New guy needs help with first laser

I'm looking for a green laser that the whole beam can be visible for not a lot of money if possible. I have no clue what to look for and I need it by this coming Friday. I'm n dallas tx. Suggestions would be great!

greens are expensive. beam visibility is difficult to achieve. don't expect less than 300-400 dollars possibly more.

why are green so expensive. Is there a main reason why.

um....300-400$ is a bit ridiculous, unless you want a crazy burning greenie, which it doesn't sound like you do. Around ~100mW will give a sweet beam at night, as well as being nice and bright during the daytime. I highly recommend SciFilLasers (<-click) or
LaserBTB (<-click). SciFiLasers is owned by a trusted member of this forum (TheJoker301, send him a message if you have questions, link), and is cheaper than LaserBTB-only downside is that SciFiLasers appeard to be out of stock on the 100mW green currently
I would buy from them before laserBTB.

also, the reason green lasers are so expensive is due to the fact that they are DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State) lasers. This means that the actual laser diode emits an infrared wavelength, which by passing through a set of crystals is converted to a visible wavelength-in this case, 532nm (532nm is by far the most common DPSS laser). DPSS lasers have made it possible to get many different wavelengths (colors), such as yellow, orange, bright blue, etc etc-but those are much, much more expensive.

Recently, a company called Osram has created direct green diodes-this means you can get green without using the DPSS process. But on the downside, these diodes aren't very powerful, and are pretty pricey at the moment. So your best bet would be to go with SciFiLasers or LaserBTB. Honestly, I would wait until SciFiLasers has their 100mW green back in stock, for price, and location.

Hope this helped!

I concur. My first DIY laser is $250, with a true laser diode altogether in the kit, including two A123 Li : FePO4 batteries, and 4Sevens single-bay Li-ion battery charger. Doin' it yourself may be cheaper, depending on where you get the pieces.


Stupidly powerful laser pointers are stupidly expensive due to the cost of diodes themselves, just sayin'. Also, it depends on what features they have.

Pdiddy said:

I'm looking for a green laser that the whole beam can be visible for not a lot of money is possible. I have no clue what to look for and I need it by this coming Friday. I'm n dallas tx. Suggestions would be great!

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Cant we get first posts that arnt always i want, i need i need help, and then you never mostly never hear from them again read ,the rules on how to get along here, and the stickies on how the forum works, learn some then ask, we want to help but at times feel used with i want First posts try an introduction post about yourself first. This has been said many times before and 1 more now.

I am a member mainly on gun forums and for anything that get technical or there is availability and/or time frame all the reading helps but usually board members could give a quick "this is what you are looking for". Sorry if you think I'm using you, figured someone would know what I need quick rather than me potentially buying the wrong thing.

If what I am looking for cannot be here by Friday because it comes from asia then I'm out of luck.

IF green gets expensive, is there any color that can produce as close to a solid beam during night without getting expensive? I don't mind if it's from a person too.

What are you trying to spend? I have a 350mw green I may consider selling.

Red laser may be cheaper but then you may not be able to see the laser dot in daylight very well (our eyes are sensitive to 560nm - 500nm green area, 555nm being the peak sensitivity), so green may still be a better option.

Now, can I ask a quick question; what frame form do you prefer, handheld, lab or probably gun sight?

Looking to spend no more than $50 at least for my first one. Daylight visibilty would be great but night beam visibility is a must. Hand held (not lab)

eBay seller overfeel has nice greens for 27$. He's in New York. The beam is very visible at night. Perfect for you. Military 5mw green laser 5 mile. Don't let the 5 mw fool you. I've metered mine at around 100 mw. It focus able , burns matches the whole nine. Comes with battery and charger. Takes about four days to get to you.

Amazon also have a few.

INFINITER 2000 Green Beam Pointer/Ultra Bright Green Laser Pointer/ Emits ultra bright green laser beam over 1000 yards:Amazon:Electronics
As an example.

Nevertheless, I may also pick the suggestion here as you may get better quality.

EDIT: Here's the laser Tmack suggested - http://www.ebay.com/itm/181112022461?

Awesome I sent the ebayer an offer for his asking price if he can get it to me by friday. After seeing this one I want to see whats the lightest and tightest focus dot without a beam to mount to a rifle.

If you ordered today he will get it to you by Friday. You would just need a simple red pointer for that. So you got the one from overfeel right?

Tmack said:

If you ordered today he will get it to you by Friday. You would just need a simple red pointer for that. So you got the one from overfeel right?

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Right, i went to him for it. Good deal if he can get it here. Thank all for you're help

I agree with Tmack - for the gun sight setup, I would suggest using the red laser, or if you can splurge the money all over the laser purchase, you may opt for the 520nm laser (which is considered a true direct-diode laser as opposite to 532nm laser which is of diode-pumped solid-state).

DPSS lasers are pretty much fragile. I have dropped my Radio Shack green laser, and it's no longer bright as before. Which is both unsurprising (Radio Shack, of course), and surprising (as I have torn it apart out of curiousity - good build quality).