Lasers that use AAA as opposed to others?

[Arby123]

Whats the difference between laser pointers that use AAA batteries and others? I am going to buy my first laser and it is 300mw. The cheapest one is around only $60 and it uses 2 AAA Batteries. The other ones use other batteries but they are $100+. Is there anything wrong with lasers that use these batteries? Are they less powerful? The other ones are 300mw too. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[jimdt7]

The first, you should be worried about, is safety.
Buy some good safety goggles first.
Which laser are you planning to buy ?

Jim

 

[bdgreenb]

why dont we ever offer advice and safety advice simultaneously? its too easy to say BUY GOGGLES!

 

[Tech_Junkie]

Bigger the batteries capacity, the longer the life of the battery.

Post links of the lasers you're looking at.

 

[Arby123]

Don't worry, I know I need to get goggles too.

Here's the one I'm thinking about buying:

300mW 532nm Green Laser Pointer Pen with 2AAA Battery at Laserpointerpro.com

I mean I wouldn't mind changing the battery every now and then, I don't really care about battery life. I just care about power of the laser and how well it functions.

 

[Tech_Junkie]

You cant buy a 300mW green laser for $60. You'd be lucky if it was really 100mW.

Grab one of these. Green Laser Pointer

 

[DrSid]

I seriously doubt this thing can hit 300mW. I do have similar which hits 170 though ..

As for batteries .. different lasers use different batteries. That's all I can say about that ..

Also indeed, be sure to get some goggles. Even if that thing turned out to be 50mW, it's pretty dangerous.

 

[Arby123]

Oh, I knew it had to be fake. Thanks for warning me. Those look pretty good. But do you have a good 250mw-300mw one that you could recommend?

 

[Tech_Junkie]

That website has solid on spec lasers. So pick what you like.

Keep in mind in 99% of green lasers, the batteries go in negative towards the front of the laser.

And, that has been said, lasers at this power you'll need goggles. These lasers will blind you before you can blink, and you can get damage just from a reflection. Or even hurt other people/pets.

Please check this link out.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/hit-eye-1000mw-445nm-blue-laser-69469.html

And also check the 4th link in my signature. Its no joke.

 

[Arby123]

That website has solid on spec lasers. So pick what you like.

Keep in mind in 99% of green lasers, the batteries go in negative towards the front of the laser.

And, that has been said, lasers at this power you'll need goggles. These lasers will blind you before you can blink, and you can get damage just from a reflection. Or even hurt other people/pets.

Please check this link out.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/hit-eye-1000mw-445nm-blue-laser-69469.html

And also check the 4th link in my signature. Its no joke.

Holy crap, now I'm scared. So do you have any good goggles I could get too? Sorry I'm very new to lasers, I've only had the ones that you could get from any store (they were probably less that 1mw). If anyone could recommend me a good 250-300mw laser and some goggles that would be awesome, thanks.

 

[Benm]

The general issue with AAA powered lasers is that they tend to be fairly cheap models, and many of them are under spec - especially if specified power is over 50 mW or so.

It also has to do with the batteries themselves though. If you are looking at a 300 mW green laser, the pump power needs to be at least 1 watt, and probably more. Two alkaline AAA cells in series are not going to provide that much power for a long time, if they do at all.

Any laser that would provide 300 mW of 532 for a usable amount of time would be most likely to use at least a 18650 sized lithium battery.

 

[Sigurthr]

Survival Lasers sells Eagle Pair brand goggles which are both very affordable and exceptional in quality. I reccomend them for Hobbyist laser goggles.

As for where to get the laser from.. if you're ordering from China the safest bet is with Lazerer, after that Laserlands also do well (but output is not guaranteed and good luck if you have to return something, and then there is o-like. I wouldn't throw money I didn't want at any other place, much less for money I value.

 

[joeyss]

I have a near 500mw blu-ray that was built by a member here and it runs of 2 AAAs. It actually gets around half an hour using crappy old energizers that have been used and recharged countless times. They actually have an advtange being AAAs are widely available and you can always get extras cheap and carry an extra set due to their small size. I think you can buy 150mw reds that run off of AAAs,these would burn a bit and they would be the best bet to get something on spec. Just remember the safety goggles.

 

[Tech_Junkie]

All the lasers listed on that site I linked have the option to add goggles.

Laserlands reputation tanked a while ago. Its hit or miss if you get something decent. I wouldnt waste my money. Stick with Lazerer.

 

[Sigurthr]

Laserlands reputation tanked a while ago. Its hit or miss if you get something decent. I wouldnt waste my money. Stick with Lazerer.

Oh, I didn't know this. Guess I just got lucky, or I got all my stuff before the fallout. Thanks for the update, TJ. When do you suppose the shift happened?

 

[Tech_Junkie]

They had a good relationship with us for a long time, and then I think they changed management. Then the personal relationships ended, and the spam and marketing tricks started. I'm bad with time, so I think around 6-8 months ago, but dont quote me.