GUIDE: I want my first laser!

[HenryC]

Would looking at the dot of the thor's on a non reflecting surface cause eye damage without protective googles? If yes, what would be a safe distance to look at the dot without damaging eyesight? How about looking at the beam? Also, sorry if its a stupid question, but do googles make the laser invisible? I mean, if you are wearing them and use the laser, would you be unable to see the beam/dot? Never used googles as I've only had a 532nm 100mW that I always used for star pointing, never burning or using indoors.

By the way, I saw some discussion on batteries in later posts, probably most of you guys know this but there's a guy named mooch in the vaping community (another place where 18650's are heavily used) that has made hundreds of tests of 18650's as well as other types of batts. Check it out if you haven't, that knowledge might be valuable for laser pointer hobbyists as well! Nut sure if there are many lasers that require the amps that an e-cig would, but the info might be valuable when trying to find good, reliable capacity ratings https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/mooch.256958/

 

[GSS]

The dot on a wall will be very tiring on the eye's pretty quickly. A laser at that power is basicly useless for its intentions inside without glasses. You will want to burn something a few times, "trust us" and burning something is stupidly bright. With glasses you won't see the beam but you will see the spot.
Get some glasses before you order the Thor. Not to mention instant blindness from a direct hit.

 

[HenryC]

The dot on a wall will be very tiring on the eye's pretty quickly. A laser at that power is basicly useless for its intentions inside without glasses. You will want to burn something a few times, "trust us" and burning something is stupidly bright. With glasses you won't see the beam but you will see the spot.
Get some glasses before you order the Thor. Not to mention isn't blindness from a direct hit.

Thank you! I will make sure to buy the googles as well.

 

[GSS]

Thank you! I will make sure to buy the googles as well.

Glad you are getting a pair, as you will see it would be useless to enjoy the laser without a them. That 532 100mw also needs them in any indoor testing.
All tests and sources of battery's are good info, for me at least

 

[jakeholmes]

I discover my first laser from Saysal I don't know too much about laser, at that time, but after getting it I know how important the laser is even research is going on laser.

 

[Chizzle]

LaserBTB gone?

Hi there, thanks for this super useful guide. I was going to go with the LaserBTB 532nm, however it looks like they're recently out of business? The front page of their site says,

"Thanks and Goodbye! From MAY1,2008 to MAR24,2017,we provided many laser pointers, we try to be better,but we know we cannot make everyone satisfied. Now we stop this business,thanks to all kind buyers in the past years!"

What would be the next best choice for 532nm? For me, something that uses "standard" batteries (AA, AAA, etc.) would be ideal, but I'll tolerate other batteries if necessary.

Thanks for your help & best wishes,

Chuck

Edit 1: Yeah, sorry for being that annoying n00b who has to ask... It really is overwhelming and intimidating given how challenging it is to find accurate information and reliable knowledge.

Edit 2: I may go with 520nm just for IR safety, efficiency, and temperature resilience.

 

[GSS]

Hi Chizzle,
it looks like you did some reading
You did leave out some things like budget, intended use, and where are you located?

 

[Chizzle]

Hey GSS! Thanks for your reply, and yeah looks like I omitted some important details.

1. Budget - Not the main concern, of course less is better haha, but < $300 I think makes sense. Looking for something hand-held.

2. Intended use - So this might sound a little funny. I'm a sailor and I read an article in which fishing vessels in Southeast Asia have a superstition that if they pass closely to the bow of another boat they can "rub off" their bad fishing luck onto the other vessel. This is often leads to a dangerous situation. The author of the article used a green laser with success to scare away such attempts by aiming the beam in the direction of the approaching vessel. So I'm looking to use it for similar defensive purposes, something that will dazzle from about 500 yards away, but not cause permanent eye damage to anyone on the vessel I'm trying to scare away. (Note, the author of the article says his laser is 1,000mW but based on the description it sounds more like 100mW of actual 532nm output.)

3. Located in the U.S.

Based on the other super-awesome "What company should I buy from?" guide, I'm considering the "Dragon Lasers Hulk 150mW 532nm," which I like because the Hulk form factor takes C batteries which are widely available. It's not stated though if Dragon Lasers include IR filtering - I submitted a question on their site.

The Optotronics offerings also look promising, it's not clear what kind of battery their higher-power "pens" use, though.

Thanks again man!

 

[GSS]

Anyone?

 

[BobMc]

Well Chizzle, the desire for a laser is all fine and dandy and can be a good and fun pursuit. Except the reason you want one is really not a good one. You should NEVER point a laser at anybody ( except in self defense then all things are on the table). The person who wrote that article is just plain wrong. Lasers should never be used that way. Yes it might work, but please consider something else. Using a laser that way is an accident waiting to happen. Please reconsider.

Now having a laser out on the ocean could be a very awesome place to have one. Could throw a beam (safely) for days. The nights being so dark, would be a awesome sight to see. But pointing it at another boat/person is a major no-no in the laser hobby world.

