advice about buying a violet laser?

[janie]

I'm interested in getting a really nice & powerful violet laser for my husband's birthday. I have NO idea how to determine which ones are good. Can y'all offer any advice/tips/hints/suggestions/links? Thank you!

 

[sinner]

Hi Janie, Happy Birthday in advance to him, How much are you looking to spend..

There are very high quality violet pens, and there are cheaper knock-off's, If you want something to completely blow his mind, get him a green pen..

 

[Leodahsan]

Hello!
For this you will have to answer a couple questions...
Do your husband have any laser already? Is he a "laserist"? He does have any laser protection goggles (looks like tinted glasses)? How much are you willing to expend?

 

[janie]

Thanks Sinner. He already has green ones, and purple is his favorite color, it definitely has to be violet. I'm looking to spend less than $100 USD. He doesn't have goggles, but I can certainly get some. He has a few different ones already, mostly red and green. I got him a blue one a long time ago, but it never really worked right. That was depressing.

 

[Leodahsan]

Well if you don't think he has laser goggles, you could get some Eagle Pair safety glasses... (Link here). They are very cheap, and are some of the best goggles out there. I have 2 pairs myself and just love them...

If you want it, you should buy the orange version (190-540nm), that protects from violet, blue and green lasers.

As for the violet laser... I'll let other members voice in...
Good luck and happy birthday for your husband... Tell him to register here in LPF so he can make some friends and discover the mystical world of lasers...

 

[Shakenawake]

A member on here called Blord can make a focus-able 405nm (violet) ~500mW laser in a 501B host for $110. this laser would need special protective glasses any time it is used to burn or the dot is viewed up close. outside with the beam pointed at the sky the glasses are not needed, just don't point at or near airplanes.

this is one of the hardest colors for our eyes to see. Lots of power is needed for a decent beam, my violet laser has one of the dimmest beams of all my lasers.

this is one of the coolest wavelengths to own for sure, it's like a black light laser beam.

 

[janie]

Thank you Leodahsan and Shakenawake. I'll definitely pick up those goggles as I've been reading more about how dangerous these lasers can be. The 500mW laser sounds awesome! How does it work to purchase things on the forum? I'm a bit leery because I can't really determine who's trustworthy and there's no real buyer protection.

 

[Shakenawake]

Blord is very trustworthy, I've spent around $800 on lasers from him, with plans to spend more. Here is a link to his profile page: Laser Pointers - View Profile: Blord
send him a PM (private message)

here is a link to some good glasses: http://www.survivallaser.com/Eagle_...ard_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_2780808.aspx

they make a slip over version if your BF wears glasses

the safety glasses are expensive, but worth it if any burning or indoor use is to be done. never look at the dot up close without them, particularly when burning things. I know my recommendation is above your budget, but other websites I have seen do not offer 500mW 405nm lasers for less. $110 is a very fair price, and the laser will be focus-able, a very cool feature that most custom lasers, but not many company lasers, offer. just make sure to follow the duty cycle, or the laser could die. the one I recommended from Blord can be on for 1 minute before needing a 1 minute cool down

 

[janie]

Thank you very much!

 

[Shakenawake]

I forgot to mention batteries. the one I recommended from Blord will use 16340 or 18350 batteries. these can't be found at a local store. usually only weaker green lasers run off of AA or AAA batteries and the like. most custom builds and even lasers bought from companies will use lithium ion batteries.

here is the site I got my batteries and charger from. I'm not saying it's the best site and price, I really don't know what the best 16340 battery is. It works fine for me though: AW RCR123a Protected 750 mAh Battery

I use this charger: Ultrafire 3.6 volt or 3 volt RCR123 Lithium Battery Charger

if you ever plan to get any 3.7 volt lithium ion batteries larger than 16340, a bigger charger that charges lots of different types, with select-able charging current would be better

 

[PatchEdward]

Any thoughts on how Blord's work stacks up to a competently-assembled kit using survivallaser.com's hosts (S4 kit) and a S06J 12X 405 diode from DTR's shop?

I've built a 445nm laser using the same host with a diode from DTR, and sticking it through a 10x beam expander is really something to see (through safety goggles). However, I'm annoyed at the beam divergence of the 445nm multimode diode, and would like to see what a good singlemode 405nm diode can do.

 

[Shakenawake]

I believe Blord uses those S06J 12X 405nm diodes too. I noticed with mine that despite being single mode there is a halo around the dot, giving it's beam a more conical look at a long distance than one might expect from a single mode.