read all the above posts well- all have give good advice-
buying from a trusted member is a better way to go and try to buy with eye protection included.
May I suggest this also-PLEASE go back to your profile page and finish it- this is more important than you may know- especially your location and your age-do not be tempted to be less than 100% honest- you will NOT be treated any different if you are an old fart like me(66) or a youngin' like laserben- he came here when IIRC 14 yrs pld and has done VERY well and has much respect.
LPF is not like many other forums-- we watch each others backs- we really care about both lasers and our brother forum members- when a company does one of us wrong they answer to many-- I am not sure but will guess that of your 3 posts/threads none was a 'intro' in our welcome section- idf you did ..then 'sorry' and I have a +4 green rep for you plus a friend req. if NOT then i will still do both AFTER you do your part.. we are at a crossroads ATM- laser haters want to kill our 'hobby'
......and at the same time new and very exciting things are and have been happening-your timing is perfect as many items we need are now much more affordable and LPF has grown and aside for all you can read here and find using our search you will get help from the LPF community- just please try to tkae no shortcuts- read and search and read some more- this is not the kind of hobby you can learn quickly- the vets here learn new stuff all the time- lasers are here to STAY and are now consdered to be a much more significant invention than Edison's light bulb (soon to be absolete )
New uses for lasers happen daily- they have improved our lives.
SO-- WELCOME to LPF- we have members everywhere ...one may live near you so please add your location to you PROFILE- so it appears under your user name-
read the sticky threads- the TOS- links given to you- use the search BEFORE you ask questions and for the basics read the laser bible Sam's Laser FAQ-- I Have been reading there for 10+ years and still have more reading to do..
hak