300mW 445nm vs 100mW 532nm questions.

Hello all! First post and new member here, and a bit of a noobie. Been reading alot trying to learn all the basics and I've run across something that has given me some trouble.. I've been looking at getting a laser for a few years now and just never really felt like I HAD to have one, but things have changed!

First of all, my requirements when it comes to my laser is being able to see it at night clearly, be able to see it in slightly lit places and inside. Also, it would be nice it I could pop balloons/light matches, but that isn't a necessity, just a perk. I've found two lasers from LAZERER and they are pretty close to the same price:
LZSK - 445nm 300mW Focusable Blue Laser Pointer
and
LZBH - 532nm 100mW Focusable Green Laser Pointer

I know that green lasers are more visible to the eye because it is closer to our peak sensitivity (or something like that), I'm pretty sure it's 555nm or somewhere very close to that. But seeing as to how the blue one is 3 times more powerful, I was maybe thinking that the beam would be as bright or brighter than the 100mW green. If anyone could shine some light on this and help a laser addict in training it would be VERY helpful
Thanks in advance everyone!

-Zander

The 100mW green laser is still several times brighter than a 300mW blue laser. Did you use this calculator ?
Beam: (532nm 100mw) vs. (445nm 300mw)

Blord said:

The 100mW green laser is still several times brighter than a 300mW blue laser. Did you use this calculator ?
Beam: (532nm 100mw) vs. (445nm 300mw)

Click to expand...

I had no idea that such a calculator was around.. and I am honestly amazed by it! I think at 1430mW the 445nm beam is as bright as a 100mW green laser... What do you think about a 100mW for a first laser? I'm definitely planning on getting a pair of safety glasses from DragonLasers. Found a good pair that matches my nm needs for under $40 i believe. And also, what do you think about LAZERER brand?

EDIT: Accidently put 50mW in response, meant 100mW..

Are you kidding?

LAZERER is THE place to buy pre-made lasers. I mean, think of it this way:

LAZERER is to lasers as Timex is to watches. Yes, there are more expensive and better watches around, but for the $, Timex is very, very good.

We all love LAZERER around here

(And if anyone has had bad experiences with Timex lately, sorry about that. I bought a watch from them like 6 years ago, and it still works just as well as it did on day 1).

Just a note about that "calculator" : It is only a guideline or an approximation.
Various people have slightly different sensetivities to different wavelengths and where the mathmatical result says that certain values provide equal illumination intensities they aren't exactly correct.
I am one of the people that can see the 405nm lasers quite easily and clearly.
I purchased one of those ebay sets of 3 pointers (red,green,purple) and percieve the 405nm to be almost as bright as the 532nm (green) in the set.
Comparatively, the green is at least 3 times as bright as another green I have that has been certified as 7mw so I would guess the new green is at least 20mw. (And uncomfortable to look at the dot on the far wall too I might add.)
For the beam of the 405nm (purple) to be percieved as almost as bright the calculator shows that it needs to be at least 9090mw. I seriously doubt that my handheld laser pointer pen (sold as 5mw) is anywhere near 9000 mw being powered by 2 AAA batteries.
Now it isn't unheard of for one of these to be around 70mw output in the 405nm range and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit more even based on the intensity of the dot on even non reactive (non-flourescing) materials. Pointing at GID or reactive materials is dangerously bright.
So my new pointers might be more like 10+mw red, 20+mw green, and 70+mw purple with both the green and purple beams being almost the same brightness in a darkened room to me ! But another person (like the wife) doesn't see the purple anywhere near as bright as I do in the same circumstances.
So it comes down to the individuals involved and their own perceptions of the different colors.
The calculator (and others like it) is only a generalized guideline.

Quetzal: I don't think that you could have put it any better than that Very good comparison!

ShortyInCanada: Thank you for that explanation Always nice to have helpful, honest, knowledgeable members guiding new people in the right direction! And I try not to sound like a complete and utter DA when I post threads on forums, I try to do as much research as possible to try and get a better understanding of it all to see if I can answer my own questions!

And one more question, what would you guys recommend for a great 100mW+/- greenie for less than $100? If it is SLIGHTLY over (like 5 or 10 bucks) then that is a possibility as well. I just want to make sure I look at virtually every option that is good quality, and legal in the US.. lol

A thought crossed my mind. I bought a low mW rated 532nM module, it arrived DOA.

If someone here has knowledge about this, please speak up.

I think that you might be breaking a regulation or law by mailing lasers back for warranty repair / replacement.

Frankly I'd like to know.

Comments?

Quetzal said:

Are you kidding?

LAZERER is THE place to buy pre-made lasers. I mean, think of it this way:

LAZERER is to lasers as Timex is to watches. Yes, there are more expensive and better watches around, but for the $, Timex is very, very good.

We all love LAZERER around here

(And if anyone has had bad experiences with Timex lately, sorry about that. I bought a watch from them like 6 years ago, and it still works just as well as it did on day 1).

Click to expand...

If Lazerer were Timex that would make CNI Rolex, or like that watch Bugatti made..
And I think LPF is THE place to buy pre-made lasers :beer: http://laserpointerforums.com/f39/

Anyone know anything about 200mw Green Laser - more power of the Green Laser beam: 100mw, 200mw,300mw and more power?