Hello, new to lasers

[WDB]

Hello, I am new to lasers.
I know laser safety (general)
I need a place to buy these
laser power meter
safety glasses for blue lasers
1-3 W laser (for burning)
Batteries for the laser

 

[bostjan]

Hello, I am new to lasers.
I know laser safety (general)
I need a place to buy these
laser power meter
safety glasses for blue lasers
1-3 W laser (for burning)
Batteries for the laser

Where are you and what is your budget?

The most highly recommended LPM for hobbyists seems to be the Laserbee. You can purchase those direct from the manufacturer. However, I have a cheap one from Laserpointerstore (China). It functions just fine for my purposes. Your purpose might be different, though.

The most highly recommended laser safety glasses for hobbyists are Eagle Pair. I've tried several different brands and no-brands, and the cheap or no-brand ones are very often junk and don't protect your eyes from the wavelengths advertised. So, maybe best to spend the extra $40 USD dollars and prevent a life-altering and debilitating injury, rather than pocket the extra few bucks and destroy your retinas. Anyway, make sure that the pair you choose is rated specifically for the wavelength of the laser you choose.

Since you didn't say what you are doing with the laser, I'll recommend the burning module lasers. They are cheaper, more powerful, and have longer duty cycle. Plus, you can't inadvertently destroy them by accidentally placing the batteries in backward or have to fiddle with batteries that are slightly over/under-sized or plenty of other concerns. You can obtain these from China or off of eBay or Amazon, and then just make sure either they include a power supply or find an adequate power supply.

 

[WDB]

Hello, I am in the US and my budget is 180USD. Thank you I will get the Eagle Pair. I am going to use it to burn, and sometimes to point at stars.

 

[bostjan]

Hello, I am in the US and my budget is 180USD. Thank you I will get the Eagle Pair. I am going to use it to burn, and sometimes to point at stars.

I'm also in the USA. For $180, you should be able to get something decent, but maybe not the best equipment.

I'd highly recommend not to point any laser into the sky without coordinating with air traffic control. I'll even double down on this when a high powered class IV laser is involved.

 

[WDB]

Okay, Is DTR's Laser Shop a place to buy the diode with cc board?
I'm planning to get the NDB7875 with driver and heatsink. Is this an OK choice. I'm going to power it using a lab bench. Do you know where to get Eagle Pair? SurvivalLaserUSA shows no stock.

 

[VLC18]

Hello, I am new to lasers.
I know laser safety (general)
I need a place to buy these
laser power meter
safety glasses for blue lasers
1-3 W laser (for burning)
Batteries for the laser

Hi WDB,
When I started off wanting a laser I too wanted a high power laser. I HIGHLY suggest you start off with a low powered laser. Something like 50-500 mw. The 500 mw isn’t necessarily a low powered laser but it will burn things with ease. The reason I say this is because you can be less cautious when handling. Now when I say that it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt you.in fact one swipe on the eye and it will blind you. However you can get really good beam visibility and not have to wear glasses when it’s under 150 mw. Only when it’s pointed at something a few meters away that isn’t reflective at all. Don’t stare into it either. That could be harmful. My first lasers were a 492 nm 100 mw cyan laser,a 520 nm 150 mw green laser,and a 445 nm 500 mw blue laser.I got them all from the San wu pocket series. They all can impress people and the 500 mw burns easy.with the 500 mw laser and when burning you must wear safety goggles. Anyway if you have any questions you can ask me. Also what would you be using the laser for. Is it just for burning purposes? Also the San wu company sells in my opinion the best lasers. They are a bit pricy though.

