Outdoor daylight pointing - recommendations?

[TreeLaser]

I need a laser pointer for.....pointing. Not burning things, not light shows, just basic pointing, outside during the day. I need it to be bright enough to point way up into trees, yet safe enough that my clients and I don't need goggles.

I had a nice <5mW pointer, but I lost it. The Chinese cheapies I bought to replace it are terrible and embarrass me in front of my clients. I'd like something brighter than my first pointer, but want to be safe.

I'd appreciate your advice. As you can see I'm pretty clueless about this subject. Thanks for your help.

 

[NightExplorer96]

Welcome to the forums man,

If you want safety, 5mW is considered the MAX limit the human eye can take before taking any damage(as your blink reflex will close your eyelids in time). That being said, 5mW probably isn't going to be enough for what you are going to be using it for. Do you have a budget?

-Alex

 

[TreeLaser]

I'm wanting to keep it under $50 if possible.

As far as safety, would the eye react any differently outdoors? I figure the tests were probably done in a lab.

 

[NightExplorer96]

I'm wanting to keep it under $50 if possible.

As far as safety, would the eye react any differently outdoors? I figure the tests were probably done in a lab.

The eye would react the same in a lab as outdoor(as long as lighting is the same). Be aware at nighttime the eye dilates letting more light in, so more precaution's must be taken!

High Quality <5mW pointers:
https://www.laserglow.com/int-handheld.htm
Laserglow has some pretty neat 532nm pens but they are on the pricey side of things.

Ok Quality 5mw+ pointers:
LP 520nm 532nm 1-50
laserbtb isn't as high of a quality as Laserglow, but they do offer powers which may be more useful to you & you're audience. Of course, these are capable of causing damage before the previously talked about blink reflex, so be careful!

:yh:

-Alex

 

[GSS]

I'm wanting to keep it under $50 if possible.

As far as safety, would the eye react any differently outdoors? I figure the tests were probably done in a lab.

Hap gave 2 great links. I would also try Optotronics that you see listed in the good company section in the beginning of the forum. These look like the typical pen units but thats where it ends. Great customer service, every laser is sent with a graph, delivers in around 2 days in the US. all are IR filtered and will last you years with care. You can actually talk with the owner by phone and he should answer your needs.

 

[Laser Chick]

I have had tree trimmers/arborists purchase many of my green lasers for this exact application.
If you use it carefully to just point it up into tress to point at limbs/problem areas, up to a 75mW green laser is safe as there are no reflective items in a tree. Just be sure that there is not a tall building or aircraft behind the tree.
Green is the brightest color to the human eye and even though most trees are green the dot shows up very well.
Treat the laser as you would a loaded firearm and you will be fine.
Please remember that any laser over 5mW has the potential to harm eyes.
Therefore do not point it at reflective surfaces or items closer than say 20 feet without laser safety eye wear on as the dot is very bright.

Welcome to the forum :wave:

 

[GSS]

Oh yeah forgot about LC, and she also ships in 2 days

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

You're not going to find a combination that works well in daylight, and is completely eye safe.

If you want to be eye safe, laser has to be 5mW and even then, that just means the lasers is generally considered low powered enough that a normal person will blink before any damage occurs.

If you want to be able to put a green dot onto a tree, in bright sunlight, you're pretty much going to have to use a more powerful laser. ~50mW should be enough, but than as Laser Chick said, you will have to be careful, as it's definitely not eye safe, and not something to be left simply lying around.

 

[TreeLaser]

I have had tree trimmers/arborists purchase many of my green lasers for this exact application.
If you use it carefully to just point it up into tress to point at limbs/problem areas, up to a 75mW green laser is safe as there are no reflective items in a tree. Just be sure that there is not a tall building or aircraft behind the tree.
Green is the brightest color to the human eye and even though most trees are green the dot shows up very well.
Treat the laser as you would a loaded firearm and you will be fine.
Please remember that any laser over 5mW has the potential to harm eyes.
Therefore do not point it at reflective surfaces or items closer than say 20 feet without laser safety eye wear on as the dot is very bright.

Welcome to the forum :wave:

Thanks. I'm going to play it safe(ish) and not get anything over 20mW. Probably less. Trees can have shiny leaves, and I have to be careful about neighbor's houses.

Thanks for the info.

Iris

 

[Pman]

It's not sunny here or I would test out how much output of 532nm you really need. What color was the original laser you mention? Was it red so it easily contrasted?

 

[cake12345]

Have you heard of Optotronics? Great customer service. I have a 150mW pen from them and I love it! Try maybe a 5mW pen from them, it costs 30 dollars and usually overspec at 10mW. Honestly you need to get something over 5mW or else its too hard to see.

 

[TreeLaser]

My original laser was green, as are the two Chinese cheapies. I've got a red laser for my cats, but that's hardly visible outside at all.

My understanding is that green is going to be the most visible, despite the green leaves. Anyway, the laser green is a very different green than most trees.

My first laser helped a lot, it's so much better than saying "that branch on the left, no not that one, the one with the leaves......" It would be nice to be able to point things out well on bright days or in very tall trees. But no pointing is worth eye damage.

 

[TreeLaser]

Thanks to all of you. I'm going to check out the companies that you've recommended. It's great to get the benefit of your experience.

 

[Pman]

You don't have a location. Is it cold there? 532nm don't work well in the cold and need to warm up some for full output.

 

[GSS]

Yes Optotronics is great company but there 5mw is 4.99mw or a tiny bit less for legal reasons, now their others are a bit over spec but do come with an output chart. Treelaser you are going to need something higher than 5mw but your using it outdoors and yes there is always danger but saftey glasses are use "mostly" for indoor use with experimenting and burning. You can look at the beam from the side in most situations even indoor at times. Im guessing at least 50mw and you will be safe with common judgment and you opened the thread saying you had one that broke so you must have some knowledge. Talk to Jack at optotronics he will walk you through your needs and his lasers will last with care. You havent mentioned were you from or how quick you need this. If your in the US shipping from him is 2 to 3 days.....Edit yes to all Pman just said

 

[TreeLaser]

Coastal California. No cold or heat issues here.

We have a lot of broad-leaved evergreen trees, with dark green leaves and shiny surfaces. The shine could be a problem, but the dark green helps with visibility.

The tallest trees are all needle evergreens. Maybe two lasers would be best, one for shiny trees and cloudy days, and the other for the tall trees on bright days.