Some Questions

[BakeRolls]

Hey out there.
I am a 18 year old Austrian and i am very interested in lasers.
I don´t own any stronger lasers than a normal red laser pointer for Power Point presentations.
I was searching very long for a laser which can burn something and i wanted to buy a laser from wicked lasers, but i read that thease lasers weren´t very good.
So i wanted to ask you which laser from which company is adequate for a beginner?

I hope you can help me and sorry for my english i am not the best in english.

 

[LaZeRz]

Hey and welcome to lpf well you can get a really good and cheap 100mw green from rayfoss.com or o-like.com

But you MUST have safety glasses for pretty much anything over 20mw and they still would help with lower powered lasers

 

[BakeRolls]

Ok thank you very much :thanks:

 

[alf638]

I also reccomend trying some weak ebay lasers of diffferent colours just to get used to them first. After this try a green like this www.rayfoss.com or this . As green is the most visible colour to people. A 200mw green is alot brighter than a 200mw purple, but both are just as dangerous to your eyes.
After you are used to high powered lasers like those greens try out one of these.
Remember this one will not seem as bright as a green but not only is it more powerful, but purple is a better colour for burning with(I don't recomend it as a first laser though).
After you have tried a few lasers like this you should start building your own, here are a few links you might find useful. "]This and this
These glasses will work for blue and green lasers but you will still need to buy some for red and IR (infrared), lasers.
As a first build I recommend a loc red laser or a phr purple one(search the forum for more info). After this maybe an a-140 blue one.
Sorry if I have just bombarded you with imformation, I guess I just like to help people.
So welcome to the forum and this hobby I hope you enjoy it.

 

[BakeRolls]

Thank you for your advise.

Do you think some gadgets like these kaleidoscopes are cool/usefull ?

*Edit*
Can I see the ray from a 100mw green laser (without smoke) ?
Does these safty goggles pretect me from every laser ?

 

[alf638]

You will be able to see the beam from a 100mw green in a dim room and at night it will be brilliant. Those glasses will protect from everything but red, yellow and green lasers so I recommend the ones I linked to. The kaleidoscopic bits and pieces you linked to are very cool, they can produce a multitude of awsome effects.

 

[BakeRolls]

What does happen if I accedently point the laser on my hand ?

 

[alf638]

With a 100mw green, at the focal point you will feel warm, maybe a pin prick. If it is on dark skin such as a freckle it will feel like a pin and leave a small (tiny), burn mark. The same will rarely if ever happen exept on dark skin with a red or IR laser as the absorbtion of the light increases as the wavelength decreases.
Anything with a wavelength under 400nm can cause cell damage and increase the risk of skin cancer but don't worry green is 532nm so you will be alright.
In short as the stuff I have written is quite technical; you may feel a slight pin prick and/or heat but it will not damage you so don't worry.

 

[BakeRolls]

Oh ok.
But whats about 405nm blue lasers?
The difference between 400nm and 405nm is very small, so can these lasers cause skin cancer?


Do you know how long it normally takes o-like.com to send me the laser (normal shipping) ?

 

[alf638]

I live in Australia and it took about three weeks for me to get my laser.
Also, at worst a 405nm laser would be the same as being in the sun for to long and getting mild sun burn. With all but the very high powered ones you will be alright, just try to limit exposure to the beam and you will be okay.

 

[BakeRolls]

Is this laser focusable?
Does focusable and adjusteble mean the same?
The info says that the laser is adjustable, but sometimes the info says that it is focusable (other lasers)

 

[Kansas Outcast]

Focusable and adjustable can mean the same thing it look like this laser is one that you can focus the beam, some "adjustable" lasers might also mean that you can adjust the power of them which I would only do that on one that has been made your self or a DIY(Do It Yourself) build.

 

[alf638]

Yes, as kansas outcast said focusable and adjustable mean the same thing when purchasing most lasers. I can also tell that this is a focusable one as I can see the focusing ring, also if you happen to buy this laser I commend your choice of not going overboard on the power for a first laser and using a good company.