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi,
Survival lasers for the safety glasses
Rich
p1667092_7862033.aspx

 

[julianthedragon]

safety glasses for blue lasers
1-3 W laser (for burning)

I would personally go with a high powered violet laser like Sanwu's 1.6W 405nm Challenger II and OD6 eagle pair goggles 190-540nm from sanwu or survival laser.
405nm consumer lasers are typically great for burning since they can be focused down to a really tiny roundish point, and that way you can stay (relatively speaking) safer than owning a 3W blue. You still have to exercise extreme caution though.
I agree for your first laser I would get something a little less powerful, but if you are set on the high powered route that's my 2 cents

 

[WDB]

Hi WDB,
When I started off wanting a laser I too wanted a high power laser. I HIGHLY suggest you start off with a low powered laser. Something like 50-500 mw. The 500 mw isn’t necessarily a low powered laser but it will burn things with ease. The reason I say this is because you can be less cautious when handling. Now when I say that it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt you.in fact one swipe on the eye and it will blind you. However you can get really good beam visibility and not have to wear glasses when it’s under 150 mw. Only when it’s pointed at something a few meters away that isn’t reflective at all. Don’t stare into it either. That could be harmful. My first lasers were a 492 nm 100 mw cyan laser,a 520 nm 150 mw green laser,and a 445 nm 500 mw blue laser.I got them all from the San wu pocket series. They all can impress people and the 500 mw burns easy.with the 500 mw laser and when burning you must wear safety goggles. Anyway if you have any questions you can ask me. Also what would you be using the laser for. Is it just for burning purposes? Also the San wu company sells in my opinion the best lasers. They are a bit pricy though.

Hello VLC18, It's for burning only, not for the sky as there are a lot of planes flying by. I bought a diode with the driver but it's not portable so I am planning to use it with a lab bench. Is it bad if I use the cc on my lab bench to lower the power? I will try lowering power first to 500mw. I also have the glasses on the way, it's arriving the same day as the diode.

Hi,
Survival lasers for the safety glasses
Rich
p1667092_7862033.aspx

Thank you, already on the way.

I would personally go with a high powered violet laser like Sanwu's 1.6W 405nm Challenger II and OD6 eagle pair goggles 190-540nm from sanwu or survival laser.
405nm consumer lasers are typically great for burning since they can be focused down to a really tiny roundish point, and that way you can stay (relatively speaking) safer than owning a 3W blue. You still have to exercise extreme caution though.
I agree for your first laser I would get something a little less powerful, but if you are set on the high powered route that's my 2 cents

I can't shine it at the sky so portability is not a problem. I ordered a diode with a driver. Do you think that if I current limit the driver that it will damage it?

 

[julianthedragon]

I can't shine it at the sky so portability is not a problem. I ordered a diode with a driver. Do you think that if I current limit the driver that it will damage it?

If you already ordered you can disregard my suggestion and that would be better answered by someone who has more experience building lasers. I think generally you don't want to overdo the driver current but you should be able to lower the current/lower the power of the laser

 

[WDB]

If you already ordered you can disregard my suggestion and that would be better answered by someone who has more experience building lasers. I think generally you don't want to overdo the driver current but you should be able to lower the current/lower the power of the laser

Okay, I should be able to practice using it at 500mw.

 

[Garoq]

Hi,
Survival lasers for the safety glasses
Rich
p1667092_7862033.aspx

Thanks, Rich!

 

[Garoq]

Okay, Is DTR's Laser Shop a place to buy the diode with cc board?
I'm planning to get the NDB7875 with driver and heatsink. Is this an OK choice. I'm going to power it using a lab bench. Do you know where to get Eagle Pair? SurvivalLaserUSA shows no stock.

All our goggles are in stock.

 

[WDB]

All our goggles are in stock.

Yes. It just arrived today. I tried it with my cheap blue 405nm ebay pointer. Is it supposed to have a white dot?

 

[Garoq]

Yes. It just arrived today. I tried it with my cheap blue 405nm ebay pointer. Is it supposed to have a white dot?

Depending on the wavelength, you may see harmless surface fluorescence of a different color.

 

[Buert]

Hello, I am new to lasers.
I know laser safety (general)
I need a place to buy these
laser power meter
safety glasses for blue lasers
1-3 W laser (for burning)
Batteries for the laser

Hello,
welcome