Seeking <5mW Lasers

[Zeke]

Howdy Forum,

I'm seeking the opposite of what most of y'all want: I need low power lasers. Lasers that I have purchased from Ebay, although marked at less than 5mW, have been any sort of power. Some were as high as 75 mW. (We have a laser power meter.) That's no good for me or the teachers that I work with.

Of course, cat toy lasers tend to be lower powered, but they only come in red and use button cells. My teachers would much prefer AAA-powered lasers, and they'd like red, green, and violet. (Well, they'd also like blue and yellow, but we're realists.)

I'd like to pay less than $10 per laser. Do you have any ideas where I could purchase lasers less likely to char student eyeballs?

Thanks in advance,

Zeke

 

[paul1598419]

Violet lasers are usually 405nm ones. These are very close to UV, so they aren't very bright at all. If you got one under 5 mW it would be barely visible as a dot. I think you will find true 5 mW laser pointers are more expensive than the eBay ones you have gotten.

 

[BowtieGuy]

Like Paul mentioned, in most all cases, a guaranteed <5mW laser will cost much more.
An example would be this 5mW 532nm laser from Optotronics, it is certified to be 5mW, but it costs a hefty $29.95.

Edit: Here is a <5mW 593.5nm yellow laser pointer for you to dream about ....just slightly over your price point!

 

[Anthony P]

More Incredible Stuff - Optics - Lasers / Fiber Optics & Misc - American Science & Surplus

Surplus hobby lenses, fresnel lenses, cleaners, soft microfiber cloths and a whole lot more! Surplus prices on lenses, prisms, and more! Save on eyepeices, binoculars, magnifiers and high-quality microscopes!

www.sciplus.com

Good company. I deal with them often. Many classroom items besides just lasers.

 

[Zeke]

Thanks everyone for the help. It is a little bit of bummer that it is easier to get high power lasers than lower powered ones, but I guess that I'll have to adapt.

And someday I'll get that yellow laser.

Z

 

[Sunny17]

I have this thing I bought while I was in China several years ago.

It takes 2 AAAs and is about 12cm long.
It claims 5mw but I have no way of measuring it. It is about the same brightness as those button cell dollar store pointers.
I don’t need it anymore because I’ve moved onto more powerful lasers.

If you want it, I can ship it to you from Vancouver BC (CAN). Should be about $5 shipping to the United States.

 

[Gaidzahg]

Good company. I deal with them often. Many classroom items besides just lasers.
[/QUOTE]

I'm in the same boat the OP is in, and I'd like to chime in to say avoid American Science & Surplus for this purchase. I've bought other stuff from them before and it turned out fine, but in this instance it was a fiasco. I bought a green AND a red laser pointer from their site, and regret it. The green one in particluar looked and performed EXACTLY like the green pointers sold on eBay—which is to say within two weeks in worked sporadically and weakly at best. Even letting it warmup made no difference. In fact, the only difference I can see is that I could've been ripped off on eBay for about 1/3 the cost.

 

[hakzaw1]

Unless you want to pay way too much.
Such lasers do not exist.
I have a true 532 green pointer pen style it is EXACTLY 4.99 mW. it can be used to test/calibrate LPMs etc or in classrooms.
It retails for $140usd.


Looking only at the dot for short times of any $3 aaa pointer is more or less harmless.
BTW these NOW can had for $3 w/ free$hip and I got all three RG & V for $3
R was 59mW-G was 63 mW and the V was >100 mW. From ebay auction seller was blab1309.

The longest we can look at something bright is .25 seconds--then we close our eyes or block with hand etc

None are eye-safe if aimed into your eyes as our own eye's lens magnifies the power just like the sun and a mag glass,,no do ,,, no do!