What's best for me?

Hey.. thanks in advance for the help. looking for my first laser... to be honest I dont plan on ever wearing goggles... kinda just wanna mess around with it w/ friends (safely... but still.. can't see us wearing goggles)
so im looking for something that will burn stuff real good.. light matches n pop balloons and whatnot... also would like a nice beam even when its not dark.
that being said.. since im probably not wearing goggles, i wouldnt really want the most powerful laser (looked at that 200mw on dx.. might be too much) or is that one actually a bit safer cuz its got no ir??
so i would definately want one that's got an ir filter, and maybe around 50-150mw ?
i guess id like to spend around 100... but i could stretch to as high as 150....
thanks a lot.. i appreciate it.

You won't get a burning green laser with an IR filter unless you are willing to spend a bit more. The red laser is technically safer simply because it has no IR. The beam won't be nearly as visible though.
These are basically your only options.
Red 200mw for pure burning power.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11315~r.47784034
or 150mw green for burning and great beam visibility.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12339~r.47784034

The IR is the least of your concerns. If you're worried about eye damage, it's the sheer power of the laser that's going to do you in, not the IR. People usually want IR filters so they know that the power reading is accurate, and not just a bunch of IR and a little bit of green. IR diverges very quickly, and really, is nothing to worry about compared to the green. Even if it's an IR spewing piece of crap, you might get 30mW of IR coming out, but remember it is diverging quickly and when compared to the 150 or so mW of green, is nothing to worry about.

That being said, I wouldn't get a laser with anything over 30mW if you aren't using safety glasses, and even that isn't really safe. If you want to burn stuff, you will need them. It is just unhealthy to look at that much concentrated light for a long period unprotected. Also, if you're burning plastic, when it melts reflections go everywhere. Catch a good one in your eye and it's bad news.

is red safer than green?

David531 said:

is red safer than green?

Click to expand...

Neither is "safer." As far as damage to the eye is concerned, 200mW is 200mW. It doesn't matter much, with regard to safety, whether the light is green or red or chartruese. Our eye is better able to "see" the green light, so the beam "looks" brighter to us, but it has the same "power" as the red.

Red lasers are generally less expensive than green so you can afford more "burning power" with a red laser. Most greens are not "focusable" so they require more "apparatus" to burn well. Green is much easier to see, so if you want to "point" at things, it is the better choice.

You need to figure out what you want the laser for most. If you like them, you will end up owning both eventually anyway. Get the one you will use the most now.

Peace,
dave

If you plan on burning anything, you'd need safety glasses. You might think it's nerdy, but what's worse, being called a few names for a short period of time, or losing your eyesight for the rest of your life?

If you really want to have the most "fun" with your laser, get this, along with one of these, and one of these. It's a little over your budget, but it'll give you the most bang for your buck.
With everything listed above, you'll be able to pop balloons and light matches, plus you'll have some cool effects using the line generating optic, and the other optic will allow for better burning because it focuses the laser beam to an extremely tight spot before expanding. And the last kit is just so you'll have some balloons and other things to play with.

Just be sure to be very careful with the laser, without proper protection one wrong reflection and your eyesight could be gone forever.

cool thanks a lot.. think i've been talked into getting some glasses... and ive seen a bunch of posts on here bout diy projects... not planning on doing one quite yet, but do people sell theirs on this site? where would i find those ?

The Buy, Sell, and Trade forum is a good place to start.
Be sure to check out some of those Blu-Ray lasers; most people have seen red and green laser, a few have even seen a blue laser, but only a handful have seen a violet laser.