I want to buy a blue laser...

Hi guys. So today I was looking to buy a green laser but I have read that if they don't have an IR filter, they can scrample your eyes over time and I don't really want that:shhh:. So instead I started looking at blue lasers and I saw that they are very cheap and don't generate any IR because they are a direct wavelenght I think? There are two that I was looking at that look really cool and they are:

www.rayfoss.com

And...

Real 1W 445nm blue Laser torch/waterproof/focusable [OL-1W-445] - $209.00 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products

Both are 1w and yes I understand that that is a lot of power for my first laser but I have already ordered a pair of safety goggles for 445nm. Can anyone tell me which one has higher quality? I have read somewhere that the RayFoss one only puts out 600mW and on the o-like website, they say that it puts out 900mW but they both look the exact same so I'm not so sure:undecided:
Also if in the end I do decide to order from o-like, what are their tactics to get the laser past customs? The only reason I ask is because I have never bought a laser before and I am worried customs will take it. Thanks guys!

You're worried about the IR from a green laser, so you decide to get a 1000mW blue class IV instead!?
*DOES NOT COMPUTE*

Get a 5mW 532nm green and also a 5mW 405nm violet off ebay for 6~7$ each,
and play with those for a while before buying such a powerful monster!!

anselm said:

You're worried about the IR from a green laser, so you decide to get a 1000mW blue class IV instead!?
*DOES NOT COMPUTE*

Click to expand...

lol and yeah I know that sounds weird but the 1w blue just looks sexy! :drool:

Getting a 1W blue as your first laser is absolutely not a good idea at all. A 1W laser will ruin your eyes much, much faster than a few mW of IR.

^customer care detected +1

@StephenOConnor
So you heard about the IR of the greenies. Don't worry, it is more likely to give you a head ashe (unless you point it on your eyes.. don't do it lol), rather than burning your eyes immediatly like the blue 1W does. :beer:

Not good advice, Leo. A high powered "GREENIE", putting out a ton of IR can do the same
amount of damage (maybe more) than the 'BLUE'. I say "maybe more" 'cause there is a possibility that high levels of IR radiation can damage a different part of the eye ie; rods, cones, etc. Also, since IR radiation is invisible you'd probably end up looking at it for a longer period of time, before you think of eye damage. IDK, just my $00.02

A high powered greenie is going to get a big green output, that is going to blind if gets to your eyes anyways. I'm considering he will get a lower power one :beer:


edit: oops double post dude!

StephenOConnor said:

I have already ordered a pair of safety goggles for 445nm.

Click to expand...

Ok you have the safety goggles good! but what is your goal with the laser itself? (reflections of a 1 watt monster are not really nice for pets and pedestrians ) :tsk:1watt is a LOT

@ Leo, Darn my impatience, thanks for the reminder about 2X posts.

Something else ya need to think about Leo, you read stories about it all the time on this Forum. Something goes wrong with a low powered "GREENIE" so that no green laser light is coming out, BUT the pump is STILL putting out that DEADLY IR you can't see. BAD NEWS !!

again the double post hahah attempt to raise post count? daguin will come and bite you =D
Oh yeah I heard about that. But don't forget my friend, he is planning to spend $200 for 1W so he should at least spend that for a high quality greenie, that will not let the crystals misalign easily. Thanks for reminding me Rob!

If what I replied saves ONE PERSON'S EYE/EYE'S, it was effort well spent.................

You're a good guy, Rob. I'm never tired of saying that :beer:
+1 again!

Most of the time dead greenies are dead because the pump is toast. The diode doesn't lase, just glows, so no green light comes out. Not really that dangerous.

In any case, IR leaks are usually around 20-30mW or 20-25%. Not hundreds of milliWatts that will instantly blind you.
The only time you will be exposed to this IR leakage is when you are exposing yourself to the more powerful green output too.

1W blue is a bad first laser.

I know everyone else says "start with a low power greenie" but really that is good advice.
Many people that I show my lasers to want to play with them. I hand them something ~5-20mW and watch them carefully.
9 times out of ten the laser beam will end up on something it shouldn't by accident or ignorance. At that point they get a lecture and laser privileges removed, obviously.

My point is, lasers are great fun, but if you want to use them safely you need to be fully aware of the environment you are in. It is easy to get careless when shining a laser around because the beam is weightless. If you stop paying attention for a moment, the beam could end up in someone's face. If the victim happens to be someone with a brain, the laser could then end up in your ass.
:eg:
$0.02

Don't risk it with a 1W 445nm laser. Make your mistakes with a 5mW pointer in your room, alone. Nobody wants to suffer for someone else's ignorance.

^ whatever he said.
Just don't get that blue :tsk: unless you want a big heatsink inside your ass :eg: (and a diode and batteries, probably with the switch on)

Thanks guys and you are all right. 1w is too much and the only reason I wanted to buy it was because I have read somewhere that it doesn't emit IR but I just found out that it basically uses the same DPSS as a green laser would. I am now thinking of narrowing down to a MUCH smaller power. Would a 50mW green be ok for my first laser? Or would a 400mW bluray be ok? I know now for definite that the bluray doesn't emit IR but would the ir leakage from that 50mW green be dangerous? I have 150euro to spend so I could even get both and a nice pair of glasses too. I might have to send back the other pair of glasses because I don't think they support 405nm and 532nm wavelenghts.
Oh and also both lasers I just mensioned are from o-like.

Good! 50mW ok, 400mW bluray not. Limit yourself to 50mW green. It is outstanding power anyways, I still do not recommend but be very aware. You can get cheapos at DX and similars (not recommended), goods at rayfoss.com and o-like.com, and expensivier at laserglow, dragon lasers, jet lasers, CNI etc...