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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Best laser for under $20

rhd

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Are high power handheld lasers risky, or do they only damage objects at close range and after a long time? For example, if I accidentally aim a 200 mW laser at a black leather chair from across the room, am I going to mark it?

You could - yep. Especially at the powers we see in 445s, if it's focussed on the sofa, you could mark it.
 





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May 13, 2011
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I think $97 is a wee bit more than my $20 target ;)

I did some more research.

It seems the FP laser in my original post (and indeed most 'cheap' lasers out there) are questionable in terms of quality and consistency. You just don't know what you're getting. The thing I liked about that one, is that is uses 2xAA batteries, which provides the most operating time (>5Ah) of all the compact lasers out there. It appears to be a unique feature.

I'm now considering this FireDragon laser:
Price: $26.18 USD
Wavelength: 532nm
Battery: 2 x AAA (2Ah)
Output Power: 60mW
The price is reasonable, and the power should be sufficient for playing around while not crazy enough to do some major damage. The dealer (DinoDirect) claims that it is "FDA Certified Power Guaranteed". While I doubt that the Chinese manufacturers send each laser to the US Food and Drug Administration (I didn't know you could eat lasers) to be tested, it could mean they perform some kind of quality control to make sure the output is what they advertise. If anyone has purchased this laser, your feedback would be much appreciated.

I live in Coquitlam.
 
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I thought it was just some of us Americans that called the great frozen north Canuckistan.:angel: And yes green is definitely the way to go for visibility. Each of your listed choices should serve you well though I have seen numerous posts about very slow service from DinoDirect.
 
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May 27, 2011
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This laser is VERY good for its price. 50mw is pretty visible, and it also will have some burning capabilities. Around $15

TRUE 50mW Green Laser Pointer Pen $14.84 Free Shipping

I would shy away from this one for a few reasons. I bought 2 (I was going to peel one down and put it in a mag light case for work and keep the other as is. For some reason they shipped a week apart so I had one to play with for a week while I waited for the second. By the time the second arrived the first had dimmed significantly by comparison and tended to flicker some times when in use. When I peeled the new one open for its transplant I noticed that there was a URL on the driver yin-xing.com. When I looked through their website the highest wattage laser they had was only 30mW which makes me think some one fiddled the driver before shipping the "true" lasers.

That said it is still pretty bright, stood up to a week on a construction site and was still only 15$
 




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