Collimation problem

I've always collimated my Newt with a sight tube
and Cheshire with good results. Everything looks
pretty much the way it is supposed to, the out
of focus star image shows a well centered secondary
shadow, and the images look good. Yesterday I decided
to check it with a laser. I was shocked to see the
beam hitting the mirror nearly 3" off the center
spot! When I hit the center spot with the laser
and adjust the primary, the visual appearance is
way off, and the secondary shadow is off center.
The laser is a quality unit, properly aligned.
If the laser is showing me that the eyepiece axis
is aimed 3" off the center mark, why does the visual
appearance not show this, and why does the laser
collimation look so much worse than the Cheshire?
Here's a link to photos of the visual appearance
after collimation with each method.

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...elected=615863

Any advice or opinions much appreciated!