What was your first pointer?

[laserpointersarecool]

For me it was one of these keychain laser pointers with tips. I won it at a fair ("kirmes", as we say here in germany)

By the way, i found out that you can focus them by turning that black screw thingy that holds the lens. They,re not meant to be focusable but its possible.

 

[CurtisOliver]

Mine was a Refrakta/Maplin 1mW 532nm DPSS pointer. I still have it. It had photosensor power regulation that if you snipped the wires to it became unregulated at >1mW power levels. Could get 5-7mW out of it at its peak.

 

[Eidetical]

I got my first laser pointer as a gift in the mid-'90s. I think it was made by Apollo.



The first pointer I bought was this battery operated He-Ne made by RMF Products in the early '80s, bought after I first joined this forum.

 

[paul1598419]

My first laser, not a pointer, I got in 1980. It was a HeNe that I later used to make reflection holograms with. Got a < 1 mW red pointer for ~$2.00 back in the later 90s.

 

[Gryphon]

A portable HeNe in the shape of a pen is wild, I would love to have one of those.

My first laser pointer was from a pet store made for entertaining pets, although it entertained me more than anything. The day some junk got down the barrel and on the lens ruining it was devastating. I remember it vividly haha

 

[GSS]

My first pointer was around the late late 90's.
It was shaped like the cat key chain ones.. Thats where the similarity ended.

It was machined in very thick brass and so were the 40 or 50 or more bullet tips that it came with.
Each tip had a different logo to project on a wall whether it was a animal or a flower or heart etc.. It was a 650 to 660 red.
The whole kit was like $35 and well worth it.. I cannot find a kit of this quality today. Nice padded case with foam cutouts for every piece.

I bought it at a Gas Station/ Liquor store that also sold cartons of cigarettes. It was on the New Hampshire boarder.
It seemed like these New Hampshire stores only carried them..
I lost it over time..

 

[Laik]

My first laser was the same as yours, OP. That’s some nostalgia right there

 

[GSS]

Mine was a Refrakta/Maplin 1mW 532nm DPSS pointer. I still have it. It had photosensor power regulation that if you snipped the wires to it became unregulated at >1mW power levels. Could get 5-7mW out of it at its peak.

My first laser, not a pointer, I got in 1980. It was a HeNe that I later used to make reflection holograms with. Got a < 1 mW red pointer for ~$2.00 back in the later 90s.

Wow hard core tech lasers for your first
I thought everyone starting with the cat toy ones!

 

[CurtisOliver]

Wow hard core tech lasers for your first
I thought everyone starting with the cat toy ones!

Lol, no I went upmarket and got a DPSS greenie.

 

[kecked]

Mine was a red laser diode that did maybe 1mw. Came from radio shack I think and was couple hundred dollars. 80s? First laser was a bare hene tube I drove to death with no ballast on a neon sign transformer. Just got random flashes of dots and I was amazed. I just found that transformer few months back while cleaning out my mom’s house. It’s actually a bit scary.