Well it's finally here! My Laserlands 5mW 520nm review unit it showed up late last week. Managed to get some pictures/testing done this weekend.
(Here's the thread that started all this: http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/co...ter-99691.html)
Shipping:
If anyone in Canada is planning on buying something from Laserlands then I'd recommend paying for shipping, this took 3 months with whatever cheap shipping option they used. It seems to be a fair bit quicker for folk further south than myself. They do offer UPS/FEDEX/EMS which should be much quicker.
Packaging:
We'll start with packaging. Packaging seemed to be good, they sent the box/product packaging containing the laser (sealed shut with tape) in what looked like an inside-out DHL bag. Result was a plain package, nothing to really identify it as a laser on the outside. No complaints there! The box is filled with foam, so plenty of padding.
Box:
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This one even comes with some basic instructions - including battery orientation. Saved me making an educated guess there as is often the case with these cheaper lasers.
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Overall quality/appearance:
The dimensions don't seem to be listed on the LaserLands store, although they are on the back of the box.
I actually found myself surprised at the size of the pointer, larger than I expected. It feels nice and sturdy, at least as far as cheaper pointers go. All of the threads feel fairly smooth, the finish is nice, no dings or scratches that I could see. It's not on the same level as a handheld from CNI, but it's also much cheaper. For the price the quality is good!
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The battery tube detaches from the rest of the host too and is attached by a reasonably long wire, which will likely twist/untwist when removing the battery tube. However, that shouldn't be an issue given the length of the wire.
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As I've mentioned elsewhere; the tail clicky is a nice "feature", much more reliable than the cheap side mounted momentary push buttons on the 301/303s. Generally feels safer to have the clicky too.
Just your standard clicky with a rubber membrane/cap over it.
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Focus "knob" feels nice and smooth, works well, although at such a lower power I'm not sure how much use it'd actually be...
Power/duty cycle:
Initial power test shows a consistent 2-3mW, even over the course of a 4 minute test. Resolution on the LaserBee is unfortunately only 1mW, and I'm not entirely sure how accurate it is at such low powers (Jerry, can you comment?).
Note: I charged up the batteries over my lunch break in order to do another power test with a full charge, however my LPM seems to be having issues now so a second power test will need to wait until I've resolved that issue.
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I've tested run time a couple of times so far and it looks like this thing could keep running until the battery dies without an issue. Running for a solid 5 minutes had the host barely above room temperature, it was almost difficult to feel by touch. (I should invest in an IR thermometer)
Beam:
Beam divergence seems good, at least for short range pointing. I haven't had a chance to set up a longer distance test as of yet. Beam diameter at aperture is ~5mm (widest axis) and at ~13ft is down to 2mm, which works out to 0.75mRad. Of course, that test distance is too short for good accuracy so that'll need to be tested again once I find some bounce mirrors.
The dot is a little "noisy" at a distance, but nothing unreasonable, just some fringes/splash around the beam, likely from the inside of the inside of the lens barrel. Not noticeable unless you go stand and look at the dot up close.
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There's just about enough power to make a somewhat visible beam in low light conditions with no smoke.
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Overall this seems like a good pointer, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap, low power 520nm pointer. There's no IR seeing as it isn't DPSS and the power is fairly consistently at safe levels it seems, not largely over powered like the 301s. I'd order these for friends over the 301 just because of the better safety and higher durability. At $23 it doesn't break the bank and the quality is good for the price.
Hope everyone liked the review - I'll be updating it later with some more details/tests. If anyone has anyone questions please give me a shout. :)
(Here's the thread that started all this: http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/co...ter-99691.html)
Shipping:
If anyone in Canada is planning on buying something from Laserlands then I'd recommend paying for shipping, this took 3 months with whatever cheap shipping option they used. It seems to be a fair bit quicker for folk further south than myself. They do offer UPS/FEDEX/EMS which should be much quicker.
Packaging:
We'll start with packaging. Packaging seemed to be good, they sent the box/product packaging containing the laser (sealed shut with tape) in what looked like an inside-out DHL bag. Result was a plain package, nothing to really identify it as a laser on the outside. No complaints there! The box is filled with foam, so plenty of padding.
Box:
This one even comes with some basic instructions - including battery orientation. Saved me making an educated guess there as is often the case with these cheaper lasers.
Overall quality/appearance:
The dimensions don't seem to be listed on the LaserLands store, although they are on the back of the box.
I actually found myself surprised at the size of the pointer, larger than I expected. It feels nice and sturdy, at least as far as cheaper pointers go. All of the threads feel fairly smooth, the finish is nice, no dings or scratches that I could see. It's not on the same level as a handheld from CNI, but it's also much cheaper. For the price the quality is good!
The battery tube detaches from the rest of the host too and is attached by a reasonably long wire, which will likely twist/untwist when removing the battery tube. However, that shouldn't be an issue given the length of the wire.
As I've mentioned elsewhere; the tail clicky is a nice "feature", much more reliable than the cheap side mounted momentary push buttons on the 301/303s. Generally feels safer to have the clicky too.
Just your standard clicky with a rubber membrane/cap over it.
Focus "knob" feels nice and smooth, works well, although at such a lower power I'm not sure how much use it'd actually be...
Power/duty cycle:
Initial power test shows a consistent 2-3mW, even over the course of a 4 minute test. Resolution on the LaserBee is unfortunately only 1mW, and I'm not entirely sure how accurate it is at such low powers (Jerry, can you comment?).
Note: I charged up the batteries over my lunch break in order to do another power test with a full charge, however my LPM seems to be having issues now so a second power test will need to wait until I've resolved that issue.
I've tested run time a couple of times so far and it looks like this thing could keep running until the battery dies without an issue. Running for a solid 5 minutes had the host barely above room temperature, it was almost difficult to feel by touch. (I should invest in an IR thermometer)
Beam:
Beam divergence seems good, at least for short range pointing. I haven't had a chance to set up a longer distance test as of yet. Beam diameter at aperture is ~5mm (widest axis) and at ~13ft is down to 2mm, which works out to 0.75mRad. Of course, that test distance is too short for good accuracy so that'll need to be tested again once I find some bounce mirrors.
The dot is a little "noisy" at a distance, but nothing unreasonable, just some fringes/splash around the beam, likely from the inside of the inside of the lens barrel. Not noticeable unless you go stand and look at the dot up close.
There's just about enough power to make a somewhat visible beam in low light conditions with no smoke.
Overall this seems like a good pointer, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap, low power 520nm pointer. There's no IR seeing as it isn't DPSS and the power is fairly consistently at safe levels it seems, not largely over powered like the 301s. I'd order these for friends over the 301 just because of the better safety and higher durability. At $23 it doesn't break the bank and the quality is good for the price.
Hope everyone liked the review - I'll be updating it later with some more details/tests. If anyone has anyone questions please give me a shout. :)