Hi, this is my review of the LASERWORLD EL-150G
(It's my first review, so please be easy on me! :-)
First, a bit of background on me. I used to be a producer of dance music and have had much of my work published. I used to have a pro studio and am well used to I buying pro-audio and related kit. I used to run roller discos many years ago, and was a resident DJ at a local club for some years. I know what good quality kit should look like, even though I have very little hands-on experience with lasers. But I have seen some truly awesome laser shows over the years at the many raves that I attended.
Now to the review.
Price paid: £103.51+£21 shipping on ebay (RRP £199.00)
I have been meaning to get a laser for some time, especially since the prices have come down so much over the last few years. The last laser I had was back in 1995. It was a sound-modulated spirograph drawing 5mW laser in Red. It wasn't much cop, but I enjoyed it none the less.
I bought this laser as a chuck-away item, thinking that it would give me an insight into what sort of spec laser would be right to invest in for my purposes of some small-medium sized clubs and the like. So I didn't expect much from it at all.
Upon opening the box and taking a look at the laser, the first thing that I noticed was that it was well made and care had been taken in its construction. It wasn't the piece of monkey metal that I had half expected to receive.
The thing that really impressed me was how bright the thing was. I had expected to receive something that put out about 50-75mW, but this laser is so much brighter than I had anticipated it to be. (I haven't tested the output I might add).
The beam shows with smoke are excellent and very very bright (see the videos at the bottom of the review). The sound-to-light function works very well and is very responsive to adjustments. I haven't used the DMX yet, as I don't have a controller, so I can't comment there.
The built in sequences are good, but could be better. But then again, that's what DMX is for. But still, sound-to-light works fine for me at the moment.
Video #1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eKsTNc8wf0
Video #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7s1Bhyo1GU
Pros:
Cons:
- Cheap as chips
- Quality design and manufacture
- High bang-per-buck ratio
- Amazing power output for such little money
- Impressive beam effects
- DMX controllable (linking units a option)
- Miles better than other lasers for the price
- Sound-to-light control works very well (good adjustability)
- Small and lightweight
In conclusion:
- Stepper-motors mean that projected patterns look cheasy
- No on/off switch on the unit (have to pull the lead to switch off)
- No blanking
- No key-switch (would really be a good thing on a laser this powerful)
Am I happy overall with the laser?? Definitely. 100% happy. For the price I paid, the quality of the laser and the effects are amazing. The fact that I paid 1/2 the RRP for this laser makes it even more satisfying.
Of course, there are things that this laser can't do, and will never be able to do. But what it does do is very impressive. In my view, Laserworld have done a superb job with this laser and I am looking forward to investing in another Laserworld laser.
I aim to purchase either a CS-200G or a CS400G sometime in the near future (proably the CS200G as I think that the CS400G would probably be overkill.... but can you really have too much power???
I hope that you enjoyed reading this review !
All comments welcomed !!
James