Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

Buy Site Supporter Role (remove some ads) | LPF Donations

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery | Browser Hide by Avery

A Guide To Buying Your First Green Laser

Paypal is extremely secure and useful, and I use it all the time. I don't see why you have a problem using it... but if you have a good reason, the website does say Visa and Mastercard at the bottom right corner.
 





I have to disagree with the 150-200mW starting point. Why buy a weaker laser if you plan to upgrade anyway? Any laser powerful enough to burn things can put an eye out, and IMO you're no safer with a 500mW laser than an 800mW laser. If you want to burn, get the best one you can afford. On that note, if you think you might want to do that, look at an RPL. You can turn it in for an upgrade for not much more money (more or less depending on the upgrade). Expanders aren't THAT good, if you want to pop a laser at 100 feet you're going to need a serious amount of photons (like 500mW, maybe more). Thx for sharing your opinions.
smiley.gif


Are you new to forums? You can't post pictures by posting the computer directories. You have to upload them to a website like Photobucket.com, and post the internet URL here.
 
IMO, this is NOT GOOD ADVICE. Do you really want to use the only two eyes you have, to find out if you "FEEL" like wearing goggles ? Seems like an awfully hazardous venture
for your eyes if you ask me. Just my $00.02 worth >>>>>>>>>>>>>> rob
 
Rob, I think he just meant try it out because you might not like having to wear goggles whenever you use your laser, and want to go back a less powerful laser.

Though I still disagree. Who wouldn't want a higher powered laser just because they need goggles? It doesn't cost more than 10 bucks to get a pointer to play with. And if you think about it, you only need goggles for burning, which a lower powered laser can't do anyway. Ok, that and pointing around indoors but that seems pretty useless to me anyways.
 
I see his point, but i think to see if you like burning you're better off getting a 200mW red because they're cheap. Tbh, i think we're on the group understanding that burning gets dull after a while.
 
That's true, the novelty does wear off. And balloons and matches go quick! I think it really comes down to your budget and your color of choice. For less than $100 definitely a red, but IMO it's worth it to save up for a 1W 445nm, especially considering red doesn't burn much that isn't colored black.
 
Well once you've got a red you then know if you want to burn harder with a 445 rather than splashing out and then having it go boring.
 
JaiNobeZ said:
Well once you've got a red you then know if you want to burn harder with a 445 rather than splashing out and then having it go boring.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. O-like has >280mW red lasers for only $60. I have a link to my review of the same model when it was sold as 250mW in my signature.
O-like Red link
OR
O-like has 350mW-400mW blu-ray lasers now for $95. The dot isn't as bright as red, but the beam is brighter and since it's newer and less common than red lasers, you can show it off more. I bought one and will do a review of it when it arrives. O-like told me the output of mine was >360mW.
O-like Blu-Ray link
 
Last edited:
JaiNobeZ said:
Yeah... i wouldn't go around seeing if stuff flouresces with a 400mW.
Click to expand...

Yeah true; that wouldn't be a very good idea. I'll take that part out of my previous post.
I just purchased an ebay 5mW 405nm pointer for fluoresce-ing(?) stuff.
 
Last edited:
405nm beams aren't quite "impressive" in any case... And sadly I don't really see the purpose of owning a high powered violet laser any more (aside from color collections, of course).

David, where did you get the 5mW violet pointer? Is it one of those that usually outputs 40-60mW?
 
randomlugia said:
405nm beams aren't quite "impressive" in any case... And sadly I don't really see the purpose of owning a high powered violet laser any more (aside from color collections, of course).

David, where did you get the 5mW violet pointer? Is it one of those that usually outputs 40-60mW?
Click to expand...

Here is the link to the one I bought:
5MW Blue Violet Purple Laser Pointer Pen 2in1 Star Cap - eBay (item 280525966660 end time Jan-20-11 21:58:30 PST)
I doubt it is just because it was like the second cheapest I could find but I honestly have know idea what they normally output.
 
A lot of them are, so... watch out! I got the $9 laser from Etimeshop, and based on most reviews they average around 55mW, although sold as "5mW".
 
randomlugia said:
A lot of them are, so... watch out! I got the $9 laser from Etimeshop, and based on most reviews they average around 55mW, although sold as "5mW".
Click to expand...

Dang... I looked at his too.... Oh well.
I was about to buy his but decided to get one with the stupid star grating thing instead lol
 
Last edited:
Don't ever treat a cheap 5mW as 5mW. It's more likely to be significantly higher. The companies have a machine which spouts them and they then pick them up and (possibly) meter them, then plonk them into the relevant bucket. 5mW, 10mW, 20mW, 30mW and 50mW usually. But then more people want 5mW ones because they're legal in the US, so they stick a bunch of higher powers in. Well... that's how they operate in theory... tbh, they probably don't bother metering at all. Just have a machine that poops them out and then when someone orders one of any power from 5 to 50 they pull one out of the bucket and ship it.
randomlugia, maybe you should mention that in your guide... the way that if you order a cheap 5mW it's likely to be far higher than 5mW.
 
JaiNobeZ said:
Don't ever treat a cheap 5mW as 5mW. It's more likely to be significantly higher. The companies have a machine which spouts them and they then pick them up and (possibly) meter them, then plonk them into the relevant bucket. 5mW, 10mW, 20mW, 30mW and 50mW usually. But then more people want 5mW ones because they're legal in the US, so they stick a bunch of higher powers in. Well... that's how they operate in theory... tbh, they probably don't bother metering at all. Just have a machine that poops them out and then when someone orders one of any power from 5 to 50 they pull one out of the bucket and ship it.
randomlugia, maybe you should mention that in your guide... the way that if you order a cheap 5mW it's likely to be far higher than 5mW.
Click to expand...

True, but it's still better fluoresce things with a 50mW than a 400mW.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.





Back
Top