Questions for purchasing my first laser.

[GR3EN]

Well I am new to the whole laser community and this site has a wealth of information I have been browsing through all day today (awesome website). So I have a few questions I didn't come across in all my reading today to help me with my first purchase. I'm looking to spend about $100-$130 on my first high powered laser. I know green lasers are more expensive per wattage it seems so I think those are more or less out of the question. So I guess my questions are as followed:

How much wattage in a red laser would I be looking at for that money?

If above 200mw where can I find one? (looked through the trusted cheaper sites)

If 200mw is about what I could afford. What is a better bang for the buck? Red or Blue/violet?

Any help would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

[Mohrenberg]

Build your own!
get a 445nm diode and build a 1000mW laser

You could easily accomplish it for $130

You'd have to go with the aixiz lens though...the other ones would put you over budget.

$50~ diode
$26 driver
$20 - some random direct diode heatsink
$10 host that goes with the heatsink?

you've got $24 left for a lens...

thats a very rough estimate on prices.

If your just wanting to buy a laser though, your not going to get anything near as good for the money..
you always get better bang for your buck if you can build you own.

 

[GR3EN]

I would agree it seems that's the case with most thing now a days (building your own) however I don't really believe I have the time or patience to build one and definitely probably don't have the necessary tools seeing as I just moved. That's a bummer. I suppose I will just go with a 200mW red laser from O-like seeing as they have some good recognition around here. Unless someone has an alternative. Thanks very much for the help.

 

[Mohrenberg]

lurk around in the buy/sell/trade section for a bit. for $130 you can come across some really good deals.

 

[GR3EN]

is there anyone who is well known here that I can contact directly about making one? or is it all pretty much they show up in buy and trade as they please?