Which is better? Jasper Curve or the Green laser from Sky lasers?

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase a laser for astronomy. I have found Two that interest me but I don't know wich one is better! The Jasper Curve: JasperLaser.com: Welcome!

or the 35mW from "Sky lasers":
Laser Pointers - Green Laser Pointer by SKYlasers

The Jasper curve is only 5mW
The Sky laser is 35mW
The Jasper Curve uses 123A Batteries which work good in cold weather
The Sky laser uses AAA's which lose power in the cold
The Jasper Curve Uses APC (so you can leave it on for an hour and it won't get damaged)
The Sky laser I believe does not
The Jasper Curve's Waranty is 20 days D:
The Sky laser is 6 months.

I'm looking for a high quality laser for under $150, I'd like a pretty bright night beam, and the curve is only 5mW so I don't see how that could work out to well.

Well, Thanks!!!

George

Welcome to the forums. I have never owned either so I can't share any experiences. I believe sky is overpriced though. I would check out optotronics. They have more than a great reputation, and are known for quality and customer service. If your in the United States you'll have it in 2-3 days since their based out of Colorado. I purchased their top seller, the 150mW pointer he sells for 197$ shipped. Obviously if you don't need that much power go with something less. You could get their premium 100mW for 150$ shipped, which would have a much brighter beam. It also one of the tightest beams you'll find due to its awesome divergence. Thats my two cents.

www.optotronics.com


-Greg

I believe a greenie more powerful than 50mW might weaken the nightvision, making it harder to see the stars. I would reccommend this one: Optotronics Product Details . Very high quality.

I'd rather go with S-ky than Jasper, they got nice support

I second Grix's answer, it was the exact company and model of thought of when i read you wanted an astronomy pointer.

Grix has a good point about night vision... day-vision too if you accidentally drop it and get a beam hit in the eye!

If it's only for star pointing than anywhere from 10-50mw of 532nm would be fine. On dry nights you might want the higher end of this range, as the beam visibility goes down as humidity goes down.

There are lasers you can buy that have multiple power settings that would be perfect in this respect, but I think the cheapest may be just outside your budget.

I would say go with a cheapie "true" green (or two) from DX since they are plenty good for star pointing, and are usually overspec... so if you went for a 5mw and a 50mw, you might get a 15mw and a 60mw:
DealExtreme: $10.50 True Green Laser Pen 5mW
DealExtreme: $20.90 True 50mW Green Laser Pointer Pen Black

Then you could choose whichever was more suitable for the situation, and you would still have $120 left to play with. If you like to tinker, you can adjust the power on these too via a pot, although getting them open can be a pain. See this thread for more details: http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/dx-true-5-a-42294.html

If you like the sound of that, but don't think you would like to try your luck prizing a pen apart, this one is very easy to open up and pot mod:
DealExtreme: $20.20 Genuine New Wish 5mW Green Laser Pen (One CR2 Battery)

...although you should be warned, that in most cases (it appears that there are exceptions) pot moding is likely to shorten diode lifespan!

Grix has a good point about night vision... day-vision too if you accidentally drop it and get a beam hit in the eye!

If it's only for star pointing than anywhere from 10-50mw of 532nm would be fine. On dry nights you might want the higher end of this range, as the beam visibility goes down as humidity goes down.

There are lasers you can buy that have multiple power settings that would be perfect in this respect, but I think the cheapest may be just outside your budget.

I would say go with a cheapie "true" green (or two) from DX since they are plenty good for star pointing, and are usually overspec... so if you went for a 5mw and a 50mw, you might get a 15mw and a 60mw:
DealExtreme: $10.50 True Green Laser Pen 5mW
DealExtreme: $20.90 True 50mW Green Laser Pointer Pen Black

Then you could choose whichever was more suitable for the situation, and you would still have $120 left to play with. If you like to tinker, you can adjust the power on these too via a pot, although getting them open can be a pain. See this thread for more details: http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/dx-true-5-a-42294.html

If you like the sound of that, but don't think you would like to try your luck prizing a pen apart, this one is very easy to open up and pot mod:
DealExtreme: $20.20 Genuine New Wish 5mW Green Laser Pen (One CR2 Battery)

...although you should be warned, that in most cases (it appears that there are exceptions) pot modding is likely to shorten diode lifespan!

