Hey everyone. I'm a total noob to lasers and I need some help finding one. Basically all I'm using it for is fun. Pointing it up in the air, waiving it around, etc. (meaning I also want a visible beam if they exist). I also saw on youtube that you can pop balloons and light matches and such with some high powered ones, definitely want to try that.
As for mW, I can afford about 130 dollars for one of these max. and I'd like to get the highest one for that money (so long as I'm not sacrificing other attributes). I also want to keep it legal though, I read it is illegal for a regular joe to carry a laser above 25 mW (using the word "carry" loosely; I probably won't take it out in public often), is this true? I'm also under 18, not sure about any laws with minors and lasers? In addition, I read there is a 5 mW cap on out of U.S. imports, so it needs to be shipped from inside the U.S. if this is true. I also saw beam divergence on a lot of the specs, what is this and will it make a difference for what I want to use my laser for?
As far as additional features, some kind of "dimming" feature would be nice, so I can pop a balloon and play with my cat using the same laser, but it is NOT a deciding factor, I can pick up a 1.00 dollar laser at a yardsale to play with her. Also maybe some cool tips or adjustable focus/lens type of thing would be cool, but again, not a deciding factor. Lastly, I've seen some lasers on youtube and pictures that (at least give the impression that they) can turn into a flat, wide beam, or a line when shined on the ground which would be nice. It's not a heart breaker if I have to use a dot though.
Quality wise, I just want it to play around with for the most part, so I don't need a expensive professional elite thing, but I don't want a really crappy one that will break a week after the 90 day return period is up ether. I noticed some websites have a lifetime in hours listed for the laser, not sure how much that varies, but I want to get my money's worth out of it.
I chose green only because it is my favorite color, but if there are better deals or you recommend a different color, color isn't a deciding factor (I'm not picky). Like I said, my budget is about 130 dollars, give or take. Links/models of specific lasers would be preferred, but any help is appreciated. That's all I can think of at the moment, other than anything else you think I should know.
Thanks,
Zach
As for mW, I can afford about 130 dollars for one of these max. and I'd like to get the highest one for that money (so long as I'm not sacrificing other attributes). I also want to keep it legal though, I read it is illegal for a regular joe to carry a laser above 25 mW (using the word "carry" loosely; I probably won't take it out in public often), is this true? I'm also under 18, not sure about any laws with minors and lasers? In addition, I read there is a 5 mW cap on out of U.S. imports, so it needs to be shipped from inside the U.S. if this is true. I also saw beam divergence on a lot of the specs, what is this and will it make a difference for what I want to use my laser for?
As far as additional features, some kind of "dimming" feature would be nice, so I can pop a balloon and play with my cat using the same laser, but it is NOT a deciding factor, I can pick up a 1.00 dollar laser at a yardsale to play with her. Also maybe some cool tips or adjustable focus/lens type of thing would be cool, but again, not a deciding factor. Lastly, I've seen some lasers on youtube and pictures that (at least give the impression that they) can turn into a flat, wide beam, or a line when shined on the ground which would be nice. It's not a heart breaker if I have to use a dot though.
Quality wise, I just want it to play around with for the most part, so I don't need a expensive professional elite thing, but I don't want a really crappy one that will break a week after the 90 day return period is up ether. I noticed some websites have a lifetime in hours listed for the laser, not sure how much that varies, but I want to get my money's worth out of it.
I chose green only because it is my favorite color, but if there are better deals or you recommend a different color, color isn't a deciding factor (I'm not picky). Like I said, my budget is about 130 dollars, give or take. Links/models of specific lasers would be preferred, but any help is appreciated. That's all I can think of at the moment, other than anything else you think I should know.
Thanks,
Zach
