Prices of Green lasers

[arnottmj]

I am fairly new to the world of green lasers and i wanted to know if anyone could explain why prices vary so much. For example, on wicked laser you can buy a 45mW for $195.00. However, a DPSS-50 (Portable Module / > 50 mW) will set you back just under $500.00 from the majority of online stores. Does this mean that they are very high quality or that wicked lasers is offering very poor quality.

Please note that i do not want to offend anyone; i am simply trying to decide on a good 40-60mW laser to buy.

 

[Sid Post]

Wicked Lasers is out of China FWIW (for what it's worth). Asking a similar question on another forum suggested that the Chinese Lasers were inferior quality and would not hold up to a lot of use. The $500 models you are seeing are probably all made in the USA. So, the real question I have - is it really worth $300 extra to get a domestically made laser versus a Chinese one. Since I won't be buying anything over 5mW, it is at best an academic question for myself.

 

[SuperBert]

the difference between these lasers is, is the handheld modules are heatsinked, and have constant on switches. This is SUPPOSED to make these modules more stable, as it gets rid of the heat, but the driverboards werent designed very well, so that isnt ocurring. On the flip side, I would stay clear of wickedlasers, and I think many will agree. There is just too much goiing on right now with the US customs confiscating these non-FDA approved lasers to go and drop that kind of cash to just lose it. If you dont live in the US, thats another case though. I would try to save a little extra and go with one of the 100mw units from optotronics. I think they might even be able to get lower powered units, youve just got to have them specially ordered. Drop them an email or user "bootleg2go" a PM and see what they can do for you.

 

[arnottmj]

bootleg2go deffinately seems like a good seller. I've already spoken to him and he has answered all my questions. As for what laser i intend to go with: i think i'll spend a little more time considering how much money i'm really prepared to spend.

 

[senecaripple]

hi sid, you seem to know what you are talking about when it comes to lasers. atleast when it comes to pricing. i need your expertise, i am thinking of getting a really good american made laser, should i get the cni pgl lll, or the optotronics, both retail about $750.00. i really dont want any of these chinese made lasers. please advice!

 

[wickedlasers_com]

Actually, Optotronics are just PGLS made by CNI, standing for Changchun New Industries, a Chinese Government owned company, Wicked Lasers are also made in China, none of these mentioned are made elsewhere.

 

[SuperBert]

ACTUALLY, none of the modules are made by CNI if I remember correctly... (and bootleg2go please comment here)... CNI as well as the company that optotronics gets their lasers from get their lasers from the same place and slap their name on it. This is why optotronics is able to offer the PGLIII as well as the units they already offer.... *********** as well as CNI are basically distributors

 

[xenophobe]

[ QUOTE ]
wickedlasers_com said:
Actually, Optotronics are just PGLS made by CNI, standing for Changchun New Industries, a Chinese Government owned company, Wicked Lasers are also made in China, none of these mentioned are made elsewhere.

[/ QUOTE ]

They re not just PGLS. The internals are completely different, so are the housings.

The PGL is dissassembled and photographed here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=937610&page=2&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=186&fpart=1

NONE of the parts are even similar. Main Housing and end caps are different. Switch, diode/driver and internal crystal housing are different... As a matter of fact I really don't see any similarities.

 

[bootleg2go]

Actually this rumor/hype that China makes an inferior laser to the US is just that...hype. All of the high powered portable lasers are coming from China. One of the reasons for this is there are several colleges in China that specialize in laser optics, while the US seems kind of lacking or are not putting the effort into this field as the Chinese are. The eyes of the world are on China right now like it or not. Most USA engineering/manufacturing is being transferred/outsourced to China or will be in the next 5 years. China is not a shoddy manufacturing country as was thought many years ago and like Japan use to be thought of in the 60's and 70's; they have gone very high-tech. They have put ships into outer space, and have nuclear power as well as weapons. The last fact is that although there are some industrial lasers made in the US, no US company manufacture portable battery powered lasers.