Ps; they do make what's called a laser dazzler but I still would not recommend it. Just letting you know in the name of full disclosure. Please be safe to you and everybody else. For 300.00 you can get one heck of a powerful unit. Would make some awesome beam shots over the ocean that I would love to see.

 

[Chizzle]

Hi Bob, thanks for your input. The intended purpose is self defense, when the action of another vessel is clearly ascertained to be hostile or likely to be threatening to life or limb. Its use for this purpose is not taken lightly. It will not be the last resort option, but close to it.

I did some research on dazzlers and there didn't seem to be clear data or consensus on whether or not they're actually effective. Having no personal experience with them - and not knowing anyone who does - I decided to pass. I realize this could mean that a standard laser pointer suffers from the same possible ineffectiveness, but at least in this case I do have some reliable anecdotal evidence that it's effective in some situations.

I had been considering the Dragon Lasers "Hulk" model, when I read an account on this forum of one person's experience with Dragon Lasers in which the laser received was not the stated power and the interaction did not go well. Given that, I also considered CNI and JetLasers. CNI of course had the same model that initially attracted me to Dragon, but I wasn't keen on having to wire transfer funds for the purchase. JetLasers did not have a model that took "standard" batteries.

So despite the negative experience reported, in the end I decided to go with with Dragon Lasers based on the following:

1. They have a model in the power range I was after that takes standard "C" batteries (easier to source replacements when traveling).

2. They answered my questions quickly.

3. The problem reported involved a yellow laser; I reasoned to myself (perhaps naively?) that there would be less incentive or need for the company to be disingenuous regarding a green laser.

4. They accept credit card for payment.

In any case, the laser arrived in just over a week. I have no way to measure the actual output, so I don't know if it's the stated power, but it is plenty bright enough for my use. In this transaction I had a positive experience with Dragon Lasers.

Best wishes,

Chuck

 

[BobMc]

@ Chizzle, Well? I hope you know what your doing. I own a Dazzler and just order another one. http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/jetlasers-s-pistol-dazzler-review-100294.html ( photo bucket took the picture down but you can read the posts)

Both are from JetLasers. Dazzlers would be inherently safer than a collimated beam of light, pointed at somebody. Please concider de-focusing your laser when using it on someone. Don't know what else to say, but best wishes and let's hope you never have to use it. But in a life and death struggle all things are on the table. Take care.

Edit; Can't say good or bad about Dragon Lasers, never bought from them. But now that you have bought a laser, if you can, post some beam shots over the ocean, they gotta be beautiful.

 

[diachi]

Edit; Can't say good or bad about Dragon Lasers, never bought from them. But now that you have bought a laser, if you can, post some beam shots over the ocean, they gotta be beautiful.

Hear very few negative things about DL. Problems with their Yellow lasers aren't all that unexpected every now and then, given how picky yellow is in the first place.

Out at sea may be one of the few places a laser dazzler can actually be effective. I'd never use one where an attacker is particularly close, but it may be useful when they are still a good distance away.

That said, I still don't recommend shining a high power laser at anyone...

 

[BobMc]

Out at sea may be one of the few places a laser dazzler can actually be effective. I'd never use one where an attacker is particularly close, but it may be useful when they are still a good distance away.

That said, I still don't recommend shining a high power laser at anyone...

So true! If pirates come, there's really no good defense but to use everything in your arsenal. As far as I know, pirates play for keeps and take no prisoners. :lasergun:

 

[BowtieGuy]

Welcome to LPF Chizzle, as diachi mentioned, Dragon Laser has been a pretty good company to deal with. I own one of their Spartan 589nm lasers, and various laser accessories such as diffraction gratings, and have never had any issues with any of their products.

If you can put your general location in your user profile, you may find that a member with an LPM lives nearby, and is willing to check your laser output for you.

Here is a -Link- to members with an LPM who may be willing to help you out.

BTW, as Bob mentioned, Jetlasers new dazzler may be a good alternative to look into.

 

[Rens]

Hi everone!

I'm new to this forum and have been lurking around for awhile trying to figure out just by scrolling the threads what would be the company/laser for me - I live in the UK, and what I'm looking for >> "I want a -decent quality- yet fairly cheap blue-violet laser that can burn!" .....so I figured the Thor M-II is the one perhaps, although I really love the lasers and designs at Sanwu like the Spiker series.

My intention of use is not just for fun or the beauty of the beam, more the effectiveness of the beam or zoom. We have a Lot of seaguls causing havoc here and it seems a strong laser may be a good way to disperse or even shoot the birds rather than the use of a rifle. Also I intend to keep it on me as a means of self defense instead of a gun and also as a survival tool able to light a fire when needed. It therefore needs to be a strong burning laser for outdoor use, preferably waterproof, with added use as a tactical pen like item (spiky ends) in the design.

Is the Thor only available on ebay? Unfortunately it doesn't seem to come up on our UK ebay.. I wonder if I can buy via the .com one..?

I will also order the Uvex safety goggles just for safety in case of wanting to do some indoor testing etc

Ps - is there any reccomendation on these? https://www.fasttech.com/category/1620/lasers wondered if the Thor may be among them but probably not

Thanks very much!

Rens