Here we go again..... Spacelas question

[Bradfo69]

I am still planning on talking to Marc at CT but, in the interim, I still spend too much time perusing EBay for deals and stumbled across this one from Spacelas. It's frustrating because the price seems tremendous, compared to buying US even if you do run into some stumbling blocks and have to replace a part. What have peoples experience been with Spacelas? I've searched the forum and found very little and, albeit mixed information. Some good, some bad. I know the old adage you get what you pay for and I suspect that applies here too but, how bad can it really be?

Here is the listing. Even if a power meter checked it at a watt and a half or something, it still seems cheaper than buying a watt and a half US.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Opinions? Experiences?

[DjHeadie]

firstly this box is not fda/cdrh compliant.

Secondly you can get it cheaper, from spaceleas directly.

Thirdly... im just as curious as you, but i believe lasers should be kept valuable, and this is one of the many ocmpanies out htere de-valuing them.

[ElektroFreak]

I've had no trouble with Spacelas products, however all I own from them is a few scan sets.. not whole projectors so I can't speak for them. The scan sets I've bought from them are quite good considering how inexpensive they are. Obviously you cannot use those Spacelas systems for public, paying shows in the US without substantial modification and approval from the CDRH.

@djheadie: You crack me up.. I'm forced to wonder where would you be in this hobby if those who felt the way you supposedly do had their way? Probably not in it at all if I had to guess, along with the vast majority of the people in this hobby today.

People who think like you, that laser shows and the knowledge behind them should be carefully guarded, and the prices artificially inflated to keep people out of it are overwhelmingly outnumbered by us ordinary hobbyists.. both those who post here and on LPF, and the untold numbers of us who you don't even know are here.. That outlook is old fashioned and outdated.. like it or not, the field of laser shows has progressed past that mindset now. If you and the folks like you want to maintain that position, so be it.. but you are the minority, and I and others like me will continue to work to make this hobby/profession enjoyable for anyone, whether they do stadium shows for the biggest of names, or entertain a few friends in their living room, and anywhere in between. Being vastly in the minority, I don't think there is any way for you or anyone to stop the progression of technology (which gets cheaper, smaller and more powerful by nature) or the hobby/profession. But of course, you are entitled to be who you are and believe what you will. Just as long as you understand that that mindset is what I use as fuel for my fire..

please feel free to disregard the above paragraph if I somehow misunderstood your meaning.. certainly a possibility.

[DjHeadie]

To be completely honest EF, we are more like minded than you would think. I know i come across sometimes sounding like and old codger, with an outdated mindset, but it seems you see alot of my first responses to members i have not seen post before, which is usually aimed at gauging where they sit in our hobby. Not to judge, just to rather see what... merit they have so to speak, so i can avoid offending by spewing legality or being a dick in general.

I actually share more knowledge when it comes to the trade than anyone that helped me along, as the power and accesibility increases, i believe its imperative for people to know exactly how to use their equipment, whether a scanning projector or handheld, to its full capability, as well as being fully aware and mindful of its potential hazards etc. I wish i could tell you how many times i've heard "i never knew there were full color lasers" and ive made them accessible to many more people local to me by shaming the old fashioned outlook we speak of. People around here use the price tag to keep the scene small, and i did away with that

However when it comes to products like this, the laserworld family, and all those other cheaply manufactured projectors, i draw the line. although they can be useful and whatnot in the right hands, they have become so accessible to people that do not know what they are doing to a point where it is becoming a hazard. i can link you to endless pics and videos from up here (greater NW) where people who have purchased those products put the publics' safety at stake by trying to make them "look cool"

there are a few clubs in portland even, that have fully illegal chinese setups, that crowd scan at slow steps (8k stepper motors) and are generally a pain in the ass. there are tons of other examples, and i can show you one which i was blasted with, and i would like to see in pieces (functional pieces of course) its a 1~W RGB from china, that someone local owns, no variance, non compliant eqpt, no remote kill, etc, that he mounts say 8" about the djs head, and fully blasts the crowd with. i couldnt believe it. i could go on to tell you about all the peckers with pointers ive dealt with/got pointed in the eye by, but that would take months.