Gryphon said:

I second Grix's answer, it was the exact company and model of thought of when i read you wanted an astronomy pointer.

Click to expand...

It has to be said, these are probably the exact same pens they are selling on DX, except that have slightly better quality control and they charge more... I'd rather spend my money at DX, and have 3 or 4 pointers...

Incidentally, you can buy AAA lithiums which will not loose much power in the cold. It might still be a good idea to add some insulation around the battery compartment on colder nights. I would just buy a bunch of NiMh high quality/capacity rechargeable AAAs, and keep them in a warm pocket.

Greendream said:

It has to be said, these are probably the exact same pens they are selling on DX, except that have slightly better quality control and they charge more... I'd rather spend my money at DX, and have 3 or 4 pointers...

Incidentally, you can buy AAA lithiums which will not loose much power in the cold. It might still be a good idea to add some insulation around the battery compartment on colder nights. I would just buy a bunch of NiMh high quality/capacity rechargeable AAAs, and keep them in a warm pocket.

Click to expand...

Well.. Opto pens are of much higher quality, they are not the same DX sells. Mostly they have better beam specs which I would think is pretty nice when you are using the laser to point out stars. Also, it lasts longer than the DX ones, and doesn't eat batteries as fast.

But of course, if you want it cheap, go with a 50 true from DX or a ledshoppe 50.

I was originally going to order from DX, but I live in the US, They do not ship lasers over 5mW to the United States. That's why I liked the SKY, because they are licensed by the FDA to be sold to the US, including the 100mW and up. I'm looking for something Powerful, yet Legal. That's what I liked about the Curve, they say it has a bright beam, and being 4.99mW, It's legal without permission from the FDA. Are the ones from optotronics Licensed?

I am really new to lasers, but I've read A LOT of threads. For what I've learned, the best way to go is opto, o-like, rayfoss. And if it is 50mW or less, you might go DX, but rayfoss and o-like are already cheap enought, IMO.

Yeah, I see your problem now.

You should wait and see what others have to say...

I'm not sure I'd describe a <5mw beam as bright, but in terms of an indoor pointer it would be fine. I think the beam might be a little disappointing at night though, at least on dry nights and especially where there is light pollution.

Ok. Thats what I was worrying about Greendream, I didn't think that the Jasper Curve would be bright being a 4.99mW, but they say it's good for astronomy. So I don't know... AGH!!!!

Hi there.
As others have suggested, Optotronics pens will satisfy your requirements and are better quality than most of the cheapies.
I would suggest 20-50mW at most for your use. 5mW will be disappointing.
If you want a cheap option, go to LEDshoppe.com and look for the 50mW laser. Many have had good experience with these, but if you think it is too bright you may want to get the 30mW. You can get 10% off your order with the discount code YABEPG.

Another option is NOVAlasers. They have good prices and will deliver exactly what you want. Don't be put off by the prices... before the cheap generic pointers took over the market, NOVA was the company EVERYONE recommended. NOVA is the best price per milliwatt option on the higher end side of the hobby. You can get 5% off if you use the discount code... I forgot what it was... someone else may remember or you can google it.

About the FDA regulations-
Any (non OEM) laser >5mW requires 5-point safety features and an FDA accession number in order to be legally sold or imported in the USA.
This does not mean you cannot own/build one. This just means that there is a slight risk that your purchase may be seized by customs.
If you are worried about this, go with NOVA or Optotronics. Opto is US based so you don't need to worry about customs and NOVA is located in Canada, and guarantees delivery or they will send another.
This is up to you, though. I have never had a laser confiscated by customs (I've had one stolen though).

Hope this helps.

^^ Thats good advice I think

chessmaster, I think they say that laser is good for astronomy either because the beam is well centered along the host (good for use as an artificial guide-star I believe) and/or since it requires no extra legal liability when it is used by pros in public.

If you don't need to worry about those things, then go for a relatively higher power for sure.

If it was a bit too bright, you could always try turning it down a bit.

Thanks RA_pierce for showing me that website!!!! So i'm not going for the curve now because it's only 4.99mW. I found one on NOVA that I like, It's a bit out of my price range, but with the 5% off I save around $10, so that would be good! http://www.novalasers.com/NOVAstore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=7&idproduct=49 Thanks everyone!!! I didn't really know any good websites. so Thanks! :yh: