The Sonar Extreme: New from Wicked Lasers
Think about this: You are the CEO of one of the largest commercial handheld laser producers in the world. You and your company have been around for sometime, acquiring quite the reputation for professionalism as well as a luxury standard for all your products.
You’ve made it all, the green, the blue, and the red. However, this isn’t enough for you. So what’s missing? Elegance. You’ve been focusing on out-powering the competition for too long. You need to add some class, some style, a product that brings the elitism of high society as well as the raw, intense power that is most noted about your products along for the ride.
You are Wicked Lasers. And your stylish, yet intense product? The Sonar Extreme.
This product from Wicked Lasers was debuted, along with 13 other lasers, in the 2010 Pro Series. The 2010 Pro Series is essentially composed of all of WL’s previous products, only revamped and stylized to be new and more elegant than ever.
The Sonar Extreme is el jefe of the 2010 Pro Series of Violet Lasers. Yeah, Violet Lasers. How would they be able to make violet lasers?
The main ingredient in any violet laser, being from WL or anywhere else, is the laser diode. A Laser Diode, in short, is a diode which emits a coherent (does not spread over distance) beam of light. It’s quite different from the technology of the very first lasers (which I describe in this article), as laser diodes usually aren’t bigger than the head of a nail, while the very first lasers sometimes filled up an entire lab.
Laser Diode (picture from Wikipedia)
Now, back to how it’s made. WL uses Blu-Ray Laser Diodes, which emit a bright-violet colored beam, in all of their violet laser products. I speculate, however, the Blu-Ray Diodes used by WL in their products could be custom made, as I haven’t seen any commercially available Blu-ray diode that even comes close to the power of WL’s Violet Laser products.
WL incorporates two exclusive technologies into the Sonar Extreme. As seen in many of WL’s previous high-powered laser products, they have what is known as a continuous, or 100% Duty Cycle. This means the laser can be left on indefinitely without any overheating (too much heat = laser dead). The other feature concerns safety. The MiniLock safety device, patented by WL, is a device that allows safe storage of the laser when not in use. When the MiniLock is removed (when storing the laser), it effectively closes any connections, terminals, etc., making the laser inoperable.
In terms of power, the Sonar Extreme reigns over all violet lasers. However, you first need to understand how a laser’s power is measured.
Your typical red key chain laser pointer has a typical output power of less than 1 milliwatt (or >1mW). Your typical green laser pointer (for example, The Core, also offered by WL) has a normal output power of 5mW.
That should give you a could comparison to the Sonar Extreme, which has a typical output power of 400mW.
Having your output power be 400mW (there is also a 300mW model) doesn’t mean your violet laser will be brighter than the sun however. On the color spectrum, violet is quite close to being in the range of UV (ultraviolet) light, which the human eye cannot detect. This increases the risk of unknown exposure to intense UV on your retina, either from
a direct reflection or an indirect reflection (such as shining the laser on a white wall), and increasing the risk of more permanent damage to the retina.
Hint: Wear proper laser safety goggles designed for violet lasers
So, how psyched are you about this beast? Thinking about making a purchase of the Sonar Extreme?
First, take a look at these prices for the two types of Sonar Extreme products (only difference is mW)
Sonar Extreme 300mW – $2,097.97
Sonar Extreme 400mW – $2,797.97
$2.1K is definitely a pretty penny to shell out for a laser, even if it is violet…
I won’t be seeing this item arriving at my door anytime soon.
Tech Specs (from WL):
Name: Sonar Extreme
Size: 19.8mm x 149mm
Wavelength: 405nm
Weight: 87g
Laser Body: 6061-T6 Aircraft-Grade Aluminum
Transverse Mode: TEM00
Output Power: 300 – 400mW
Beam Divergence: 1.5mRad
Beam Diameter: 1mm @ aperture
Power Consumption: 280mA
Power supply: 2xCR123A
Battery Lifetime: 50min
Switch: Momentary On / Off Button
Duty Cycle: Continous
Expected lifetime: >5,000 hours
Warranty: 3 months
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