i really dont mean to come off sounding as pretentious and such, as i am still rather humble and know my place in the grand scheme of this hobby, as a grass-hop-a. i just was brought into it with safety as a first priority, dislike that other people with lasers once in a blue moon have been more detrimental than me messing with .005-40W, and see some fault in the illegal projectors' manufacturers for making them so accessible to individuals who dont know dick about hwat they are doing. luckily he scans so wide with those shit galvos you can already see the whole left side start to warp.

anyways ef, im not trying to be abrasive, or an old codger, cuz im twenty freaking one, and definitely one of the younger enthusiasts around. You just never know who youre filling in, and i remember how appealing those projectors looked in the early days, now id rather spend a little more and build myself something better.

respect.

[DjHeadie]

please feel free to disregard the above paragraph if I somehow misunderstood your meaning.. certainly a possibility.

nah, not too worried about it, i come across as an asshole in all aspects of my life, i tend to try to blame it on english being my second language, but in truth, im just an asshole hah.

and seriously. ive had 2 mishaps at home, slight blasts of low wattage through the top of the scanners during projector builds, neither direct, all while wearing glasses....

however in the last 6 months, in washington and oregon, ive been blasted in the face near two dozen times, from handhelds and "professional" show equipment. no varianced laserists were around, but there were lasers, and all it takes it getting a little closer to see that they always fit one of the 5 looks of chinese projectors.

[ElektroFreak]

You are very right to be concerned with safety, particularly from handhelds.. To me, that's why we members here on the forums (which are the only public outlets for this kind of material and access to knowledge) should spread safety info around like cream cheese on a bagel. It should be everywhere (and safety info is found around here all over the place), in every nook and cranny (I guess I should have said "butter on an English Muffin") so that any new people get doused in it whether they like it or not. It is up to us to promote safety, and inhibiting progress and limiting the availability of knowledge is not the way to go about it.

[norty303]

To a certain extent I agree. I see more and more people starting to buy high power projectors in the UK, whilst remaining ignorant of the dangers, and without sufficient policing, get away with doing dangerous shows.

In the meantime, people who DO know the dangers and operate responsibly are losing gigs because they aren't doing such impressive shows (i.e. crowd scanning with high power lasers) and basically promoters want the wow factor.

It's an old argument, but the high price point did keep out the curious individuals - you had to really want to do it to be part of it, and that meant dedicating a chunk of cash and doing a load of homework.

That said, I'm part of the new breed (relatively!), but hopefully am going about things with a conscience

[DjHeadie]

That said, I'm part of the new breed (relatively!), but hopefully am going about things with a conscience

to be honest i think yourself, i, and elektro freak would be considered of the new breed....

at least i know i dont use tapes for shows..... ever...

i have run an OLD setup though, on a comp with win98 with qm32

[DjHeadie]

You are very right to be concerned with safety, particularly from handhelds.. To me, that's why we members here on the forums (which are the only public outlets for this kind of material and access to knowledge) should spread safety info around like cream cheese on a bagel. It should be everywhere (and safety info is found around here all over the place), in every nook and cranny (I guess I should have said "butter on an English Muffin") so that any new people get doused in it whether they like it or not. It is up to us to promote safety, and inhibiting progress and limiting the availability of knowledge is not the way to go about it.

it has truly been a pain in the ass. one party i dj'ed at over the summer brought me out into the because numerous twats were all focusing their twat energy on me in the form of 5-50mW pointers, and then someone stepped it up and got me in the face with a couple hundred mW of 405

not fun.... i wear my goggles at home because i know im gonna be messing with lasers, i refuse to wear protective goggles in public in fear ill look like a fruit.

[ElektroFreak]

That said, I'm part of the new breed (relatively!), but hopefully am going about things with a conscience

To me, that's what counts more than anything. A sense of responsibility for actions that we take which might have a detrimental affect on others..