newbie in the UK

[davey696]

Hey All,
My name is dave and i have just started learning about lasers.
My only experience with lasers is one i had as a kid.
I'm looking to buy my first high powered laser but i don't want to spend big money on one. I would also like to be able to modify it at some point and increase the strength/change colour etc.
If anyone can reccomend a good CHEAP site then i would much appreciate it.
I am looking at the focal price 100mW 650nm Red Laser Pointer (Black) sku:LP215B and also chinavasion.com Ultra Power 200mW Green Laser Pointer + LED Torch Light.
If anyone has had any experience with any of these could you please comment on quality etc.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[HIMNL9]

Welcome to the forum !

Please read FAQ and don't forget about safety, playing with lasers

 

[aryntha]

Davey, Recently there's been some talk of a decent ~50mW laser on focalprice.com for about $14; (Note, usually Focalprice isn't very good but this is one of those rare situations...) I can show you that link (or you can search for it) -- Or you can look at o-like.com, a very well rated vendor around here.

But, just before going forward; You are aware of the dangers involved in high powered lasers, right?

 

[Morgan]

Hey davey696 and welcome to LPF!

I'm in the UK too!

There are plenty of reviews in the aptly named, 'Reviews', section that may cover those specific models. Also look in the, 'Companies', section, (I think I remember seeing a chinavision thread recently). As HIMNL9 mentions, you should also be including safety googles in your budget as you will NEED them for those power lasers.

The cheapest way to go is often to build your own so if you're looking for parts then there are plenty of people available to help on the site, myself included.

Do some, "searching", and have a good read of other info too. (Apparently a google search can be quite an efficient way to find things on this site.) It might save you having to ask!

Above all, have fun. But responsible fun!

M

 

[davey696]

hi,
Thanks aryntha that link would be good, I have done a fair bit of searching on google and from that have found various companies selling massively expensive lasers. I am looking to spend around £40ish on a laser/kit.
Morgan, how much would you sell me a kit for?(inc p+p) i don't know exactly what parts i'd need i know i'd need host,driver,heatsynch and diode and a power source but i don't know how to go about finding the individual bits that would work well together. I am quite a competent solderer(if that's a word lol) as i did electronics at school.
I am well aware of the dangers involved with lasers and how to/not to operate them. I have looked at the suggested sellers list, that is where i got the focal site from.
Thanks for all your replies and help so far,
Dave

 

[davey696]

BTW, aryntha i have looked on the focal price website for the one you have mentioned and there is 3 or 4 that look exactly the same but are priced a few cents apart, if you could supply the link or exact price that would be great.
Dave

 

[Greenmechanic]

Welcome to the forum.
Go with O-like, for 40 GBP, you almost could buy a red and green hi-power.
I have a GREAT! FP laser, but it is a crap-shoot with them.