Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW Green Laser Pointer Review

Jul 6 2007, 12:00am CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Last year we had a look at very powerful 95mW green laser pointer from Wicked Lasers. Today we are having a look at another green laser pointer, this time from a company called Dragonlasers. The main difference is that the Wicked Lasers pointer was a 95mW and the Dragonlasers pointer today is a 35mW version. Read on to see how well the Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser performs.

Gallery

8 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
When the Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser came to my door, the box it was packed in and even the laser itself looked very much like the Wicked Lasers pointer I reviewed last year. Closer inspection reveals that the Dragonlasers pointer is a 35mW version making it significantly less powerful than the Wicked Lasers pointer we looked at. That also means that the Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser at $109.00 is much cheaper than the Wicked Lasers Nexus 95mW laser at $369.99.

I had some issues slashing, melting and generally burning stuff up with the Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser. No matter how long I held the laser pointer in place I couldn’t get it to burn through dark colored paper of any thickness, nor dark colored plastic like black trash bags. Whether this was from my inability to hold the laser still enough (though I was holding it against my desktop for more leverage) of from the fact that the laser just isn’t powerful enough in 35mW trim to burn or melt anything could be debated. I suspect that since I had similar problems with the 95mW laser it’s a byproduct of the brightness that I couldn’t melt anything. In fact, Dragonlasers doesn’t claim the 35mW laser can burn or melt anything on closer inspection of the website.

What the Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser is good for is use as a pointer for lectures, this thing is much brighter and cooler looking than the plain red pointers and throws a very large and easy to see green dot even in bright rooms and full sun light. The laser beam is also easily seen for long distances when you aim it outdoors.

Laser in Use
If you have small children, dogs or cats in your home the laser pointer is great fun. We particularly like to shine it on mirrors around my house and see what we can hit while reflecting the beam onto another surface. The Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser weighs 55 grams and runs off two AAA batteries and has a diode lifetime of >5000 hours. It seems to run cool and no matter how long I kept the laser active it never shut itself down from overheating.

Dragonlasers sells some cool accessories like lenses and prisms to split the laser beam and have more fun, but my test laser didn’t include any of the extras. It included the laser pointer and a black display box. Batteries are not included with the laser.

Final Thoughts
Overall, this is an interesting and fun toy to play with, but if you have your heart set on lighting matches, melting plastic or cutting electric tape, you will want to spring for the 125mW laser at minimum other wise all you have is an uber laser pointer.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Cool green color
Bright enough to see in the daylight

Cons

Not powerful enough to burn or melt stuff

Verdict
The Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser is great if you buy it with the understanding that you are really just getting a very bright laser pointer with a cool green beam that can be seen in the daylight. If you buy the 35mW version wanting to burn, slash or melt you will be disappointed. Overall, the build quality of the Dragonlasers Viper Series 35mW laser is great and the laser is very fun to play with.

7.0

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.