Looking for a laser as a birthday gift and REALLY need help on what to get.

[Phnx]

Hi everyone, I’m looking to get a laser for my boyfriend as he has mentioned previously about owning one which he had to sell a couple years back. I can’t remember if he mentioned owning a 1W or 3W laser but is there a significant difference? I don’t know what he’s going to use it for exactly but I’m guessing photography or just pointing at shit with a strong laser in general. I’m currently looking at the 445nm Blue 304 Laser pointer from Sanwu and PL-E pro from jetlasers. He had a green laser so I was thinking of getting blue for a change but not if it’s far weaker than a green one. I would appreciate suggestions to any alternatives at a similar price point (< $150).

Also, is it worth getting the lightsaber attachment add-on? His birthday falls on the 4th of May so I thought it’d be cool to get one.

Ffs I’ve probably left it too late as it’ll probably takes ages to come so I have to order it quick. Thanks!

 

[gazer101]

Hi everyone, I’m looking to get a laser for my boyfriend as he has mentioned previously about owning one which he had to sell a couple years back. I can’t remember if he mentioned owning a 1W or 3W laser but is there a significant difference? I don’t know what he’s going to use it for exactly but I’m guessing photography or just pointing at shit with a strong laser in general. I’m currently looking at the 445nm Blue 304 Laser pointer from Sanwu and PL-E pro from jetlasers. He had a green laser so I was thinking of getting blue for a change but not if it’s far weaker than a green one. I would appreciate suggestions to any alternatives at a similar price point (< $150).

Also, is it worth getting the lightsaber attachment add-on? His birthday falls on the 4th of May so I thought it’d be cool to get one.

Ffs I’ve probably left it too late as it’ll probably takes ages to come so I have to order it quick. Thanks!

Sanwu is kind of pricey and goodness knows how much shipping will cost during the pandemic since you need it by May 4th. The cheapest (that I know of) Chinese 1W handheld laser costs $50. But you need to spend another $50 for safety goggles. If you can clarify that you will indeed be buying adequate safety gear, I could direct you to the appropriate websites.

 

[Snecho]

If he did in fact have a green laser, and if it in fact was powerful enough to question whether it was 1W or 3W, it would have been 1W as that is about the highest power you can get in handheld green lasers.

The difference between 1W and 3W (blue lasers) is pretty big. 3W has three times the burning power and it's 1.75X brighter.

As far as if blue lasers are far less powerful than green lasers, as I referenced above it's actually the other way around if talking about raw power. However, blue lasers look less bright than green because our eyes are much more sensitive to green light. A 1W green is comparable in brightness to a 5 or 7W blue. However 1-3W of blue is still hella bright though.

1W greens are very expensive and start around $300. Blues are more cost effective.

As mentioned he NEEDS to get the proper laser googles at these powers if he doesn't have some good ones already.

Keeping these things in mind, I would need to know what specific type of laser you would be getting before recommending one.

Ironically I tried to convince my relatives to get me a laser for my recent birthday lol. Hope he has better luck than me

 

[brendon7358]

If he had a green laser it probably wasn't 1W. It was probably no more than 100mW. 1W lasers are extremely dangerous and can blind you faster than you can blink. Not good if all you want to do with it is "point at shit".

A laser that is very bright, not as dangerous (but still needs to be respected) would be something like this. https://www.sanwulasers.com/product/pocket select the 520 or 525nm 150mW option.

Going with blue to change things a bit is a valid option but generally blue lasers are much more powerful (1W+) and therefore much more dangerous. Also blue is very dim during the daytime, whereas green is bring during the day and even brighter at night.

If you want a truly unique laser the 488nm and 492nm lasers in the link I suggested are good choices. They aren't too powerful and since they are more aqua blue they will stand out much more than a standard blue laser and be brighter in the daytime than a standard blue laser. The 150mW 455nm is also a good option but will look pretty similar to the standard 445nm blue laser.

Googles are important, but if the laser will only be used to point at far away objects, and for photography in a safe setting (assuming reflective surfaces are not involved and the laser is pointed away from you) . They shouldn't be necessary for lasers under about 150mW-200mW. Goggles are a must with any laser above 200mW or so and/or any time you will be looking at the dot up close (such as burning things), or dealing with reflective surfaces (to include windows).

A 1W+ blue is a great laser once you know how to use it responsibly. But once you get tired of burning things (and you will), a more unique color such as 488nm will be much more desirable. Power isn't everything, a standard 100mW 532nm laser will be as bright as (and in a lot of cases brighter) than a 1500mW 445nm laser. And much much less dangerous.

