Laserpocalypse...What will your "kit" be?

[IsaacT]

Let's imagine for a moment that word spreads through the grapevine: Handheld Lasers are to be made illegal, laser parts as well, customs checks will increase, and anything which looks like a laser will be tested with government issued batteries. You have a few months before the government can make the bill a law and you have to decide what your last case of lasers will look like. No more building and selling, looking for the perfect one, no more buying and trying. What you have at the end of that time period is what you get to keep.

Short of buying every laser you can get your hands on, because you are loaded like that, you must decide. What gets to stay, what has to go, and what must you obtain. Be realistic and think about bills you would have to pay, living expenses, food for your children(if you have any), etc. Exclude gas lasers because they are still legal.

Every laser you buy is another you cannot buy. Every choice you make has consequences. Every additional laser you own increases the risk of the government finding out your secret. Any more than 8 Handheld Lasers will cause you to be found.

So I ask you all: what will your kit be? What will your song in a listless world be? What will be your light in the darkness? Your order in a plane of chaos? What will be your anchor in the storm?

1W 638nm Laser in Copper Host <currently in progress>
800mW 532nm Laser in Custom Host <currently being worked on>
3W 445nm Laser in Custom Host <FUTURE BUILD>
100mW 589nm Laser in Custom Host <FUTURE BUILD>

With the cost of those last two, that is about all I will have room for. I will enjoy my more niche blue wavelengths via my Argon Laser, and the 514nm line will have to suffice for a 520nm substitute. My priorities were beams I could see in the night sky...or my laser bunker :eg: and enough power with one laser to set some shit on fire in my rage over what was being lost.

I am interested to see how you lot with many many lasers would handle it. What would you give up to not be discovered? Also, how would you store these lasers? Lastly...for diode lasers you are allowed to have one additional diode on hand in case yours burns out.

Thanks,
Isaac

 

[Sigurthr]

750mW 405nm
500mW 445nm
strongest 593.5nm or 589nm I can find.
1W 520nm
300mW 660nm

That's all I'd ever need. If I had to choose only one? The yellow.

 

[Marco Polo]

I would run up a credit card bill to buy enough parts to build a solid C6 set. My current 638nm, plus 650nm, 532nm, 520nm, 450nm, and 405nm. Maybe my Lazerer LZCS 450nm and 532nm as well. I'd hate to lose my Skylasers though.

I would just store the lasers the same way I'd store anything illegal. *shrug*

Honestly though, the FDA waste-of-a-paycheck bastards can try to ban lasers if they want to, but it would make no difference, folks would just start extracting diodes from broken computer equipment. They can't very well ban blu-rays and DVD's now, can they? I imagine I would need to build my own drivers as well, or would the FDA try to ban DIY parts at Radio Shack too? Information and driver schematics would still be legal thanks to the First Amendment... or would the monkeys try to ban that too?

The only real change I would have to make is that I would never again let any laser beam escape my house. Other than that it would be business as usual.

 

[Ears and Eggs]

I'd hold onto my current set (all Newwish Pens of various powers):

405
445
532
635
660

And add:

593.5 2X AAA black and gold pen (highest power I can get)
515 LaserBTB pen (highest power available at the time)
700mW PL 532 from SKY Lasers (or 1W+ PL 515 if it exists yet)


EDIT: WOAH! That was my 2000th post! Pretty worthy post too if you ask me. Sums up my collection and wishlist.

 

[trencheel303]

Honestly though, the FDA waste-of-a-paycheck bastards can try to ban lasers if they want to, but it would make no difference, folks would just start extracting diodes from broken computer equipment. They can't very well ban blu-rays and DVD's now, can they? I imagine I would need to build my own drivers as well, or would the FDA try to ban DIY parts at Radio Shack too? Information and driver schematics would still be legal thanks to the First Amendment... or would the monkeys try to ban that too?

The only real change I would have to make is that I would never again let any laser beam escape my house. Other than that it would be business as usual.

Completely agreed - I'd like to see them even try to ban handhelds, it's a legal minefield but I suppose it's in the same boat as making your own gun in a country (like the UK) that outlaws certain guns (like pistols). The parts to make it are legal, the finished product is not.

Anyhow, in this situation here's what I'd do:-

I'd already have my PL 445 and HL 532 and I'd keep hold of them. In all honesty I'd probably also keep my 405nm pen and one of the 532s. I'd have to ditch the 650nm pen as it's half knackered anyway and my other 532 pen which is kinda done as well. So that leaves 4 spaces to fill with good lasers...

-635nm HL from laserbtb
-473nm PL from laserbtb
-TWO laserglow Rigels (593.5nm) or CNI equivalent - two so I'd have a spare if one ever broke

The above is about as realistic as I think I can make it, and I currently have the funds in savings to actually make the above come true should the need arise. It's not a thought I want to entertain though and nor can I see such laws being tenable.

 

[KRNAZNBOY]

All I would need would be a RGB setup and I'm good.

All of these I would put in GIGANTIC custom machined hosts.

A 1 watt 638nm
A 3 watt 445nm
A 1 watt + 520nm

And I would be set. These three lasers would cost about $700 (assuming the 520 diode goes down in price)

But I would be happy with those

Low power rare wavelengths aren't my thing

:beer:
-Matt

 

[ru124t]

2.5 watt blue and the largest wattage handheld greenie I could get my hands on. I could die a happy death then! Cheers from the loonie bin!

 

[hwang21]

Yellow, orange, and cyan :beer:

 

[jm007]

Very cool site... just joined and it's my first post of many, I hope.

Great topic, would love to hear more about how all of you came to decide your choices. Is it the color or the maybe the host? Is there a practical side, like a green laser will do something better than a blue one?

The laserpocalypse might just be a prelude to a general apocalypse so should there be room in your bug out bag for a laser or two? That might be a thread on its own.

 

[IsaacT]

My bugout bag has my 1911 .45 and bullets and silver. Need a laser though. All I have now is my Argon and HeNe and a 532 I need a wierd battery for. 2 useable lasers....how far I have fallen.

 

[Atomicrox]

Apart from what I have (if the 8 limit is for possession I'd have to ditch a few) I'd surely get a 1W 520nm and the highest 589nm I could get my hands on. Might also get one of those higher power blues but only if theres no possession limit