Power meter in Denver? 200mW Green for $48 - REALLY?

[TyCo]

Hi All,

I'm a noob to the hobby of lasers and just got my second laser. It's supposedly a 200mW green, but I got it off of Gadget Town. Compared to my 50mW pen it def seems more powerful. It'll cut black tape from a few feet away (albeit slowly) and pop balloons from several feet away too, but I doubt it's really 200mW.

More to my point, I was wondering if there are any members in the Denver area that have a LPM that I could use to measure the power of this laser? I can't afford to get my own meter and it would be GREATLY appreciated!!! I'll come to you, at your leisure....

Thanks in advance!

P.S. The laser I got, I do believe was a killer deal at only $48!! It's seems to be a tough build and has some power. Correct me if I'm wrong... Is a weak "burning" laser a good deal for $48? Seems like it.

 

[Meatball]

Some of the Vets here are usually willing to test any laser's output for you, at the cost of shipping. Some of them are as close as Iowa, or there are a ton in Southern CA you may contact.

 

[TyCo]

Thanks for the info, I'll take a look around and see if I can find someone to meter it for me.

 

[Ash]

It sounds to me like it is about 50-70mW.
You could do a sort of "power-test" using a match, a sharpie, and a magnifying glass.

If you can't light a (sharpied) match with the laser a few inches away, it's probably less than 100mW.
If you can light a match using a magnifying glass to focus the laser at a few inches, it could be as low as 50mW, likely ~65mW. :beer:
note: when burning up-close with 532nm, laser safety glasses are mandatory

 

[TyCo]

It'll light a colored match in around two seconds from around 3 inches away. This is the first time I've timed and measured it. Right now I've got a 3v CR123 battery in it, it came with a 3.7 volt and that seemed to be much quicker (would light a match pretty much instantly from a couple inches). How much power would you estimate that to be?
Thanks for your help too!

 

[Greenmechanic]

You might have gotten lucky and received a 120-150mW. But the next one you order (off of the same site) might output only 50mW.
It is the luck of the draw.

And, yes, a "weak" burning 532nm (120-150mW) for $48 is a good deal, if it lasts any time at all. A lot of these hot modules have very short lifetimes.