W1zzard
01-18-2007, 02:51 PM
[page=Introduction & Design]
Introduction
Today, we will be looking at the red 150mW Pulsar Laser from Wicked Lasers. If you can remember, we previously reviewed a green 125mW Fusion (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/125mWFusion/) which was slightly less powerful than this one and its burning abilities were not so great without an external lens. The Pulsar is 20% more powerful than the Fusion, so hopefully this will be evident in testing,
Note: Wicked Lasers have released a newer case for the Pulsar - full chrome. You can, however, choose which model you want. More information is available here (http://www.wickedlasers.com/products/Pulsar_P100-24-0.html).
The package we received was sent via EMS and it was very well secured, packed with thick foam and lots of bubble wrap. It seems Wicked Lasers really care about shipping and handling delicate products such as these. Any manhandling of the package would unlikely damage the laser because it is packaged so well. Any misalignment of the KTP crystals and lenses would seriously affect the performance of the laser. Thankfully, we have never received a damaged product from Wicked Lasers. Not only is the laser packaged well, the build quality itself is fantastic. It has been dropped several times from over 3 feet and yet no damage has been done. Maybe it was our luck, or maybe the laser was built very well – I’d say the latter.
What we received:
Wicked Lasers Pulsar 150mW
650nm Red Sport Elite Goggles
Specifications:
Range: 5 Miles
Output Power: 150mW CLASS IIIB
Output Model: Continuous Wave
Average Loop: <350mA
Battery Source: 2xAAA Batteries
Dimensions: 12x128mm
Laser Lifetime: 2-3 Hours
Beam Divergence: <1.0mRad
Design
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsarthumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsar.jpg)
The Pulsar is not much different to the Fusion; in fact, the design is exactly the same. The Pulsar however feels lighter in weight.
The first generation of the Pulsar had, quite frankly, a horrible design. The laser pointer unscrewed from the middle, leaving the pointer split into two equal parts to insert the batteries. It was a silvery beige colour – not attractive. This new generation design is very sleek. It feels a lot much more solid than the previous generation, making it more comfortable to hold without worry.
Performance compared to the old Black & Gold (CNI) case
Just like the new Fusion 125mW, the latest generation has a thicker beam diameter. Yes, this means less power per area unit and thus weaker burning ability. This is because the older generation were manufactured by CNI (a different laser company). The CNI models always had more burning ability because of the smaller beam diameter, but another reason why the Pulsar has less power than the previous series is because the divergence has improved, making the beam more consistent over a greater distance. However, the Pulsar can still light a match, burn tape and pop balloons without an external lens, without a hitch.
Since the laser pumps out red monochromatic light, the beam isn’t very visible unless there is fog or smoke. This is because the human eye is more sensitive to the colour green.
On Wicked Laser’s official website, there is a comparison chart. On the chart it shows us that only the Spyder series can light up a cigarette, but that isn’t entirely true. The Pulsar 150mW can also do it, albeit in a longer time.
[page=A Closer Look & Testing]
A Closer Look
Just like the Fusion, you insert the batteries from the back-end of the laser pointer, however this time the spiralled spring for the batteries is actually inside the lid, so the batteries go the opposite way down to the Fusion. This makes it much more secure, because if you have ever had a red laser pointer, you would know that eventually the spring breaks off as it is soldered weakly to a small part of the circuit board.
The aperture of the Pulsar is much smaller than the Fusion, making it more hard to clean if the lens ever becomes dirty or has a scatter of dust around it.
Testing
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/lasercheck_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/lasercheck.jpg)
We used a LaserCheck meter to check the power output over one minute to check for power output stability. The LaserCheck is an optical sensor meter that works quite simple. Push the button, shine the laser at the sensor. It displays the peak reading obtained during the time that the button is held. Certain wavelengths register stronger on the LaserCheck than others. Much like our own vision. That's why the unit needs to be set to the wavelength that you wish to measure.
