Some stupid questions?

I just got back from Ocean City, MD where people have knock off green laser lights everywhere. Walking down the road, people on 60th+ floor easily shining them on people. So I bought one for $20 while I was there.

It doesn't seem bad quality at all, rubber grip, solid and sturdy. When I first got it, in the sunlight I could clearly see the dot on buildings 200-300yds away, at night time still 200-300yds away but was brighter obviously. Edit: The label says Power Output: <30mW, Wavelength: 532nm, Class IIIb product.

So I put it away, and wake up the next morning, go to test it out, and it was so dim it wouldn't even put a dot on the wall from 2-3ft away. I buy a new pack of AAA batteries and put them in. It got a little brighter, I could hit buildings maybe 30yds away, but then it would dim, after I let it sit for an hour or so, it goes back to being so dim it can barely shine from 2ft away.

I read the beginners guide in this section and it was pretty helpful, I just had some other questions.


1) Do you take the batteries out after finishing using them? if so why? just curious to as of why it would still draw power or whatever even if there's a button/switch?

2) If the FDA doesn't allow more than 5mW, how are they being sold at much higher levels?

3) I saw this green laser pen in another thread: Buy 100mW 532nm Mid-open Star Projector Green Laser Pointer Pen at GadgetTown.com
Is that a good pen for the price? is it true 100mW or is that a peak power? How far away would I shine with this thing?

Sorry for any stupid questions that piss any laser veterans off, just trying to learn and get a fun affordable laser pen.

Thanks.

It sounds like a moisture problem unless the laser was dropped.

I got rechargeable batteries so that I don't have to replace them. As it turns out these lasers use a lot of juice and drain batteries fast (within a day of frequent use). About the FDA their requirements are that a laser cannot be labelled as a "pointer" if it's over 5mw but it is still legal to purchase them ,however they aren't meant to be used in public unless everyone viewing them happens to be wearing safety glasses. If you doubt the legality of higher power lasers check ebay for co2 lasers you will find many of them with 40-100 watts of power which is legal to own and use without licensing but only under controlled circumstances far away from public.

psi seeker 34 said:

It sounds like a moisture problem unless the laser was dropped.

I got rechargeable batteries so that I don't have to replace them. As it turns out these lasers use a lot of juice and drain batteries fast (within a day of frequent use). About the FDA their requirements are that a laser cannot be labelled as a "pointer" if it's over 5mw but it is still legal to purchase them ,however they aren't meant to be used in public unless everyone viewing them happens to be wearing safety glasses. If you doubt the legality of higher power lasers check ebay for co2 lasers you will find many of them with 40-100 watts of power which is legal to own and use without licensing but only under controlled circumstances far away from public.

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Okay, so lets say it's a 100mw green laser pen and I'm shining it at trees/buildings/etc in public, not windows or people, I can't get in trouble can I?

and all I want really is a laser pointer that can shine 1000+ ft away no problem, and isn't ridiculously expensive, looking to spend $50 or less, what is the best bang for the buck for what I'm looking for?

deutsch said:

Okay, so lets say it's a 100mw green laser pen and I'm shining it at trees/buildings/etc in public, not windows or people, I can't get in trouble can I?

and all I want really is a laser pointer that can shine 1000+ ft away no problem, and isn't ridiculously expensive, looking to spend $50 or less, what is the best bang for the buck for what I'm looking for?

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You won't get in trouble if you are smart with it.
Don't aim it at any living thing, any vehicle, or into the sky (where a plane/helicopter may be). And surely don't ever point it at your own eyes. You can be permanently blinded much faster than you can blink.
For your purposes, I would say that you don't need any more than 50mW.
This one is a great deal, and will be up-to-spec (stable 50mW):
http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/ledp/LP1076.htm
or you could get a waterproof one from rayfoss (also a reputable seller):
www.rayfoss.com
or this one where the laser is focusable, and it comes with a high-capacity rechargeable battery:
50mW transformable green laser/adjustable/burning [OLV50] - $41.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products
If you are going to get a +50mW laser, I recommend wearing safety glasses when using indoors to keep your eyesight intact.

Ash said:

You won't get in trouble if you are smart with it.
Don't aim it at any living thing, any vehicle, or into the sky (where a plane/helicopter may be). And surely don't ever point it at your own eyes. You can be permanently blinded much faster than you can blink.
For your purposes, I would say that you don't need any more than 50mW.
This one is a great deal, and will be up-to-spec (stable 50mW):
http://www.ledshoppe.com/Product/ledp/LP1076.htm
or you could get a waterproof one from rayfoss (also a reputable seller):
www.rayfoss.com
or this one where the laser is focusable, and it comes with a high-capacity rechargeable battery:
50mW transformable green laser/adjustable/burning [OLV50] - $41.99 : Welcome to O-Like.com, Your source for laser products
If you are going to get a +50mW laser, I recommend wearing safety glasses when using indoors to keep your eyesight intact.

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Thanks for the help, the one you linked for $25 says it can shine up to 1500m away, I would love that, I'm not really interested in the waterproof. The O-like is what I'm looking at because of the rechargeable battery. From the little bit of reading I've been doing, I see some people saying O-like are okay, and some saying they're iffy, would the O-like be able to shine up to 1500m as well?

also, what does the focus do on the o-like?

If it should if it's the power advertised

deutsch said:

Thanks for the help, the one you linked for $25 says it can shine up to 1500m away, I would love that, I'm not really interested in the waterproof. The O-like is what I'm looking at because of the rechargeable battery. From the little bit of reading I've been doing, I see some people saying O-like are okay, and some saying they're iffy, would the O-like be able to shine up to 1500m as well?

also, what does the focus do on the o-like?

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With a focusable laser, you will be able to focus the laser to a pin-point (you won't need a magnifying glass to burn stuff).
Also, none of these cheap lasers have IR filters.
So you may be getting ~15-20% infrared laser light along with the visible green light.

psi seeker 34 said:

If it should if it's the power advertised

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It will be at least the power advertised, if it comes from one of the shops I mentioned. There is a reason they have a god rep around here. Almost all their lasers are up-to or over-spec.