for burning???
what is the farthest distance a laser can burn at?
is there a way to have an adjustable laser that you can change the burning distance from like 5 feet to 30 and everything inbetween? 
sorry i am still a newb at this


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## Accutronitis

If you want the smallest spot size at the farthest distance and be able to change that burning distance from 5 to 175 feet and everything in between there is only one way to do it BEAM EXPANDER !!!

It's the only way to reduce beam divergence of a laser beam and before you ask ALL lasers surfer from divergence, more with some than others so the spot size will always increase other distance.....

what is the farthest distance a laser can burn at you ask ? Miles for sure !

The first video show a 30 kilowatt laser easily burning a hole through passenger truck hood at one mile away !!! 







The only thing with laser weapon systems i see as a problem is what about a drone with a mirrored surface ???


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## Accutronitis

Here is a short video showing what can be built for a under $200 and can light a paper bag on fire at 175 feet !

At the end it shows spot sizes from 20 feet up to 175 feet.....




Warning not one of the name brand hand held laser makers OR ANY hand held lasers on ebay can light a paper bag on fire at 175 feet ! To do that you'll need to modify their lasers OR build your own because nothing you can buy will have that kind of power in such a small spot size at 175 feet, Nothing !


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## cdrake261

If tmack is no longer making lasers, who else is?


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## ragebot

I have a Sanwu 7w blue laser which first came out well after this thread started. Also have a JetLaser 1w red laser. Both will pop black balloons. I was able to pop a yellow balloon with the blue laser. I had gone to Walmart and bought the yellow balloons and also some gray balloons because that night Walmart was out of black balloons and I thought gray was closer to black than anything else. Thing was I could not pop the gray balloon; only cause it to leak air and deflate.

Point is that the amount of heat an object absorbs when hit by photons from any laser is dependent on the color of the object and the color/wave length of the photons hitting it.

When someone says they can burn a paper bag at 175 feet it ignores the fact that while it would be possible to burn a black bag at that distance it very likely would not be possible to burn a white bag.

The key factor is the density of photons hitting the object you want to burn. This factor is affected most by divergence and best controlled by a beam expander which collimates the light beam.

The beam is probably created by diodes (most common method for consumer lasers) which vary in how much divergence their beams have. So if you have a very powerful beam, say 7w with a lot of divergence it may well have a lower density of photons hitting an object than a 5w laser with a beam expander and less divergence.

Divergence is normally specked in mrads, or mils, which basically is a measurement of the angle the beam expands at.

Bottom line is the best burning laser is the one that puts the most photons in the smallest area; which is a function of the mrad spec and the power of the laser.


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## ej257tspeed

Tmack - do you still make lasers?


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## ragebot

ej257tspeed said:


> Tmack - do you still make lasers?



The mods are considering closing down the thread Tmack started about taking orders for his lasers due to inactivity since he was no longer responding. There are several guys at the laserpointerforums who will currently make custom lasers; often at prices lower than you can buy store bought ones. Keep in mind that there have been some first tier companies that were selling quality lasers that are no longer doing so. Same goes for the one man shops like Tmack. I would suggest you check out that site. There is something of a learning curve with lasers and spending a little time lurking over there is probably the best way to get up to speed quickly; not only on the basics but also on things like what is currently the best bang for the buck.


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