POLL: What's your favorite laser wavelength?

Poll options only include wavelengths readily available in portable form as of current times. It would be too much of a mess to allow multiple votes, so I'm just going to leave it at one vote per person (and of course to piss of us indecisive folks ). Also, to avoid biases such as people avoiding the 445nm option for fear of being labeled an "Arctic noob" and whatnot, all votes are going to be anonymous. Still you are all encouraged to share your opinions by posting them in this thread and letting everyone know what you think and why you think it (e.g. Well, you see, 532nm is scientifically and clinically proven to be what we scientists refer to as "Legit as f#ck").

Here's to a fun one :beer:

-Chris

I have a problem, my (temporary) favorite laser has 449.2nm

I voted for my 473nm GLP pen, even after I totally scratched it´s lense two days ago

Voted for 808nm. Since seeing 100+mW visible IR leakage from a broken greenie, I'd say it'd be 808nm.

Nothing even comes close to that faint, sinsiter shade of deep evil red. And it's nothing like a dying red pointer either. You've got to see it to know what it looks like.

goninanbl00d said:

Voted for 808nm. Since seeing 100+mW visible IR leakage from a broken greenie, I'd say it'd be 808nm.

Nothing even comes close to that faint, sinsiter shade of deep evil red. And it's nothing like a dying red pointer either. You've got to see it to know what it looks like.

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I think IR looks exactly like normal 660nm red, only weaker.

Didn't we already have one of these polls? :thinking:

Prototype said:

Didn't we already have one of these polls? :thinking:

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But not by "cmak", oh I forgot about his http://laserpointerforums.com/f40/wavelength-poll-473nm-vs-589nm-vs-593-5nm-vote-now-47969.html


Edit: IMO this is a nice poll about getting to know what other members think, but it´s not representative because most members only have 405nm, 532nm, 650nm lasers yet.

488nm isn't on there. I'm in love with it.

Perhaps common gas wavelengths need to be in there too...

-Trevor

Currently I'm liking the 445nm lasers, but hey I'll take any powerful laser regardless of wavelength...

I love the golden colour of 589nm. Only colours I've seen personally though are 532nm and 650nm. :/

it sucks for us noobies lol, we are limited to what we have seen. because so far ive only seen 532, 650 and 405. and from those i pick 405 just because it makes a lot of things fluoresce which is lame because then im not seeing 405.

i do have a couple of A140 diodes but im still waiting on goggles and parts to finish the builds. maybe then my "favorite" will change but im not sure till i see it

i voted 447 beacause there is no 445 option. i love it becaus it has such a visible beam and i can get similar flouresing effects as a 405. although no visible wave length beats a 405 in burning at distance.

michael

chipdouglas said:

i voted 447 beacause there is no 445 option. i love it becaus it has such a visible beam and i can get similar flouresing effects as a 405. although no visible wave length beats a 405 in burning at distance.

michael

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yeah ive heard it does pretty similar fluorescing effects to the 405. and im pretty exited, but i dont think im gonna be shining it much on anything because im gonna be running it at around 900mA lol so everything would probably blind me

DJNY said:

I have a problem, my (temporary) favorite laser has 449.2nm

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Oh goodness, where did you find yourself such a rare specimen?

Prototype said:

Didn't we already have one of these polls? :thinking:

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I'm big on polls like this (as you probably already know ) but I've never actually done an all-encompassing poll with every wavelength across the portable-laser spectrum.

DJNY said:

But not by "cmak", oh I forgot about his http://laserpointerforums.com/f40/wavelength-poll-473nm-vs-589nm-vs-593-5nm-vote-now-47969.html


Edit: IMO this is a nice poll about getting to know what other members think, but it´s not representative because most members only have 405nm, 532nm, 650nm lasers yet.

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Thanks :yh:

twhite828 said:

488nm isn't on there. I'm in love with it.

Perhaps common gas wavelengths need to be in there too...

-Trevor

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Well first of all there is a limit of only 10 options for vBulletin polls (at least with the settings LPF has ATM), so even if I started grouping things together (e.g. 589nm/593.5, 658nm/671nm), there still wouldn't be enough room for a decent amount of other "exotic" wavelengths. Therefore, I decided it would be a better idea to limit it to only those wavelengths that can be achieved in portable forms that most of us Gas-laser-virgins are generally accustomed to. I do agree, however, that some of the nicest wavelengths (e.g. 488nm and the cyan range, 612nm and the orange range, the lemon-yellow range, etc.) are only achievable with gas lasers and the *ever cheap* rare-wavelength DPSS modules. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, I was pondering the same thing as well!

chipdouglas said:

i voted 447 beacause there is no 445 option.

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To my knowledge, 447nm is the average lasing wavelengths of these "445nm" diodes, although you will generally find at least a +/-5nm wavelength variation in virtually any set of DDI portable lasers on the market. Just like the "660nm" generic Red diodes are often labeled anything from "650nm" to "655nm" to "660nm", batches will generally tend to average at about 658nm and hence the diodes are "correctly" labeled as such. You'll always find "freak" diodes in the bunch, and even a specific diode can behave differently depending on various operating/environmental factors (the temperature, the power it's being run at, etc.).

In other words, you voted correctly :yh:

-Chris


p.s. 612nm HeNe & 589nm DPSS ftw

You could have added an 'Other-specify' option. Also, do you have the lasers in your sig or just want them? If we were doing 'want' sigs I'd have one a hundred miles long :crackup:

Mine is 473 for right now until I see a 445 and decide then, but I can"t compare, cause my 473 was stolen:yabbmad:... So I'll have to go by memory.

Prototype said:

You could have added an 'Other-specify' option. Also, do you have the lasers in your sig or just want them? If we were doing 'want' sigs I'd have one a hundred miles long :crackup:

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What I have in my signature isn't a wishlist, so much as a plan for what my future collection is going to look like. As soon as spare money or a good opportunity arises, another item on the list will have become completed. Currently I'm awaiting the next CNI GB, and/or more powerful >12X BR diodes (from what I understand, GB#10 is currently at a halt...). Thanks for the interest :yh:

-Chris