Cheap 405nm laser for cat

hello, i know this must be the first time you see this kind of post... i only made a new thread because i dont want to highjack anyone elses thread.

soooo...... i'm one click away from ordering this: LP 405nm 5-80

i already have a red one from a (i dont know where) store and she is going crazy chasing it all day. i pick the one from btb because i need AAA batteries so i can recharge them frequently.

... any advice why not to buy it or buy something else is welcome !!

As long as it's low-power it should be OK for you cat, but at 405nm the dot might not be overly visible. Chances are your cat will chase it anyway though. 5mW and under is best for pets - their eyes are valuable too, and we need to protect them

Regarding the batteries, do you mean to use NiMH or NiCd batteries? If so, they might not provide the laser with enough voltage. That might be mitigated by the lower output power, however. I had good luck using Energizer Ultimate Lithium cells in my LP450-80, they lasted a decently long time even though the laser can pull 450mA at the tailcap. They would last insanely long in a 5mW pointer. However, Skylasers only recommends 1.5v alkaline cells and using something else it might present a warranty issue if the laser stops working.

If you're OK with using lithium ion cells, a single 3.7v cell with a spacer has worked well for me, again with the LP450-80. But again, warranty issue if the laser stops working.

Good luck, let us know what you decide!

Even a cheap ebay pen will most likely be ~70-120mW so in other words its not safe. Getting an actual 5mW laser will cost you ~$40

Marco Polo said:

As long as it's low-power it should be OK for you cat, but at 405nm the dot might not be overly visible. Chances are your cat will chase it anyway though. 5mW and under is best for pets - their eyes are valuable too, and we need to protect them

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thanks for your reply i have noticed also she only chases the red dot when the batteries are full and the dot is big. if the dot is small, while i can see it, she usually doesn't. it says <5mw but from what i've read in the forum might not be true.
hm... i have a feeling i will have to do a research for batteries also

Livinloud said:

Even a cheap ebay pen will most likely be ~70-120mW so in other words its not safe. Getting an actual 5mW laser will cost you ~$40

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the link i posted says its 5mw and it costs 19$ (15 euro).. i thought that website is trusted ? or not?

but i want it to be visible or else she will never chase it

405nm is the LEAST visible wavelength for one so not sure why you picked that. Put on top of that LaserBtb is very trusted, trusted to be OVERspec 99% of the time so yet again 5mW will most likely be 15mW or more. LaserGlow actually LPMs their lasers and wont send them if they are over 5mW. LaserBtb will also hit you for about $30 in shipping if you want it any time in the next 1-2 months

Livinloud said:

405nm is the LEAST visible wavelength for one so not sure why you picked that.

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i've been reading the forums for a few days now and i got the impression that 405nm is the cats favorite ... that's the only reason i picked that, i want to make my cat happy :drool:

Yeah, show me a post where someone asked a cat what their favorite wavelength is :thinking: 99% of the videos you see of cats chasing lasers are 650nm (red) lasers and not 405nm (purple) lasers. 405nm is so close to UV light that its not easy to see at 5mW

Livinloud said:

Yeah, show me a post where someone asked a cat what their favorite wavelength is :thinking: 99% of the videos you see of cats chasing lasers are 650nm (red) lasers and not 405nm (purple) lasers. 405nm is so close to UV light that its not easy to see at 5mW

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You assume that a cat's visual sensitivity to 405nm is equivalent to that of a human's.
Furthermore, I suspect that the reason red lasers are more common in cat videos is because they are cheaper and more easily accessible.

CheeseHasLeafs said:

You assume that a cat's visual sensitivity to 405nm is equivalent to that of a human's.
Furthermore, I suspect that the reason red lasers are more common in cat videos is because they are cheaper and more easily accessible.

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405nm are just as cheap as red lasers, and can be bought on the internet for $10 or less

I did a simple test with stray cats around my house and they always ran from my 405nm pen, but did not do much when I used 650nm and 532nm pens. I would put the dot about three feet in front of them. So by my halfassed test, cats eyes seem to be more sensitive to 405nm.
Ed

Tha Greenlander said:

405nm are just as cheap as red lasers, and can be bought on the internet for $10 or less

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Still not quite as common though. Before I was interested in lasers, the only ones I'd ever seen were the red ones which cost about a dollar each. I didn't even know green lasers existed, let alone violet ones.

To be sure, violet and green lasers are cheap and fairly common nowadays, but it didn't use to be so. Not so long ago the only violet lasers around were DPSS types that cost an amazing amount.

so... do you think my cat will be able to see the one i linked on first post? or should i just look for something else?

Most probably. Whether she(he?)'ll chase it is a different matter.

If I were you I'd buy some battery holders and hook that up to my red one. A 5 minute job that will cost you a lot less and save you the trouble of buying a new laser. Not to mention that her chasing it is guaranteed. 405nm lasers are normally overspec, and your cat may or may not find it too bright to comfortably look at, while you may only see a dim violet.

Speaking of that red laser, what size batteries does it take? I'm assuming button cells of some sort? If the diameter of the host isn't too narrow it would not be difficult to adapt it to AAAs with some PVC or drop a wire down it to connect it up to some battery holders.

EDIT: But by all means, of course, if you feel willing to go for the laser, do it. Even if your cat doesn't have fun with it, I'm sure you will. Violet light has interesting effects on a wide range of things (peanut butter included).

CheeseHasLeafs said:

If I were you I'd buy some battery holders and hook that up to my red one. A 5 minute job that will cost you a lot less and save you the trouble of buying a new laser.

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i think i'll try this. i like playing with stuff even if i dont really know much about how to implement this. it is using button cells atm.