Reasons for getting a 5mw blue laser pointer ?

Ok, I am considering getting one of the inexpensive 5mw blue laser pointers from Ebay but I am not sure yet and that is why I am asking for owners of 5mw blue laser pointers to post any of the "wow factors" of having a 5mw blue laser pointer.

From what I read on some of the Ebay seller pages they actually say not to expect to see the beam itself even in the dark (one site said you "might" see a very faint beam in the dark).

So if you can't expect to see the beam, why get it just to see a blue dot of light on the wall ?

I need more of a reason than to simply just be able to say I have a blue laser pointer in my collection

I do remember reading where someone said that there are some things you can shine it on that give a "wow" result, but are they average everyday things one might have around ?

So what are the possible "wow factors" of having a 5mw blue laser pointer ?

(after all, most of us get these things because they are a FUN hobby, educational, yes, but fun also )

(I limit this to a "5mw" blue laser pointer because right now my budget is somewhat limited for hobby stuff, I know ther higher power ones may have more "wow" to them )

Thanks in advance for your help !

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/ebay-9-blu-ray-pens-great-53322.html
they are cheap as dirt so why not?

drevil said:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/ebay-9-blu-ray-pens-great-53322.html
they are cheap as dirt so why not?

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Thanks for that reminder, yes, being so cheap is a very good "why not" reason, and that could very well be the deciding factor, but I am still hoping to see some of the reasons "why", any of the "wow factors" that would make you say, this is neat I'm glad I got it because.......

I have 2 of them and I can see a faint beam on both, if you burn some incense or have a fog machine you can see the beam a lot easier and the best part they are cheap. they are actually violet and it makes bright colors glow, (like my green safety vest) the dot also changes colors depending on what you shine it on to. It will go from violet to a bright blue, almost white to a red when I shine it on a tree in my back yard.

I also forgot to mention that all of them that have been checked are over spec.

00Giorge said:

I have 2 of them and I can see a faint beam on both, if you burn some incense or have a fog machine you can see the beam a lot easier and the best part they are cheap. they are actually violet and it makes bright colors glow, (like my green safety vest) the dot also changes colors depending on what you shine it on to. It will go from violet to a bright blue, almost white to a red when I shine it on a tree in my back yard.

I also forgot to mention that all of them that have been checked are over spec.

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Thanks, so when you said it makes bright colors glow, are you saying it works simular to a UV light ?

Are there UV lasers, or are the blue/violet ones basically close to the same thing as a UV laser ?

Also, when you said "all of them that have been checked are over spec" - are you referring to one particular Ebay seller, or any sellers on Ebay do that ?

The blu-ray lasers emit light at 405nm, which is borderline ultraviolet. It is capable of making things fluoresce similar to a blacklight.

I got a 405 from laserquickship on ebay last week, and I'm absolutely in love. While its true that the dot itself is dim compared to a green, the color is stunningly beautiful. Additinionally, shining the laser on a surface like paper or white cloth results in a wonderfully bright and pretty ice-blue fluorescence. On mine, the beam is very faintly visible in good darkness.

$8 is less than the cost of a lunch out. Hard to go wrong buying this.

Zeroignite said:

The blu-ray lasers emit light at 405nm, which is borderline ultraviolet. It is capable of making things fluoresce similar to a blacklight.

I got a 405 from laserquickship on ebay last week, and I'm absolutely in love. While its true that the dot itself is dim compared to a green, the color is stunningly beautiful. Additinionally, shining the laser on a surface like paper or white cloth results in a wonderfully bright and pretty ice-blue fluorescence. On mine, the beam is very faintly visible in good darkness.

$8 is less than the cost of a lunch out. Hard to go wrong buying this.

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Ok, thanks, borderline UV sounds interesting, I'll have to check the range of what is considered UV to see just how close it is.

I wonder if it is possible to make a laser that is in the center of the UV range ?

......by the way, I decided to go ahead and order a blue laser pointer, I just ordered it from:

Blue Purple Violate Laser Pointer USTOP Signal&Fun SALE - eBay (item 270653714860 end time Nov-22-10 21:40:46 PST)

and I will post a review after I receive it and have a chance to check it out.

One thing, Yu Bin, the contact for WLaser on Ebay was VERY quick to respond to my emails today, so that is good to get quick responses !

