Which reasonably-priced greenie mW power for a "holy crap" beam?

I've currently got a "<5mW" green laser and while I don't know if it's actually a <5mW since I got it from a friend and it seems to be a no-name, the beam is visible outside at night, and inside at night too if the room is dim enough.

When I first got it I thought the visible beam was awesome, but I'm looking for something with a lot more wow-factor. Something more lightsabre-esque than the pretty faint beam mine currently has. Basically this laser's beam gives a reaction of "hey, that's pretty neat", but I want something that gives a reaction more along the lines of "WHOA!", while still being reasonably priced at around $100 give or take.

What's the minimum mW I should aim for? Will 100mW do the job? And if I'm only pointing the beam towards the sky is an IR filter still recommended, or is the IR beam width so narrow that it really only matters if the beam itself is being pointed within a few inches of someone's eyes (which of course mine wouldn't be)?

LaySir said:

I've currently got a "<5mW" green laser and while I don't know if it's actually a <5mW since I got it from a friend and it seems to be a no-name, the beam is visible outside at night, and inside at night too if the room is dim enough.

When I first got it I thought the visible beam was awesome, but I'm looking for something with a lot more wow-factor. Something more lightsabre-esque than the pretty faint beam mine currently has. Basically this laser's beam gives a reaction of "hey, that's pretty neat", but I want something that gives a reaction more along the lines of "WHOA!", while still being reasonably priced at around $100 give or take.

What's the minimum mW I should aim for? Will 100mW do the job? And if I'm only pointing the beam towards the sky is an IR filter still recommended, or is the IR beam width so narrow that it really only matters if the beam itself is being pointed within a few inches of someone's eyes (which of course mine wouldn't be)?

Click to expand...

Do some research here. A 100 mw green is more than enough for show and tell. But it is also dangerous when mishandled. Your post says noob all over it so be prepared to get a lot of heat from the veterans.
Yes you are right for keeping it pointed away from people, animals or where people may be. Use the white search bar on the bottom of the page to help find some answers. The companies at the top of this web page are reputable. I'm sure you can find a Laser and goggles in your budget.

I would not show off a laser to get peoples reactions, unless they are trusted friends or family.

Not that they are illegal, however there are lines that we walk, and in this "See something say something" time we are stuck in you could be made the bad guy over nothing.

Also if some kid in your neighborhood buys a flebay laser and starts pointing it at daily air traffic, yet everyone knows you are the guy always showing off the bright beams.....Sorry to say it, but our free country is not so free anymore, and technically speaking local laws may vary as far as what's legal.

Technically a pointer has to be 5mw, otherwise it needs to have several safety features, otherwise a LE official could just take it away, and even a 5mw can't be just pointed anywhere at anytime.

If you want to take it head on buy a laser that's FDA certified and has all the interlocks, aperture shutter, safety key, ect
Then know your local laws, understand that any time you point up into an empty sky that you are identifying stars and constellations, or studying humidity layers.
You really don't want to draw attention, because distracting people with a laser could be illegal in your county, city, town ....

Who decides if they were distracted, the stranger who sees your beam.

Also to put on a laser display, you are legally supposed to have a permit for the show and they take about 2 years to get the last time I checked.

A lot of DJ's and party people just use them anyway, but if anyone gets hurt they are wide open to litigation.




I like battery powered laboratory lasers and I like wood burning hobby lasers, I like to do my outdoor yard "art" in the daytime when nobody will be distracted by it.

I'm not going to get into all the legal aspects, there's a thread for that and you should read it.

Now I am going to say this in 2nd person because I am not telling you personally to do anything wrong.
I could understand why a person would keep a sacrificial 5mw pointer along with their overspec pointer.

In short getting attention is not something you should do with a laser, it could even be illegal and get you into trouble, sorry but that's just the world we live in today, and it's likely to get worse.

If you are asking me what looks good. A 50mw 532 looks great, but you can ruin someone's eyesight with that so all safety precautions must be observed.


EDIT: Nevermind LaserGlow, they are not shipping over 5mw to the USA anymore.