New and looking for a laser

I've very recently have had the urge to buy a green laser pointer after seeing some of videos of them. They absolutely amaze me. I was looking for any suggestions on laser good, reliable lasers. there is a problem, I only want to spend around $50usd for one because i wont be using it for much but occasional playing. I was wondering if any of you guys can help me get the most out of my money with a decent laser. Any suggestions would be appreciated and even more so with links to where i could buy. or is there anything on ebay thats good?

Thanks in advance!

Firstly welcome to the forum and secondly be very wary of ebay and lasers they tend to be shoddy and no IR filters which makes them dangerous. If you just want a nice green beam you might be lucky to get something about 5mw for $50. But if you want to pop balloons and burn stuff like you see in our videos then be prepared to part with $200-$300 upwards.
Have a good look in our multimedia section where we put all our videos and pics, take not of the safety section and finally enjoy your laser when you decide what you want.

Try Atlasnova or "vital*spirit" on e-bay for your price range. Abe at Atlasnova is quite friendly and gives good support. "Vital*Spirit" sells leadlights you can mod pretty easily.
http://www.atlasnova.com/

What do you mean by mod? what would i be changing? how so and is it difficult?

bdot said:

What do you mean by mod? what would i be changing? how so and is it difficult?

Click to expand...

Mod meaning modification not to undertaken unless you know what you are doing, ie pot mod (turning the pot up to increase power) doing this will shorten the life of the laser diode.

A pot mod is simple provided the laser isn't APC protected - then it is a bit more involved. LaserMod at GreenLasers UK did a great job explaining it with step by step instructions.

http://www.greenlasers.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1111314012

As TL said, any mod risks decreasing the laser lifespan. (but hey, we all want as much power as possible...)

Searches for both leadlight and vital spirit get limited reply on flebay. The "leadlights" shown are not true leadlights but a feeble copy.

Mike