  The outflow force of molecular bipolar outflows is a key parameter in
theories of young stellar feedback on their surroundings. The focus of many
outflow studies is the correlation between the outflow force, bolometric
luminosity and envelope mass. However, it is difficult to combine the results
of different studies in large evolutionary plots over many orders of magnitude
due to the range of data quality, analysis methods and corrections for
observational effects such as opacity and inclination. We aim to determine the
outflow force for a sample of low luminosity embedded sources. We will quantify
the influence of the analysis method and the assumptions entering the
calculation of the outflow force. We use the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope to
map 12CO J=3-2 over 2'x2' regions around 16 Class I sources of a well-defined
sample in Ophiuchus at 15" resolution. The outflow force is then calculated
using seven different methods differing e.g. in the use of intensity-weighted
emission and correction factors for inclination. The results from the analysis
methods differ from each other by up to a factor of 6, whereas observational
properties and choices in the analysis procedure affect the outflow force by up
to a factor of 4. For the sample of Class I objects, bipolar outflows are
detected around 13 sources including 5 new detections, where the three
non-detections are confused by nearby outflows from other sources. When
combining outflow forces from different studies, a scatter by up to a factor of
5 can be expected. Although the true outflow force remains unknown, the
separation method (separate calculation of dynamical time and momentum) is
least affected by the uncertain observational parameters. The correlations
between outflow force, bolometric luminosity and envelope mass are further
confirmed down to low luminosity sources.
