Where can I get a real 5mW violet laser pointer?

[Ben321]

I've heard that most so called "5mW" 405nm lasers are actually not actually 5mW at all, but rather are using 50mW 405nm laser diodes to produce a visual approximation of the brightness of a 5mW red laser pointer. I've read that the 405nm wavelength is much dimmer than the 650nm or 630nm wavelength typically used in red laser pointers, so to approximate the same apparant brightness, the power level is increased for so called "5mW" violet laser pointers, and that is dangerous, because even if 50mW violet doesn't look brighter than 5mW red, it can still cause more damage to the eyes than a 5mW red laser would.

This brings me to the question asked in the title of this thread. Does any company actually make a true 5mW 405nm laser pointer? I'd think it would be really cool to use to illuminate a surface coated with a fluorescent (blacklight sensitive) or phosphorescent (glow in the dark) paint, because I bet that even if the violet light is hard to see with the naked eye, it would be able to activate a lot of fluorescent and phosphorescent paints and make them glow brightly. And I don't want to use a dangerous laser that's more powerful than advertised to do this experiment.

 

[Encap]

They are few a far between and not easy to find.
This company in Austria offers some actual 5mW pointers with Automatic Power Control (APC) --lowest cost version is about $45
http://www.roithner-laser.com/laser_pointers_405.html

 

[Ben321]

They are few a far between and not easy to find.
This company in Austria offers some actual 5mW pointers with Automatic Power Control (APC) --not cheap however.
LINK DELETED because I can't post links until I have 6 posts, even when I'm quoting somebody else.

I can't buy from them because they have no buy button, or even a price listed.
If you can point me to any other company that sells true 5mw 405nm laser pointers, please do so. That would be a great addition to my laser pointer collection.

 

[Unown (WILD)]

Some of the pen hosts have potentiometers on them where you can adjust the drivers output. You can reduce or increase the lasers output that way. 405nm is very dim especially at 5mw so keep that in mind

 

[RA_pierce]

Another option is to build one or have someone build one for you.
Approximately where are you located?

 

[Encap]

I can't buy from them because they have no buy button, or even a price listed.
If you can point me to any other company that sells true 5mw 405nm laser pointers, please do so. That would be a great addition to my laser pointer collection.

Perception problems notwithstanding.
Apparently you didn't look at the website or page I posted a link to or at least didn't look at the top of the page with links where there is a link called "Price List". lol
Links:

• Home
• Price List
• Order
• Contact
• Newsletter
• Links
• Exhibitions
• Legal Notice

405nm pointers are on page 125
There is a 132 page price list of everything they offer. http://www.roithner-laser.com/pricelist.pdf
There is an Order page link next to the Price List link listed at top of page also called Order http://www.roithner-laser.com/orders.php

 

[FireMyLaser]

How real do you want it to be? A proper 5mW laser should be regulated with optical feedback, otherwise will the power fluctuate significantly with temperature when running at such low power. Chances are this don't matter to you but worth mentioning.

 

[Ben321]

How real do you want it to be? A proper 5mW laser should be regulated with optical feedback, otherwise will the power fluctuate significantly with temperature when running at such low power. Chances are this don't matter to you but worth mentioning.

I would simply want to make sure it couldn't exceed 5mW, even if that meant having a typical output of only 4 mW (allowing for relatively large swings in optical output power, up to one mW). Constant wattage isn't important to me. If the diode was run with a cheap constant-current circuit, instead of the more expensive constant wattage circuit (with optical feedback), that would be fine with me. The cheaper circuit would make the cheaper pointer, and spending less money is good. I'm not using it for an actual professional scientific application, so constant optical output isn't as critical as having one at a lower price.

 

[Encap]

I would simply want to make sure it couldn't exceed 5mW, even if that meant having a typical output of only 4 mW (allowing for relatively large swings in optical output power, up to one mW). Constant wattage isn't important to me. If the diode was run with a cheap constant-current circuit, instead of the more expensive constant wattage circuit (with optical feedback), that would be fine with me. The cheaper circuit would make the cheaper pointer, and spending less money is good. I'm not using it for an actual professional scientific application, so constant optical output isn't as critical as having one at a lower price.

So make yourself one--perhaps for less that $45 that Roitner 405nm 5mW costs.
Buy a pen host here: http://www.laser66.com/html/PointerHost.html Buy a low power low cost diode w/o driver and a low cost driver you wrote about or module with driver for about $10 on Amazon and make one.
For a higher quality host see: LPF member Lifetime17 he can make anything you might want see: https://laserpointerforums.com/thre...t-sinks-focus-adapters-lasers.100082/page-133

You are splitting hairs about something that doesn't exist/is not offered commercially anywhere and based upon an imagined/imaginary product. There is there is no demand for what you are imagining at least not enought demand to bother setting up production for it--no money to be made/waste of time for a business to do. when they can do a lot better and actually make money with other pointers.

There really aren't any good quality 405mn actually 5MW pointers at least not that I can find in today's world other than the Roithner 1mW and 5mW pens.