The average peak power was 179mW. The following table shows the results:
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Time</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">0s (peak) </td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">15s</td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">30s</td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">45s</td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">60s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" valign="top" scope="row">Average Power </th>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">179 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">165 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">160 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">161 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">158 mW </td>
</tr>
</table>
(Average based on 3 x 1 minute readings)
As you can see, quite stable and consistent through the minute and this unit seems to be above spec!
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redlaserthumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redlaser.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/tapecut_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/tapecut.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/gogglesthumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/goggles.jpg)
The goggles were tested with the 150mW Pulsar and full, fresh batteries. The same tests were taken as were done with the Fusion and every thing happened exactly the same – except it was a lot quicker. For example, it took us 30+ seconds to light a match without an external lens with the Fusion, but with the Pulsar it only took us approximately 12-15 seconds.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/goggles2thumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/goggles2.jpg)
The 650nm Red Sport Elite Goggles are extremely effective and protect your eyes fully. In fact, that is what is not good about them, they seem to block the Pulsar’s light completely, it is amazing that such intense light can be totally blocked out. You can’t even see the dot! That’s how effective these goggles are! But as said before, this can be a problem because you don’t know where you are pointing it at, which could potentially blind other people.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsarnatural_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsarnatural.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redgem_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redgem.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redbeamsmoke_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redbeamsmoke.jpg)
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value & Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The 150mW Pulsar goes for $199.99 the Goggles for $49.99. </td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Better collimation, will have a thinner beam over a greater distance
Wider beam is easier to see, especially at night with fog or smoke
Due to better divergence, it will burn from a greater distance
Excellent build quality
Goggles are very protective
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Doesn’t have the same burning ability as the old series
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.5</th>
<td>
Overall, the Pulsar is a very well constructed “tool”. As with the Fusion, it is great for burning or lighting up your smoke when your lighter runs dry. For Astronomers, construction site workers the Pulsar wouldn’t be good to use, because as stated earlier, the human eye is more sensitive to the colour green and not red. That’s what the Fusion is for.
Next time, we will be reviewing 300mW Spyder II laser pointer from Wicked Lasers. Make sure you wear your Goggles!
</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
Today, we will be looking at the red 150mW Pulsar Laser from Wicked Lasers. If you can remember, we previously reviewed a green 125mW Fusion (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/125mWFusion/) which was slightly less powerful than this one and its burning abilities were not so great without an external lens. The Pulsar is 20% more powerful than the Fusion, so hopefully this will be evident in testing,
Note: Wicked Lasers have released a newer case for the Pulsar - full chrome. You can, however, choose which model you want. More information is available here (http://www.wickedlasers.com/products/Pulsar_P100-24-0.html).
The package we received was sent via EMS and it was very well secured, packed with thick foam and lots of bubble wrap. It seems Wicked Lasers really care about shipping and handling delicate products such as these. Any manhandling of the package would unlikely damage the laser because it is packaged so well. Any misalignment of the KTP crystals and lenses would seriously affect the performance of the laser. Thankfully, we have never received a damaged product from Wicked Lasers. Not only is the laser packaged well, the build quality itself is fantastic. It has been dropped several times from over 3 feet and yet no damage has been done. Maybe it was our luck, or maybe the laser was built very well – I’d say the latter.
What we received:
Wicked Lasers Pulsar 150mW
650nm Red Sport Elite Goggles
Specifications:
Range: 5 Miles
Output Power: 150mW CLASS IIIB
Output Model: Continuous Wave
Average Loop: <350mA
Battery Source: 2xAAA Batteries
Dimensions: 12x128mm
Laser Lifetime: 2-3 Hours
Beam Divergence: <1.0mRad
Design
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsarthumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsar.jpg)
The Pulsar is not much different to the Fusion; in fact, the design is exactly the same. The Pulsar however feels lighter in weight.
The first generation of the Pulsar had, quite frankly, a horrible design. The laser pointer unscrewed from the middle, leaving the pointer split into two equal parts to insert the batteries. It was a silvery beige colour – not attractive. This new generation design is very sleek. It feels a lot much more solid than the previous generation, making it more comfortable to hold without worry.