 

[RedCowboy]

I don't like the idea of giving a gift that someone can easily mistake as being safe when it has the ability to cause blindness, now giving a gun to a family member is just fine as everyone knows a gun is not a toy but lasers can too easily be mistaken as toys, so maybe think about gifting a nice 9mm

 

[Shiiru]

Just go for the sanwu pocket in 488 or 492nm (cyan). Exotic colours are really cool. I own the 492 pocket and it's amazing ;d
Also when ordering choose DHL shipping. It's pricey but their normal shipping is extremely slow. I'm waiting more than a month for mine and still didn't get it.

 

[Giannis_TDM]

I don't like the idea of giving a gift that someone can easily mistake as being safe when it has the ability to cause blindness, now giving a gun to a family member is just fine as everyone knows a gun is not a toy but lasers can too easily be mistaken as toys, so maybe think about gifting a nice 9mm

9mm diode for him to do his own build with?

 

[Snecho]

9mm diode for him to do his own build with?

r/whooosh

 

[Giannis_TDM]

r/whooosh

I got the joke and r/ihavereddit and its r/woosh with 2 Os

 

[Snecho]

I got the joke and r/ihavereddit and its r/woosh with 2 Os

But yeah I figured you got the joke

I got the joke and r/ihavereddit and its r/woosh with 2 Os

r/murderedbywords

 

[Giannis_TDM]

View attachment 68579
But yeah I figured you got the joke

Tbh LPF is not the place and this is not the thread for the 2 of us to talk about reddit definitions wouldn't mind if we just kept it lasers.

 

[FuzzyPancake]

You're going to have a hard time finding a 1W-3W laser (from a reputable seller) of any color for $150 without including shipping costs as others have hinted at - especially when you consider the additional cost and need for eye protection. In early February I bought the cheapest 445nm (blue) laser I could find (1.6W) from JetLasers for $220 shipped with eye protection. If your boyfriend is going to get the most out of a 1-3W laser, especially when burning things, he needs to be able to stare at the dot as it is focused, and that would be not unlike staring at the sun without protection.

If you insist on getting him a laser that is >1W from a reputable seller, you frankly must increase your budget to at least $220 (with shipping and eye protection). If the laser I mentioned interests you, I wrote an in-depth review of it recently you can find here.

As for shipping, others here have greatly overestimated the shipping times from Chinese companies. I ordered my laser when the most extreme isolation measures were being taken in China and it only took a little less then month to arrive; just 3 days to actually get to my house in rural Ohio from China after being processed by JetLasers. They only reason they didn't ship it sooner was because they could not go to work to ship it. I'd expect any order to arrive in no more than 10 business days after ordering with DHL/Fedex shipping which should cost around $38. I even made a thread about shipping delays here. I bought a cheaper lower powered laser from Canada in the last week, and with standard $12.50 USPS shipping it arrived in less than 3 business days.

Props for being a good girlfriend and doing research to get your man a sick laser. If a girlfriend bought me a good high powered laser she would be getting a ring in return.

 

[Giannis_TDM]

You're going to have a hard time finding a 1W-3W laser (from a reputable seller) of any color for $150 without including shipping costs as others have hinted at - especially when you consider the additional cost and need for eye protection. In early February I bought the cheapest 445nm (blue) laser I could find (1.6W) from JetLasers for $220 shipped with eye protection. If your boyfriend is going to get the most out of a 1-3W laser, especially when burning things, he needs to be able to stare at the dot as it is focused, and that would be not unlike staring at the sun without protection.

If you insist on getting him a laser that is >1W from a reputable seller, you frankly must increase your budget to at least $220 (with shipping and eye protection). If the laser I mentioned interests you, I wrote an in-depth review of it recently you can find here.

As for shipping, others here have greatly overestimated the shipping times from Chinese companies. I ordered my laser when the most extreme isolation measures were being taken in China and it only took a little less then month to arrive; just 3 days to actually get to my house in rural Ohio from China after being processed by JetLasers. They only reason they didn't ship it sooner was because they could not go to work to ship it. I'd expect any order to arrive in no more than 10 business days after ordering with DHL/Fedex shipping which should cost around $38. I even made a thread about shipping delays here. I bought a cheaper lower powered laser from Canada in the last week, and with standard $12.50 USPS shipping it arrived in less than 3 business days.

Props for being a good girlfriend and doing research to get your man a sick laser. If a girlfriend bought me a good high powered laser she would be getting a ring in return.

Actually no, many builders on lpf sell blues in custom hosts for 60-70$ for a simple one

 

[Lifetime17]

I don't like the idea of giving a gift that someone can easily mistake as being safe when it has the ability to cause blindness, now giving a gun to a family member is just fine as everyone knows a gun is not a toy but lasers can too easily be mistaken as toys, so maybe think about gifting a nice 9mm

Hi,
Great idea or how about a .45 twice the grains at 240 Gr.

 

[Snecho]

Tbh LPF is not the place and this is not the thread for the 2 of us to talk about reddit definitions wouldn't mind if we just kept it lasers.

Yes

 

[Alien Laser]

Welcome to LPF