 

[Ben321]

Perception problems notwithstanding.
Apparently you didn't look at the website or page I posted a link to or at least didn't look at the top of the page with links where there is a link called "Price List". lol
Links:

• LINK DELETED BECAUSE FORUM SOFTWARE WON'T LET ME QUOTE LINKS
• LINK DELETED
• LINK DELETED
• LINK DELETED
• LINK DELETED
• LINK DELETED
• LINK DELETED
• LINK DELETED

405nm pointers are on page 125
There is a 132 page price list of everything they offer. LINK DELETED
There is an Order page link next to the Price List link listed at top of page also called Order LINK DELETED

BIG THANKS to you for posting this. This is THE ANSWER to my question. None of the other "answers" people were posting in this thread actually answered my question. They all recommended I make it myself or live without it. You however, actually found a company that sells these, and at a cost I'd be willing to pay! $40 for a violet laser pointer is EASILY within what I'd expect to pay for one of these laser pointers. At least when they say it's 5mW, I KNOW it's 5mW, and not the 50mW that cheap Chinese knockoff companies are making. This may be the only company that makes these, as I've NEVER found them anywhere else (which leaves me wondering why this company makes them, or maybe a better question is why is it that other companies DON'T make them).

But I do have one question about their violet laser pointers. I notice that there are 2 versions of the 5mW 405nm laser pointer they sell. One with a safety interlock (like a professional lab laser) at just under $40, and one without a safety interlock (like a normal laser pointer) at just OVER $100. Why is the one with fewer features (missing the safety interlock) actually MORE expensive?

 

[Encap]

BIG THANKS to you for posting this. This is THE ANSWER to my question. None of the other "answers" people were posting in this thread actually answered my question. They all recommended I make it myself or live without it. You however, actually found a company that sells these, and at a cost I'd be willing to pay! $40 for a violet laser pointer is EASILY within what I'd expect to pay for one of these laser pointers. At least when they say it's 5mW, I KNOW it's 5mW, and not the 50mW that cheap Chinese knockoff companies are making. This may be the only company that makes these, as I've NEVER found them anywhere else (which leaves me wondering why this company makes them, or maybe a better question is why is it that other companies DON'T make them).

But I do have one question about their violet laser pointers. I notice that there are 2 versions of the 5mW 405nm laser pointer they sell. One with a safety interlock (like a professional lab laser) at just under $40, and one without a safety interlock (like a normal laser pointer) at just OVER $100. Why is the one with fewer features (missing the safety interlock) actually MORE expensive?

The more expensive one is made by CNI/China and is a CNI GLP pen---they charge what they charge for a GLP pen---very little demand for them not mass produced, made to order.

 

[Ben321]

The more expensive one is made by CNI/China and is a CNI GLP pen---they charge what they charge for a GLP pen---very little demand for themm not mass produced, made to order.

I think they must have some level of mass production or it would cost hundreds of dollars, not just over $100. Yellow laser pointers, for example, still cost almost $700. www(dot)laserglow(dot)com/product/rigel-hv-yellow-laser-pointer
Now at that price for a yellow laser pointer I can certainly see it being only a made-to-order product, but for a violet laser pointer being just over $100 to me suggests that they do mass produce them, but just in small quantities (maybe hundreds per manufacturing cycle, instead of 10s of thousands or more as with red and green laser pointers).

 

[Encap]

Stop trolling LPF with imaginings when you don;'t know what you are talking about.

CNI doesn't mass produce 405nm pens if fact CNI no longer even list any laser pointers of any kind as products available because it was and is such a small and insignificant part of their business.
Go find any business anywhere other than Roithner reselling CNI GLP 405nm 5 mW pens instead of making up a fairy tales about mass producing them for whatever nonsensical reasons.
I don't see anyone else anywhere offering CNI 5mW 405nm pens , do you? So assume that both supply and demand are nothing with nothing.

Be whatever as it may be, as a practical matter your question posed in the title has been aswered. Buy one, don't buy one, or make one. Those are your choices. It is of no significance or importance to anyone other than you which choice you make.

See the manufacturer CNI's web site and their wide array wavelengths and of products, real lasers in the world of lasers--pointers no longer included: http://www.cnilaser.com/index.htm

 

[Unown (WILD)]

BIG THANKS to you for posting this. This is THE ANSWER to my question. None of the other "answers" people were posting in this thread actually answered my question. They all recommended I make it myself or live without it. You however, actually found a company that sells these, and at a cost I'd be willing to pay! $40 for a violet laser pointer is EASILY within what I'd expect to pay for one of these laser pointers. At least when they say it's 5mW, I KNOW it's 5mW, and not the 50mW that cheap Chinese knockoff companies are making. This may be the only company that makes these, as I've NEVER found them anywhere else (which leaves me wondering why this company makes them, or maybe a better question is why is it that other companies DON'T make them).

But I do have one question about their violet laser pointers. I notice that there are 2 versions of the 5mW 405nm laser pointer they sell. One with a safety interlock (like a professional lab laser) at just under $40, and one without a safety interlock (like a normal laser pointer) at just OVER $100. Why is the one with fewer features (missing the safety interlock) actually MORE expensive?

Well excuse us, next time maybe we wont say anything at all