LaserCube or something else?

[moezius]

Hello Friends!

Newly returned to the laser lightshow scene here. Back around 2020 I had a mint-issue LaserCube that I used to play around with and bring to parties in Europe that I didn't bring with me to the States. I never really maxed out the potential of LaserOS at the time, not to mention it was significantly buggier back then.

Now that I'm back, I'm looking for a similar portable, entry-level laser that can do some neat tricks outta the box, especially for outdoor events. Is LaserCube still the way to go? My budget is up to $5k for the laser plus accessories.

I'm looking at the LaserCube 7.5W Ultra on X-Lasers. Open to ideas and suggestions. If you could point me in the direction of some resources to learn to use whatever laser you suggest, I would also be grateful.

[buffo]

I have a pair of the 7.5 watt LaserCubes, and I've been very pleased with them. They are by far the smallest projectors I own, and yet their performance is quite impressive. (For comparison, I've got close to 20 projectors in my collection, ranging from 300 mw up to 30 watts, although about a third of my laser projectors are not certified for legal commercial use in the United States.)

One of the key selling points in favor of the LaserCube (apart from the attractive price), is the "EZ-Variance Kit" that X-Laser offers. This vastly simplifies the process of getting your Laser Light Show Variance from the CDRH (which you need to have before you can do shows for the public). Other vendors claim to have similar programs in place, but based on conversations I've had with other laserists, none of those programs are as fast, or as painless, as the X-Laser EZ-Variance Kit.

I'll admit that I haven't done much with LaserOS, so I can't really speak to it's abilities or what has been added in recent years. Instead, I mostly use Pangolin's Beyond, so when I connect to my LaserCubes, I'm using the ILDA port. (And obviously, with that ILDA port, you can use pretty much any software and controller combination you want.)

The only negative thing I have to say about the LaserCube is that the e-stop cable that ships with the unit is laughably short - like maybe 2 ft at best. If you are planning to use a LaserCube for a commercial show, you're going to need a much longer cable, and I don't think X-Laser sells them. (Easy enough to find one on-line though.) Also, keep in mind that there's no direct support for daisy-chaining the E-stops, so if you have a pair of LaserCubes, you'll have a pair of E-stop units at front-of-house.

Adam