New to LPF. Need suggestion on "gadget" green laser!

[ArtemasAD]

Hello all,

First off, I am very new to the whole laser hobby, so please be gentle!

I am looking for a "gadget" laser mainly for pointing, not burning. Something that will be visible enough in most cases indoor, and clearly visible at night. For my virgin laser, there is no need for the ability to burn stuff or pop a balloon. Upon doing a quick research on a sticky, it looks like 30mW - 50mW range seems to be ideal for me.

I was hoping you guys can help suggest me an excellent quality starter laser pointer for my purpose. One that has great reputation to be consistent and last (the best one I've had prior was a $20 one from Amazon, which seems to only work half the time). At the same time, the cheaper, the better. Or at least very good value per dollar.

1) Is 30mW plenty for most well-lit room? Or should I jump up for 50mW?

2) A very helpful video in one of the stickies claims that 50mw "will impress" people at night. Will 30mW cut it?

3) On the same sticky post, looks like the "Good" list are pretty much outdated and many sites have disappeared. Is there a great alternatives to Optotronics?

4) Should I look into Buy Sell Trade forum? Unfortunately I cannot post there right now. I don't want to spam 20 posts and annoy people.


Thank you ahead of time. You guys have a great community here!

 

[Keiichi tsuchiya]

First of all you should introduce yourself before posting here XD !!!
1) Since its your first laser, a 30mW one will look like its 10000WATTS so for safety i would suggest you to not go over 100mW, 50mW should be what you are looking for
2)30mW wont cut it... same as a 50mW compared to a 80mW and the 80mW compared to. 100mW and so on. You first need to know what are your intentions with the laser and find your limits ( lasers are no toys ! Be mature when handling one ! )
3)Laserbtb,scifilasers,Forum members, ( i could recommend rayfoss,lazerer,and o like but lately they have been getting bad reviews from customes, so i would stay away from them )
4)THAT WOULD BE THE BEST OPTION !!
5) PLEASE USE SAFETY GLASSES AT ALL TIMES WITH YOUR FIRST LASER ! OR ANY LASER ABOVE 5mW !
6) read The forum !
7) have lots of fun ! XD

 

[ArtemasAD]

Do I introduce myself here? :angel:

じゃ、よろしくおねがいします～

You can call me Arty. I'm 32, love gadgets, Japanese wife, MBA degree, 2.5 year old daughter that I'm trying to train her to be technologically competent at least as me. Currently located in Cincinnati, OH. I'm sick of winter already! I just recently got promoted, so I want to buy myself some gadget gifts - something I'm trying to get myself into. The latest gadget that I'm proud of is a flashlight.. hehe.

I believe the only laser pointer I've ever owned is equivalent of 5mW (though advertised 20mW on Amazon). If I were to get either 30mW or 50 mW, and let's say use laser pointer casually during the warm spring nights just to point at the sky, do you still insist that I get some kind of safety glasses? I am mature enough and know enough not to point laser pointers at anyone's eyes, or anywhere close to them.

I'd love to buy laser from members, but I personally don't know what to look for, best method to make transaction, and to figure out which member is reputable. If anyone or Mr. Tsuchiya-san don't mind guiding me through this journey to the realm of laser, I'd greatly appreciate it. :bowdown:

 

[RYDorDIE278]

Hello there and welcome to LPF! feel free to click on different sections on the main page and read The stickies at the top of each section, also use the "LPF Search" option to get information/ answer your questions - alot of your first questions will be answered somewere here in the forums,
Some of us may be very firm in our responses and others maybe very helpful here, so please try to help yourself before asking for help,

anyway... I hear you saying you want a 30-50mW laser, so the most visible wavelength(colour) is green! which is is the middle of the visible spectrum, red and blue are slightly less visible and are at the start and end of the visible spectrum, so if you had 50mW red, 50mW blue and 50mW green, you would personally think that the green has more power output, you should get a green laser as your first, the most common wavelength in green ATM is 532nm, BUT you should get you some safety glasses FIRST and you need to make sure they are suited to the laser you are going to purchase(different safety glasses for different laser colours)

tried not to be technical as you are new but i hope that helped in some way!

 

[ArtemasAD]

I believe this looks like a good start... LP 515nm 532nm 1-150

$30 for a 50mW laser doesn't sound too bad. Though $13 for shipping! I'm trying not to be a cheapo, but I guess I'll try to browse around for a coupon before I finalize the payment.

 

[Lotus_Darkrose]

also for $40USD you can buy a 100mW green from "SCI-FI Lasers" not sure about shipping but i would highly recommend the 100mW from Sci-Fi-Lasers

1. Sci-Fi Lasers has that listed for 49.99 USD, not 40.
2. It is currently listed as sold out.
3. He posted a link to LaserBTB which we are also currently recommending.

I would recommend going with LaserBTB. It's affordable, and if you go any cheaper in that advertised power, it's most likely going to be a complete gamble. And if you aren't sure if you can afford 40-50 USD, then you definitely can't afford to be ripped off by an untrusted seller.

 

[RYDorDIE278]

1. Sci-Fi Lasers has that listed for 49.99 USD, not 40.
2. It is currently listed as sold out.
3. He posted a link to LaserBTB which we are also currently recommending.

I would recommend going with LaserBTB. It's affordable, and if you go any cheaper in that advertised power, it's most likely going to be a complete gamble. And if you aren't sure if you can afford 40-50 USD, then you definitely can't afford to be ripped off by an untrusted seller.

cheerZ for the fix on my post ! *deleted*

 

[ArtemasAD]

Thank you so much, you guys are very kind and helpful!

For my purpose, I probably don't need anything beyond 50mW. If I can ever find a coupon, I think I'll go with LaserBTB's 50mW plus IR Filter. I take it that if I only point at the sky and don't look directly into the dot, I will be okay without Safety Goggles?

I just check the laser I had earlier that is now broken - "100mW" cheap Chinese laser pointer from Amazon or eBay that I paid about $20. I recall being able to see the beam very clearly in a decently lit room. Since it was visible, does that mean I really got something 50mW or higher?