You can get them for as low as $7 shipped! They are all over spec so expect more like 30-70mw and if you use a lens to focus them you can actually burn things with them. They are very cool and for $7 everyone should own one.

You could always build your own higher power blu ray but its going to cost alot more then $7.

Sucks that most of the sellers only ship to US :'(

Here's a link to an older thread but very good information for 405nm owners.

LINK: http://laserpointerforums.com/f38/list-all-known-uv-fluorescent-material-43167.html

Cheers! :beer:

for the questions about UV lasers.. there are UV lasers. but they are very expensive ones (have seen 200mw UV diodes for 120 dollars I think). But as they carry a bigger energy, I think it is worth the price

Leodahsan said:

for the questions about UV lasers.. there are UV lasers. but they are very expensive ones (have seen 200mw UV diodes for 120 dollars I think). But as they carry a bigger energy, I think it is worth the price

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Not a chance.

UV lasers exist but not in the commercial market and definitely not in the hobbyist market. They are expensive and complicated, not to mention they are usually pulsed.

The powers and wavelengths involved make them a medical disaster waiting to happen... if used improperly.
Wavelengths below 400nm can be carcinogenic and can cause severe burns with enough exposure.

RA_pierce said:

Not a chance.

UV lasers exist but not in the commercial market and definitely not in the hobbyist market. They are expensive and complicated, not to mention they are usually pulsed.

The powers and wavelengths involved make them a medical disaster waiting to happen... if used improperly.
Wavelengths below 400nm can be carcinogenic and can cause severe burns with enough exposure.

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"365nm, 325mw. 99$"

"NCSU033A is around for years already, 250mw output."

"Here's a pic of some fluorescein glowing in a "flashlight" with a 250mW Nichia 365nm LED"

there are people making UV 250mw maglites out there.

citation from link: http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/feeler-nichia-high-power-365nm-leds-50574.html

edit: btw: 365nm isn't carcinogenic (UV-A) something below 360 is

X FLY said:

Sucks that most of the sellers only ship to US :'(

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Are you north of the Arctic Circle ? If so I'm sure that would have both it's pros and cons, the 6 months of night would make for a lot of outdoor star pointing with lasers though

Kevlar said:

Here's a link to an older thread but very good information for 405nm owners.

LINK: http://laserpointerforums.com/f38/list-all-known-uv-fluorescent-material-43167.html

Cheers! :beer:

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Thanks for that link to UV fluorescent material I'll check it out ! :thanks:

Braddubya said:

You can get them for as low as $7 shipped! They are all over spec so expect more like 30-70mw and if you use a lens to focus them you can actually burn things with them. They are very cool and for $7 everyone should own one.

You could always build your own higher power blu ray but its going to cost alot more then $7.

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When you say use a lens, do you mean like a lens one might use to focus sunlight to burn stuff ?

Leodahsan said:

for the questions about UV lasers.. there are UV lasers. but they are very expensive ones (have seen 200mw UV diodes for 120 dollars I think). But as they carry a bigger energy, I think it is worth the price

Click to expand...

RA_pierce said:

Not a chance.

UV lasers exist but not in the commercial market and definitely not in the hobbyist market. They are expensive and complicated, not to mention they are usually pulsed.

The powers and wavelengths involved make them a medical disaster waiting to happen... if used improperly.
Wavelengths below 400nm can be carcinogenic and can cause severe burns with enough exposure.

Click to expand...

Leodahsan said:

"365nm, 325mw. 99$"

"NCSU033A is around for years already, 250mw output."

"Here's a pic of some fluorescein glowing in a "flashlight" with a 250mW Nichia 365nm LED"

there are people making UV 250mw maglites out there.

citation from link: http://laserpointerforums.com/f55/feeler-nichia-high-power-365nm-leds-50574.html

Click to expand...

Interersting info, thanks all, even though it's not a laser, I was thinking about also getting an inexpensive UV LED flashlight, or at least one of those little keychain UV LED lights, I'm not sure how good they are but there are several inexpensives ones I saw advertised online.

there are very cool UV leds at dealextreme (DealExtreme: $2.93 5mm UV LED Emitters (20-Pack))
there's the search: DealExtreme: Search for UV led (197 products in 32 categories)

will output much blue, but still outputs UV