WTB - Cheap & weakish laser for presentation

Hey there,

I've got a very important presentation coming up in roughly 1 and a half months, and I was hoping to have a laser pointer which is visible but won't burn the examiners' eyes out without eye protection. Ideally, I'm looking for a fairly cheap, readily visible (on a projected screen), single mode laser pointer safe to use responsibly (only pointed at projected screen) without safety goggles.

I'm open to recommendations/suggestions, but thought a green would be most suitable due to visibility. Would 50mW be too powerful? If so, what range would you recommend? The last thing I want is the examiners to end up with headaches.

It'd be great if the laser was also focusable, but it's not necessary. And the sooner it could get here, the better, so especially if you're in the UK, give me a shout!

Thank you,
loco

hi. 50mw would be way too high for a presentation, your best bet would be a 5mw green. These are commonly used in presentation, and most of the time they are overspec so you could end up with a 20mw, you never know

I'm also in the UK, and it can be a pain to get a 5mw that isnt from hong kong, I was in this situation a little while ago (didn't need it for a presentation though) and i think the best place for you would be either ebay or amazon. Here's a link to a UK seller on amazon: Green Laser Pen Pointer 5mw Teachers Astronomers: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
that one is sold from the UK and you can expect to get it in 2 days, most of my orders from these places arrive after the day they were marked as shipped, so pretty fast shipping.

That would be the best choice for you as a presenter, nothing would be worse than blinding everyone there. So check the link out, its a good place to get a 5mw green in the UK, you can also check out ebay, but it will be hard to find a 5mw green that is shipped from the UK, as most of them are from hong kong. I realized that its a pretty long post, but all the info you need is there

Hope i helped

Yes, I would recommend either a greenie, or just a red pointer...

However with a cheap green laser pointer you also run the risk of IR radiation hazards, as cheap ones typically don't have IR filters. In which case, a red pointer is your cheapest, safest bet.

Try to find a 635 nm pointer. It'll be much more visible than a standard one.

that is true, red one would be better, but less bright, and it would be safer as there will be no IR. however, green is much more visible and more unique. It's up to you though

EDIT: heres a link to a cheap small 1mw red laser sold from within the UK, still recommend the green though... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NeW-2in1-...UK_Gadgets&hash=item3f1237f69c#ht_2738wt_1037

635nm 5mW Red laser pointer / bright [OL-635-5P] - $7.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce
It's cheap, safe and considerably brighter than average red pointers. It's also a nicer shade of red IMHO.