Shoddy lasers

[Peanut]

Hello,

How do I know if the laser I have is really any good? It has no name on it. I got it from Vavolo.com. Its 50 mw and was $141. The life expectancy is said to be 5000 hours can this be accurate? Does that not depend on how long you cycle the laser? If its on for 30 seconds at a time it would last far less than if it were 10 seconds right? I read a post on page 2 here with a link to dragon lasers and it reallly makes me wonder. I did pop a baloon and burn through a garbage bag with it so it must have some power right? Sorry to put so many questions in 1 thread.

 

[pseudonomen137]

The 5000hour rating assumes you keep the laser diode in a certain temperature range. On a 50mW though, I don't think 30 seconds will really be overheating it much if it all. Its just leaving it on for a few minutes that can get to them. Many of the pump diodes are rated for 10,000 hours, so normally you don't ever need to worry about reaching their lifetime on an unmodded laser.

What I dont know is if the vavolos are filtered or not. I suspect they are not, and I have always heard they are not. However I have yet to hear a yes or no from anyone I trust as to the filtering. I'm very interested in knowing this myself (been wondering since a few months into last year), but don't want to use my own $ as the guinea pig. If you're interested in parting with the laser for a few days and send it to me for testing, I will fully test it out for you, give you the results, and ship it back free of charge (assuming you're in the US). PM if interested.