Poll: what was your first laser and what year did you get it?

[Antharak]

So what was your first? Make/model, how much did it cost?

I thought age would not mean much so I went with year.

For me it was a <5mw HENE kit from Meredith Instruments, in 1993? can't be sure memory fading, but it was around then.
It cost me $125 and I bought a grab bag of parts for another $25. That was the fun part.

 

[Lolvo]

I've had several <5mW cheapies throughout the years, but my jump into real lasing came late last year.

Several months back, I was looking into Lazerer's Rifle series, until one came up for sale on the board here.

Picked up my 1.5W model for $240 then and there! That was December of 2012. And it's gotten more expensive ever since...

First laser in '93? Been doing it a while, haven't you? Haha, I was born in '93... :crackup:

 

[Livinloud]

My first laser was a cheap over-spec 532nm ekbay pen laser bought by my girlfriend but MY first purchase was a 105mW 532nm Lazerer stick

EDIT: all my lasers were bought this year

 

[norbyx]

First laser was a small laser pointer I got at an airport maybe arround 1998. It was a red laser pointer and I gifted it to my mother to play with her cats. Than from there I had other laser pointers, laser gun sights, and than I got my first 532 green laser. A chinese focusable sold to me as 500mw... (yeah I didn't know anything about lasers) and resulted to be a 30mw....

 

[Sigurthr]

1991-ish 0.5mW 670nm diode $170 + $90 driver.

 

[Mattronium]

Well, the first laser I got was a >5mW 660nm + 2 LED toy thing that I got at a gift exchange/trade, 2006 give or take a year or two

 

[Things]

Started off with the cheap red keychains around 2003-2004, then a few years later around 2006-2007 I bought a "7mW" (Odd rating indeed) 532nm pointer off eBay. Ahh, back in the days when laser laws weren't even conceived

 

[lasersbee]

Is it just me or is there no Poll...:thinking:

Jerry

 

[Antharak]

Is it just me or is there no Poll...:thinking:

Jerry

Well I could have listed every type of laser and every year going back 30 or so, but I felt this would work better.

 

[Pi R Squared]

My first laser was a red keychain about 5 years ago, I think in 2008 and it still works, doesn't look so good now on the outside but still works fine.

 

[Speedy78]

Years ago I remeber having a 3 button cell red pointer and thinking it was the brightest laser in the world. I had plans to use a lens and a "magic filter" to turn it into the worlds brightest flashlight.....

 

[Bacon]

I was in first or second grade (elementary school) and my father bought me a red laser pen that was much brighter than my red one I have now. The host took 2 AAA and had a speckled grey/black coating that felt almost like ceramic. It was very heavy and had a very quality dot. It also had a rectangular squishy rubber button. It blew me away as a kid and was roughly $25 at the time.

I remember the many warnings about how it could blind you, and I was so scared of it :crackup:

 

[Gun]

A little keychain laser from the $2 shop. It also had an LED on it I believe

 

[Laik]

Those cheap little red key chain ones about 8 years ago. I was about 6 and i begged my parents to get me one. As soon as i got home i ripped it out and fell in love with it. Then i lost it and then they got banned. But now i am back, filled with laser knowledge and keen to learn more and build MOAAHHH LAZAAAAAS!!!!!

 

[Blord]

My first real laser was the Sentorch. I had several green and red pointers before but they were mere toys.

 

[ped]

My first laser was back in 1989.

I was given a ten head scanner system to repair , 10 HeNe scanners (stepper motors!) and a control unit.

The guy 18 months before paid £35,000 .

Just power supply repairs & dry joints on the 5 pin DIN connectors. Charged him £500 for the repairs.

My first handheld laser was one of those new semiconductor (diode) lasers when they came out in '89-90 , bought a pointer from Radio Shack (Tandys in the UK) for £35.