Jack

 

[bootleg2go]

Superbert is correct and wickedlasers is wrong. The lasers I get are not made by CNI and from what I've been told by people in the know on the inside, CNI does not manufacture theirs either. They are all made by a yet unknown to me 3rd party.

Jack

 

[wickedlasers_com]

So optotronics does not know who makes their products? but you are sold it from CNI. FYI, CNI makes their PGLs in Shanghai, they have a factory near in the Pudong development region, We have a very strong relationship with CNI and their workers.

 

[LaserMod]

Well lets throw a spanner in the works...

http://www.lphotonics.com/

http://www.lphotonics.com/products/lasers/1-1.htm

They are NOT connected in any way to CNI and they manufacture their own designs - I have proof of that from the vice president of the company.

Not trying to take sides... its about time lphotonics got the word out - their lasers (100mw models) are way cheaper and much more stable than CNI's.

 

[bootleg2go]

Yes, that proves that CNI is not the game around.
Optotronics has just signed an agreement with Lambda to become the USA distributor for Lambda products.
Their lasers are what I sell exclusively.


Jack

 

[Sid Post]

[ QUOTE ]
senecaripple said:
hi sid, you seem to know what you are talking about when it comes to lasers. atleast when it comes to pricing. i need your expertise, i am thinking of getting a really good american made laser, should i get the cni pgl lll, or the optotronics, both retail about $750.00. i really dont want any of these chinese made lasers. please advice!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I don't consider myself an RKI (Reasonably Knowledgable Individual) on these things. I have just been reading up and studying what's in the marketplace these days. The only good advice I can give you is to buy from an American source because of Customs concerns. You may save money going off shore but, you still have to get it through US Customs.

Regarding Chinese products, they dominate the market. Putting Chinese guts into an American tube still doesn't make it American. I would read what's been posted in this forum and make the best decision you can at the time with what you know.

 

[xenophobe]

You haven't been 'reading up' enough. There aren't any problems importing these units that are being described here. They completely meet FDA regulatory import requirements, and getting one of these in isn't a problem.

Customs is ONLY confiscating the >5mW units (most commonly the pen sized pointers) that do not meet FDA regulations.

 

[Changots]

xenophobe...i like your style and i know where to come of i ever need advice /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

 

[Bronco]

[ QUOTE ]
bootleg2go said:
Actually this rumor/hype that China makes an inferior laser to the US is just that...hype.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, Jack, with all due respect, for someone like myself who forked out almost $200 for a z-bolt EmeraldFlash with a service life of approximately 5 minutes, the tales of substandard Chinese QA aren't so much rumors as harsh realities.

Perhaps the situation has improved in the last year. I hope so. But I have to say, there are an awful lot of lasers for sale around here that look exactly identical to mine. Makes me a bit nervous, if you know what I mean.

 

[Sid Post]

[ QUOTE ]
xenophobe said:
You haven't been 'reading up' enough. There aren't any problems importing these units that are being described here. They completely meet FDA regulatory import requirements, and getting one of these in isn't a problem.

Customs is ONLY confiscating the >5mW units (most commonly the pen sized pointers) that do not meet FDA regulations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe I'm confused, the poster was asking about a Class 3b laser weren't they?

I read on a governement website, I believe it was the FDA, that customs would confiscate lasers over 5mW. I would be hesitant to shell out significant money to a Chinese (or any foreign) company and then risk it by sending it through customs where it is subject to confiscation.

 

[Draco_Americanus]

If the laser pointer is built to conform to class 3b and have been aproved by the FDA then they are allowed in, the problem for pointers(that I have seen on certian web pages) is the ones over 5mw lack the safty requirments for a class 3b laser

 

[xenophobe]

To be importable, a class 3b laser needs to have at least severl safties... a safety aperature, a key switch, and visual power status indicator...

The PGL and the Optotronics both meet these requirements and could even be 500mW. Wicked Laser pointers do not have these safety features and are therefore considered contraband.