color rankings

[landerfha]

Could someone list all the available colors/wavelengths available for laser pointers, then rank them in two separate lists. One for burning power, and one for visibility at the same mw rating. I think this would be helpful for a lot of people...

 

[cust11]

1mW of 660nm =/= 1mW of 405nm.(1mW of power is equal to 1mW of power) Beam focus burns things (surface absorption plays a small factor)

555nm (532nm) is the brightest color to the human eyes.

Going up or down in the spectrum will result is a dimmer appearing beam. I do not see how a graph would be helpful to anyone considering all of the information is readily available to everyone.

-Mike

 

[scopeguy20]

Most burn for buck is ~405 nm! second best and the most mW per $ is ~660 nm red -Glenn

 

[ZRTMWA]

Sorry cust11 but "660nm (red) 1mW=/=405nm (blu ray)" ain't right, at least not visibility wise. If you had a 405nm laser at 50mW you would need a 660nm greater than 750mW. Also I believe blu ray is a little bit better at burning than a 660nm, although I'm not positive.

Generally the higher and lower in the spectrum you go, the better the burning power. Think of 555nm as the middle of the spectrum. That is a yellowish green color and is somewhat difficult to find (non existent in pointers / portable lasers). 532nm is much more widely available and is more green. 473nm is sky blue and is the most popular after the previously mentioned three. Around 589.5 is yellow. Around 593nm is orange. Anything lower than a blu ray is a UV laser and anything above a red is an IR both of which appear very faint or invisible but can still be very powerful. Hope that clears up some issues and welcome to LPF.

*When I say anything lower and higher I mean somewhat higher. I know 661nm will still appear to be a red and be very visible when compared to a 1064nm laser.

 

[landerfha]

I was going based on numerous people saying 405 burned better, so I thought each wavelength must burn differently. Has anyone ever taken a bunch of different 100mw lasers of varying colors and counted the burn time on a target?

 

[Greendream]

Are these the diagrams you are looking for:

http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/spctrm1.jpg
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/spctrm2.jpg
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/spctrm3.jpg

?

from:
Sam's Laser FAQ: Welcome Page

 

[cust11]

Sorry cust11 but "660nm (red) 1mW=/=405nm (blu ray)" ain't right, at least not visibility wise. If you had a 405nm laser at 50mW you would need a 660nm greater than 750mW. Also I believe blu ray is a little bit better at burning than a 660nm, although I'm not positive.

Generally the higher and lower in the spectrum you go, the better the burning power. Think of 555nm as the middle of the spectrum. That is a yellowish green color and is somewhat difficult to find (non existent in pointers / portable lasers). 532nm is much more widely available and is more green. 473nm is sky blue and is the most popular after the previously mentioned three. Around 589.5 is yellow. Around 593nm is orange. Anything lower than a blu ray is a UV laser and anything above a red is an IR both of which appear very faint or invisible but can still be very powerful. Hope that clears up some issues and welcome to LPF.

*When I say anything lower and higher I mean somewhat higher. I know 661nm will still appear to be a red and be very visible when compared to a 1064nm laser.

Sorry ZRTMWA but you are incorrect. Lets re-read what I wrote:

1mW of 660nm =/= 1mW of 405nm.(1mW of power is equal to 1mW of power) Beam focus burns things (surface absorption plays a small factor)

To me it appears to be a comparison of burning power and does not mention visibility. Such as : Focus, burns, surface absorption. Again, 1mW =/= 1mW regardless of the wavelength. The actual wavelength only becomes a burning factor on certain surfaces because every surface absorbs each wavelength differently.

You can put your hand in front of a 60w 808~+ but wouldn't dare doing the same with 60w of 405nm.

-Mike

 

[lasersbee]

1mW of laser output power is 1mW of laser output power...
no matter if you can see the beam or not...
Burning power is not a true measurement of Laser output power...

You could just as well have asked for a chart of which laser wavelength
goes further through container of Minestrone Soup...
It may be interesting but is not a benchmark of Laser Power...

If you want to know which laser wavelength is the brightest to the human
eye... you just need to look at a human eye optical response chart....


Jerry

 

[landerfha]

No one asked for which outputs the most power, that wouldn't make any sense. How each burns compared to one another at the same power output is a question that seems relevant given how many people are saying 405nm burns better than equivalently powered greens or reds. As for the visibility measurements, one of those to scale color charts helps, but a more direct listing wouldn't hurt for people stopping by for quick info. Something like 532nm>473nm>594nm>660nm>405nm or w/e.

 

[ZRTMWA]

i dont understand but I will... hey i was going to put my foot in mouth but the smilie is gone. maybe when I saw it someone had copied it from another forum. whatever you win cust11 :bowdown:

 

[Tech_Junkie]

You are not listening...it depends on the color of the item you want to burn. 405nm burns better because it will burn a broader color range. While others do not. You also have many other variables to add to the equation too. You have asked an open ended question because it all depends on what you want to burn. There is no cut and dry answer, sorry. But feel free to do your own experimenting and get back to us.

 

[rocketparrotlet]

On a black piece of plastic, 100mW of any color is identical to 100mW of another color. On most other colors, 405nm burns better.

405nm burns most things well, looks cool. Not so bright.
660nm burns dark things very well, lighter things not very well, not so bright, more power than 405nm for same price.
532nm burns not so great, but looks really cool, very bright.
808nm and up burns well on dark items, not so well on lighter items, but lots of power for cheap. Almost invisible and dangerous.
Other colors are usually expensive, such as 473nm and 594nm.

-Mark