Hi guys,
I´m pretty happy about your interest (after the dead lens thread).
@planters
Thank you for the pics of the Al- or Ag-mirrors. Thats the reason why you wont get the same tight stacked beam with mirrors as with prisms, doesnt matter how coated the mirrors are (Al, Ag or even dielectric), the major problem remains - the edge of the mirrors is never so clean as of the prisms. So there a are only two choices, to lose power while knifing at the edge or knifing somewhere in the "middle" of the mirror and get a larger beam diameter with dark stripes. Thats also the reason why Kvant and other high end manufacturers use prisms instead of mirrors.
Your question regarding the min quantity. Well, 100pcs or more make much more sense, because of two things, the first is that I get a volume discount which I wont get if I order lower quantity, the second thing is the high shipping fee to me. For a small package (10x20x4cm) it costs me around 50€. So you all can imagine that lower quantity will increase the price dramatically.
@danielbriggs
I saw this curve in the past before I ordered for the first time but I cannot find it anymore. I´ll ask the factory to send it to me again and then post it here.
BTW, there are many coatings available. Just tell me the wavelength or the bandwidth you need. The factory offers nearly every coating you can imagine at a very reasonable price.
offtopic: If you had a sad day, just call Thorlabs and ask them for custom coating price for 100pcs and you will laugh the rest of the day. Trust me, I did. offtopic ends.
@ all
I was asked several times about the prices for volume orders.
Here they are:
1-49pcs 12€ (excl. VAT)
50 or more 10,50€ (excl. VAT)
I also can offer prisms (for red or blue or whatever you want) in other sizes. If there is somebody who feels more comfortable with 7mm or 10mm prisms, just let me know.
Regards
Alex