Need help buying a First Laser

[DarthBane53]

Hey all, I'm looking in to getting my first laser after seeing a pretty awesome one while star watching last summer and I had a few questions and was hoping I could get some help in finding the right one!

Firstly, I want something that has a solid beam where the entire beam can be seen, like to shoot at stars on a dark night. I also want one that won't cause harm and doesn't need safety glasses. Im aware such a thing may not be possible, but if you guys know of one it would be a great help. Im looking basically for something to show off to friends and school groups that will be a fun toy. Color doesn't really matter and I would like to stay with in the $200 range. Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[TheRichman]

Well green is the most visible wave length, so you're gonna want one of those.

Sadly anything above 5mW (which is needed to see the beam in most cases) you should always wear safety goggles at all times with. A GOOD pair of glasses can cost you about 20-45 dollars which is chump change compared to eye surgery! I recommend Laserbtb.com or Lazerer.com for a good quality laser though. Also Laserglow but that costs some serious dough for a good one!

Although Lazerer is having some issues right now with email responses, the product I got from them is a nice 100mW green laser. Good luck and welcome to LPF!

 

[Tmack]

Laserbtb hl532 200mw . It's about $150 and yo can spend the rest on goggles. If you really can't be bothered with goggles , they also have 532(green) pens at lower strength. 50mw is more than enough to star point and will be much cheaper than $200

 

[Marco Polo]

Go for some of the 532nm DPSS lasers on ebay, you can get them for under $20 apiece so it's no big deal if you lose interest in them or whatever... say what you will, I've never had any trouble with my ebay greens. Other than the lenses being crappy and prone to scratching when attempting to clean them, of course... but the lasers themselves have always been solid, and are quite bright.

Be advised the green lasers do emit infrared radiation along with green light, how much depends on the individual laser... IMHO this is definitely a concern when viewing with goggles, because goggles won't block IR unless rated to do so. So, keep that in mind.

Otherwise, I can't think of any circumstances in which you'd get hit with IR and not with green at the same time. The green on its own is already dangerous, so avoid one and you avoid them both.

I won't lecture you on safety glasses and whatnot here, presumably you already know goggles are a good idea, but please do read about safety issues (and other important topics) in this thread.

Also, AVOID all batteries sold via eBay, please see this thread. This is not an exaggeration, neither is it "over the top" (hi krazyspaz), lithium ion cells can be dangerous in situations involving multiple cells or high-amp discharges. As you will see in that thread, both of those can arise with the kind of counterfeit and substandard cells that one frequently finds cheaply on eBay.

Good luck, read up on those, and go with the "Laser 301" or "SD-303" lasers on eBay. If you want something a little more solid (but also more expensive), my Lazerer LZCS 532nm 100mW has been solid. Maybe even look into having a member build you one.

 

[Blarg King]

I guess I'll chime in here.

As mentioned above, just searching "green laser" on ebay should yield some decent results. Don't be fooled by ones listed as "military grade" or ones that look big and impressive. These usually cost 30$+ and aren't much better than the "pen" style ones that you can get for 5$. They are almost always more powerful than the "5 mW" they are listed as, and they don't filter out the IR light from the DPSS, so DON'T point it at anyone. On the plus side, it should be bright enough to clearly see the beam at night.

Now if you are more interested in a laser of better quality and/or more power, I would advise you to look as LaserBTB. They sell good green lasers at an excellent price. You should look at the HL532 which comes in powers from 50 to 300 mW. If you just want to do star pointing then I would recommend getting the 50 mW since you can use it outdoors without the need for goggles (Just act responsibly) and for 2$ extra you can have LaserBTB install an IR filter into the laser so theres no IR leaking.

BUT if you decide you only need 50 mW then I would absolutely recommend the HL520 for only a little more $ because unlike the HL532, the HL520 is a direct-diode laser, meaning it wont emit any IR light, it will function better outdoors because it wont be as sensitive to hot/cold, and it's more durable.

Just remember if you get a laser over 50 mW OR you plan to use it indoors that safety glasses are an absolute must!

 

[NightExplorer96]

I guess I'll chime in here.

As mentioned above, just searching "green laser" on ebay should yield some decent results. Don't be fooled by ones listed as "military grade" or ones that look big and impressive. These usually cost 30$+ and aren't much better than the "pen" style ones that you can get for 5$. They are almost always more powerful than the "5 mW" they are listed as, and they don't filter out the IR light from the DPSS, so DON'T point it at anyone. On the plus side, it should be bright enough to clearly see the beam at night.

Now if you are more interested in a laser of better quality and/or more power, I would advise you to look as LaserBTB. They sell good green lasers at an excellent price. You should look at the HL532 which comes in powers from 50 to 300 mW. If you just want to do star pointing then I would recommend getting the 50 mW since you can use it outdoors without the need for goggles (Just act responsibly) and for 2$ extra you can have LaserBTB install an IR filter into the laser so theres no IR leaking.

BUT if you decide you only need 50 mW then I would absolutely recommend the HL520 for only a little more $ because unlike the HL532, the HL520 is a direct-diode laser, meaning it wont emit any IR light, it will function better outdoors because it wont be as sensitive to hot/cold, and it's more durable.

Just remember if you get a laser over 50 mW OR you plan to use it indoors that safety glasses are an absolute must!

May I also add that 520nm will appear brighter then the more common 532nm greenies if used at night. This is caused by the peak brightness of the human eye changing from 555nm to 507nm as it becomes dark-adapted.