Dragon Laser 200mw blue laser

[brucemir]

Can someone explain to me the difference between the Dragon Laser Aurora BW Aurora Blue Laser (200mw, which I purchased) and the Aurora BP laser, which are at 5, 10 and 15 mw and much more expensive. And does anyone own the Aurora BW laser and let me know what to expect: can it burn, do I need googles (I did order a pair), is it a good starter unit . Thank you very much

 

[ZRaffleticket]

Welcome to the forums!
Take a look at the wavelengths of the two lasers (the XXXnm number)
447nm is a diode laser, which the diodes are sold in bulk after being mass produced and are relatively inexpensive, while the 473nm is a DPSS laser, which in short is an infrared laser at an insane power, focused and pointed at a crystal set that converts the light. This process requires extreme precision ($$$), not to mention the price of the crystal set alone. There's a pretty prominent color difference to my eyes, 447nm is a royal blue color, while 473nm is lighter and described as "powder blue".

Yes, you should get goggles for the laser. I don't personally own one, however you can expect a fairly bright royal blue colored laser, that is able to burn. Not many people start out with a blue laser, as long as you're not stupid it's a decent unit to start with. (Don't go shining it in peoples faces saying it's safe, it's not, I'm sure a lot of people are going to lecture you about safety so I'll leave that to them)

 

[brucemir]

ZRAffleticket, thanks for explaining it to me. I have a 5mw green laser and red and even with that I am aware of the safety issues with them. I was looking at the Spartan 400mw and 1w but since I am a novice to higher powered lasers, I opted for a less powerful one to start with. I also ordered the Transmission beam fan and transmission matrix gratings to have some fun . I wanted to buy the Beam Expander, but it is not in stock. When I receive my package from Dragon I will be photographing the beams and will post the pics here. I manage a business in a big warehouse that in the early AM hours is pitch black with the lights off and so it should be a very controlled environment to photograph in. Thanks again!!