Green Laser Confusion

[LightFetish]

ive been reading the forums for a little bit.

it seems as if green lasers are advertised as 5mw but can easily be over that. are my observations correct?

could i get lucky on ebay and get one thats a little over 5mw?
also, are there certain brands that advertise and sell 5mw's but are known to be more tham 5mw? and are there brands i should stay away from because they are known to be under 5mw?

maybe its just a matter of luck?

the reason i ask is because i live in canada. ive read that customs may keep my laser if its over 5 mw. and of course, i want the most power for my money

thanks guys

 

[badhorsey]

All the greenies I've seen are badged at <5mw. If you buy a newer leadlight 110 then it'll be stable at 5mw as it has circuitry to stop it going over.

If you buy a Leadlight 105, the power will vary greatly - but these are the easiest to modify to a higher output.

Most of the sellers on eBay these days are either modders or suppliers and check the output before the auction, so you're unlikely to strike lucky that way.

In my opinion:

Good value 5mw lasers - go to Abeland.

High powered lasers (but not that cheap) - go to Wicked Lasers

5mws that are easily modifiable - go to Vital Spirt.

The latter option is probably your best bet as it'll be within Canadian regulations when it arrives, but a five-minute fiddle with a screwdriver will get the most power out of it- the procedure is given in minute detail elsewhere on the forum.

Don't forget to wrap insulating tape around the screwdriver!

 

[LightFetish]

thanks for the reply.

my ultimate goal would be to do the pot mod. ive done it to my other greenie but the button snapped off.

i just wanted to know which laser would give me the highest output initially (but still rated at 5mw) so that when i pot modded it, id be sure to get the highest possible mw.

i dont want to be stuck with a brand that are known to be fairly weak and still weak after the pot mod is done.

over and over abeland keeps popping up on forums as the best guy to go to. i may email him with some questions.

im not too concerned with how easy it is to modify. as long as it just involves opening the case and turning the pot. then i should be ok. im used to the hard work it took to mod my other greenie. as long as i dont have to short anything cuz i dont understand any of that.

theres a cpf member who oredered a lot of leadlights, i think they were all rated at 5 mw and i think they were all over 5mw when he tested them.

thats what im after!

 

[nero_design]

When I first came across Candlepower Forums, I owned a Leadlight green laser which I bought online from Thinkgeek.com and I then ordered a second laser from them and went to work with a quick potentiometer adjustment using a tiny screwdriver. The results were instant but you need to read the threads on what to do when you attempt this the first time. It's simple but follow the suggestions.

The only advice I can offer is to settle on the best output you can get after turning the Pot a few times. If you keep turning the Pot (it just goes around and around), you'll eventually break it off. From experience, I can say that you can twist the pot for over an hour or two before the metal gives. You should be able to turn it in about 5 seconds. Output will vary from one Leadlight to another but you can expect a minimum average output of <16mW to a maximum average of <45mW. On rare exceptions, you can actually get even higher outputs. Some here claim to have been able to get <70mW out of a <5mW Leadlight pointer although most claim that their laser is a little unstable and that the power fluctuates. Those outputting higher power levels are the results of particularly well tuned crystals inside the module itself.

Abeland has some deals on the lower powered lasers and a lot of people buy through him.

I have three lasers from Wicked Lasers and they're each perfectly stable. Delivery is pretty swift from these guys. They also have deals on Laser Safety Glasses which are essential if you want to "play" with your laser (important if your laser is over <5mW)

But for one you can tweak yourself, the Leadlight model 105 is supposed to be the answer.

Word has it that the Canadian customs are more concerned with bulk purchases. Quite a few Canadians I know of have purchased VERY strong lasers without problem although I have no idea what the rules are up there.

Have Fun!

 

[xenophobe]

i just wanted to know which laser would give me the highest output initially (but still rated at 5mw) so that when i pot modded it, id be sure to get the highest possible mw.

i dont want to be stuck with a brand that are known to be fairly weak and still weak after the pot mod is done.

It is luck of the draw. Perhaps you'll get one that will mod to 40mw+ maybe you'll only get one that will do 15mw... There is no way to find the best one without sorting through a bunch of them.

Order a dozen, and perhaps you'll have one that will do a stable 40-50mw. Maybe you won't.

 

[CountYorga]

Hello LightFetish,
I live in Manitoba and have not had any problems receiving Green lasers thru Canadian Customs. Our rules are a little different than our friends down south. One place you might take a look at is Laserglow.com. They are located in Richmond Hill Ontario and make some very powerful green lasers
(10mW to >200mW).
Good Luck!

 

[LightFetish]

Wow, thank you for the link. Very good.