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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Newbie - What should my first laser be? Safety?

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Mar 6, 2013
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Hello! I am Mesonychoteuthis and I am new to this forum, with some questions for you guys. I have been lurking for a while now and am interested in purchasing my first laser. I just want one for fun, to use at night for stars and to play with. I don't necessarily need to cut anything.

Here is what I like so far:
(they are cheap and seem good)

green laser

blue/violet laser

I like those, I think..
The only laser pointer I have owned was from a gas station. It was like $2 and came with a bunch of heads that made the laser a different pattern. As you guys can see I'm not looking for anything serious. Please let me know any recommendations.

ALSO! What safety precautions do I need to use? I love my eyes!!

-Mesonychoteuthis
 





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Dec 8, 2012
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Just make sure its that kind those ones are very powerful and reliable for the price. They are generally 20mW or greater. But I don't have any experience with Amazon so I can't really say for sure

Also violet is not very visible at all, I would go with the green one.

And at those powers you won't really need any safety goggles, just don't point it at people (which includes aircrafts and cars) or animals and make sure you shine it at least ~5 feet or so from people or animals.

Billy
 
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Feb 18, 2013
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Yes, violet is harder to see. The green will be much more visible. The upside of the violet is that it can cause fluorescent objects to glow like in black light.

With any laser, always be careful and try to avoid reflective surfaces.

Welcome!
 
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If your experience is anything like mine, you'll start out with cheap eBay pens, then use a magnifying glass to pop a balloon, which you realize is totally lame, so you decide you need MOA POWAA!
:lasergun:

Probably good to start out with weaker lasers though, till you learn to respect them like loaded guns, and educate yourself on the proper handling of one... Goggles are a must with any laser strong enough to impress....
 
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Joined
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If your experience is anything like mine, you'll start out with cheap eBay pens, then use a magnifying glass to pop a balloon, which you realize is totally lame, so you decide you need MOA POWAA!
:lasergun:

Probably good to start out with weaker lasers though, till you learn to respect them like loaded guns, and educate yourself on the proper handling of one... Goggles are a must with any laser strong enough to impress....
what about the ones on amazon that are 5mW? HERE
Any recommendations on a first laser? So from what I have gathered, green would be better than violet to start out.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
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Points
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what about the ones on amazon that are 5mW? HERE
Any recommendations on a first laser? So from what I have gathered, green would be better than violet to start out.

If thats the style you are after, then get one on eBay, as they are pretty much guaranteed to be overspec... The ones on amazon are usually overspec, but I think i've read of greater numbers on the eBay ones, and they are basically the same price ($4-$6 bucks depending on listing, even from the same seller, but they are all the same... look for ebay seller truevalue)

Really, its probably a good starter since its 5 bucks, so no loss basically if you decide thats all you want. If you DO end up deciding you want to dive into the hobby, start with building a 532nm laser (green), modules are cheap if you keep the power 50-100mw, and you have tons of hosts to choose from. Personally I like the feel of the host in the pictures in my signature, but thats the beauty of the hobby, you can build a laser into practically anything if you are brave enough to try it....

Edit: and get some goggles... you can get a cheap pair for under $8 bucks on amazon... cant get eyeballs that cheap....
 
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