What laser should i get????????????????

[heyajbkid]

Hey im a total noob and for my first laser i want to do one DIY. I pretty much want something that can pop baloons(fun for parties[smiley=evil.gif])
so because i want to have it at places with people around i need itg to be as low powered that it wont blind somebody or hurt somebody but still be able to easily pop balloons within 1-5 seconds. All feedback is appriciated. also what color will be easiest/ most affective

 

[Murudai]

Well, if you can pop balloons it WILL be able to blind someone So you can't get away from that.

I'd suggest the DX200 http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11315 simply because it's the cheapest burning laser out there, and it works great. It isn't DIY, but it doesn't cost much more than you would pay for a DIY anyway. And if you aren't too confident with a DIY build, it's a great buy. Though you would want to be REAL careful in parties with that thing, really dangerous.

But don't just take my advice, see what other people think

 

[VW]

If price isn't an issue, I would say a 50mW green should be sufficiant to both pop ballons and impress your friends. The thing I find with red lasers is that while they have have incredible burning capability, they ugly as hell to look at (imo of course). Green lasers are both affordable and have high beam quality, so if you really want to impress, that's the route I would take.

 

[heyajbkid]

thnx for the info. the only reason i wanted to go DIY was so i could stuff it in an altiods tin as not to look suspicios. i guess i wont be taken to parties tough. my parants would freak. my dad wont let me getanything dangerous except paintball.[smiley=grin.gif]

 

[Petrovski]

Paintball is also quite hazardous for your eyes if you don't wear safety goggles. With the proper safety goggles operating a laser is safe. Taking a 200mW to parties to shine it around would be the same as firing a paintball gun at the same party.

 

[Murudai]

Taking a 200mW to parties to shine it around would be the same as firing a paintball gun at the same party.  

Unless you get safety goggles for everyone at the party

 

[Zom-B]

Well, if you can pop balloons it WILL be able to blind someone So you can't get away from that.

Too naive.

When you screw the lens almost out and fix it there, then the beam is collimated to a point at inches distance, but quickly diverges after that. It won't be dangerous for eyes more than a few feet away. The downside is that it can't be used for pointing things at a distance, hence people won't see it as a useful laser.


You could however fool your parents. If they ever ask about your new thing, you quickly screw the lens (kinda like a minimag) so it will look like a colored flashlight.

 

[heyajbkid]

Would a 50-100mw green be dangerous as the dx200

 

[Murudai]

[quote author=Murudai link=1211592829/0#1 date=1211593364]Well, if you can pop balloons it WILL be able to blind someone So you can't get away from that.

Too naive.

When you screw the lens almost out and fix it there, then the beam is collimated to a point at inches distance, but quickly diverges after that. It won't be dangerous for eyes more than a few feet away. [/quote]

That still means you can blind someone with it, they just have to be at the focal distance


And no, a 50-100mW won't be as dangerous as the red DX200 since it is lower power. UNLESS the greenies are spewing out IR, then they might.

But a 100mW green is a good idea. It'll be strong enough to pop balloons, but not too strong. It'll be green, so it is cooler and easier to see the beam, so that one would be a good option for you

 

[Razako]

If you focus the laser properly and point it at a balloon there isn't much risk involved. Even if the beam is reflected off something it will be expanding like a flashlight and pretty safe.
Of course the hard part is focusing it perfectly to avoid any danger.

 

[Petrovski]

On a party, I think the hard part is keeping the laser for yourself. If they see you pop a balloon with it, everybody would want to give it a try themselves I reckon.

 

[VW]

Would a 50-100mw green be dangerous as the dx200

No and yes... No because there are a few factors to concider, like power level, beam colour (different wavelengths damage the eyes more than others) and IR leakage. While green is the strongest colour, it doesn't hurt your eyes as much as red would, so in one way it would be safer. On the other hand, the DX 200mW (green or red?) will most likely have worse beam quality than say a good quality green (like the CNI pen for example), meaning while it's peak power might be high, it's average power will most likely drop to around 100mW anyway (this of course is more likely with the green than red).

If you got a 50mW green though which would set you back around $120, it will be a hell of a lot safer than the DX 200mW. It will pop baloons and maybe burn plastic a little, but as far as high powered lasers go, it's conciderably low powered. The beam will be visible at night/dark, but not so bright that it makes it blatantly obvious you have one. If you just want something to mess around with, that's what I would get. Don't do like I did and go all out, raw power (150mW FYI) as it's seriously limited in it's uses.

 

[heyajbkid]

thnx mabey my dad will let me get a 50 to 100mw one. Thnx for the info. I saw WL photonic dissrupter but its like 300$ or sumtin

 

[VW]

thnx mabey my dad will let me get a 50 to 100mw one. Thnx for the info. I saw WL photonic dissrupter but its like 300$ or sumtin

Go to either Dragon Lasers and get the Viper, or go to Nova Lasers and get the X-50 or whatever.  They're your best bets... 50mW really isn't all that powerful, it's quite bright and of course can blind you, but that's where responsability comes in...