Performance compared to the old Black & Gold (CNI) case
Just like the new Fusion 125mW, the latest generation has a thicker beam diameter. Yes, this means less power per area unit and thus weaker burning ability. This is because the older generation were manufactured by CNI (a different laser company). The CNI models always had more burning ability because of the smaller beam diameter, but another reason why the Pulsar has less power than the previous series is because the divergence has improved, making the beam more consistent over a greater distance. However, the Pulsar can still light a match, burn tape and pop balloons without an external lens, without a hitch.
Since the laser pumps out red monochromatic light, the beam isn’t very visible unless there is fog or smoke. This is because the human eye is more sensitive to the colour green.
On Wicked Laser’s official website, there is a comparison chart. On the chart it shows us that only the Spyder series can light up a cigarette, but that isn’t entirely true. The Pulsar 150mW can also do it, albeit in a longer time.
[page=A Closer Look & Testing]
A Closer Look
Just like the Fusion, you insert the batteries from the back-end of the laser pointer, however this time the spiralled spring for the batteries is actually inside the lid, so the batteries go the opposite way down to the Fusion. This makes it much more secure, because if you have ever had a red laser pointer, you would know that eventually the spring breaks off as it is soldered weakly to a small part of the circuit board.
The aperture of the Pulsar is much smaller than the Fusion, making it more hard to clean if the lens ever becomes dirty or has a scatter of dust around it.
Testing
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/lasercheck_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/lasercheck.jpg)
We used a LaserCheck meter to check the power output over one minute to check for power output stability. The LaserCheck is an optical sensor meter that works quite simple. Push the button, shine the laser at the sensor. It displays the peak reading obtained during the time that the button is held. Certain wavelengths register stronger on the LaserCheck than others. Much like our own vision. That's why the unit needs to be set to the wavelength that you wish to measure.
The average peak power was 179mW. The following table shows the results:
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Time</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">0s (peak) </td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">15s</td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">30s</td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">45s</td>
<td valign="top" scope="row">60s</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" valign="top" scope="row">Average Power </th>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">179 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">165 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">160 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">161 mW </td>
<td valign="middle" scope="row">158 mW </td>
</tr>
</table>
(Average based on 3 x 1 minute readings)
As you can see, quite stable and consistent through the minute and this unit seems to be above spec!
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redlaserthumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redlaser.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/tapecut_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/tapecut.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/gogglesthumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/goggles.jpg)
The goggles were tested with the 150mW Pulsar and full, fresh batteries. The same tests were taken as were done with the Fusion and every thing happened exactly the same – except it was a lot quicker. For example, it took us 30+ seconds to light a match without an external lens with the Fusion, but with the Pulsar it only took us approximately 12-15 seconds.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/goggles2thumb.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/goggles2.jpg)
The 650nm Red Sport Elite Goggles are extremely effective and protect your eyes fully. In fact, that is what is not good about them, they seem to block the Pulsar’s light completely, it is amazing that such intense light can be totally blocked out. You can’t even see the dot! That’s how effective these goggles are! But as said before, this can be a problem because you don’t know where you are pointing it at, which could potentially blind other people.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsarnatural_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/pulsarnatural.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redgem_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redgem.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redbeamsmoke_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/WickedLasers/Pulsar_150mW/images/redbeamsmoke.jpg)
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value & Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The 150mW Pulsar goes for $199.99 the Goggles for $49.99. </td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Better collimation, will have a thinner beam over a greater distance
Wider beam is easier to see, especially at night with fog or smoke
Due to better divergence, it will burn from a greater distance
Excellent build quality
Goggles are very protective
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Doesn’t have the same burning ability as the old series
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.5</th>
<td>
Overall, the Pulsar is a very well constructed “tool”. As with the Fusion, it is great for burning or lighting up your smoke when your lighter runs dry. For Astronomers, construction site workers the Pulsar wouldn’t be good to use, because as stated earlier, the human eye is more sensitive to the colour green and not red. That’s what the Fusion is for.
Next time, we will be reviewing 300mW Spyder II laser pointer from Wicked Lasers. Make sure you wear your Goggles!
</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>