Which O-Like 445nm to choose? 1W blue or 400mW green?

[LightBeamConcentrate]

These are a few of the questions I find myself asking as I try and choose which of these Johnsons to purchase! I will also be purchasing the appropriate safety glasses along with whatever laser I buy.

So I originally was stuck between the "Power Rock 1W Blue laser torch /Focusable/ waterproof, 445nm laser" at $152.99, and the "O-Like Crown upgrade 400mW green laser torch/adjustable/waterproof 532nm laser" at $205.99.

But now I see 2 more similar choices in blue, they are the "O-Like Tactical Real 1W 445nm Blue laser torch /waterproof /focusable laser" at $139.99(on sale), and the "O-Like Sharp High Power Blue laser 1W /Waterproof/focusable 650nm laser" at $155.99.

Whats most important to me is the ability to see it clearly at night outside or inside, and the ability to burn stuff is secondary, but it would be nice! So if they were BOTH 400mW the choice would be easy, because the 532nm green laser would be easier for the human eye to see, versus the blue 445nm laser at the same power level. But they arent the same power. The blue is 1W, so I dont know if that fully makes up for the fact that its 445nm wavelength is further away from the 550nm's that we are more easily able to see.

Will a 1W blue 445nm laser be as bright as a 400mW green 532nm laser? It would be nice if it was for 2 reasons. For one, its cheaper by $53 - $66. The second is that it probably burns better, although thats secondary to brightness.

So I went to Florida for vacation 2 weeks ago thinking that when I got back, I'd only have these 2 lasers to choose from. But now there's a 3rd one. Its the "Olike Tactical Real 1W 445nm blue laser, waterproof/focusable" laser. Its on sale from $169 to $139.99.:thinking:

Which of the 3 blue lasers would you choose, and then, which would you choose between the 1W blue and the 400mW green? Which will be brighter, but burn things well sometimes?

 

[LightBeamConcentrate]

Anyone?

 

[ElectroMagneticFreak]

Hopefully you realize you will absolutely need a pair of goggles with any of these you choose.

With blue there is also the "Blue Light Hazard" Are you aware of this?

With green you will also have residual and invisible IR which will mean you will need goggles that block this as well if you plan to use the laser for burning or using indoors. You could also get an IR filter.

All of these lasers you will not be able to use indoors unless you wear goggles as not only do you risk accidental reflection off of any shiny object, but simply viewing the dot on these lasers will damage your vision if used indoors as you will most likely be looking at the extremely bright dot at far too close of a range for the power you are thinking of getting. While wearing goggles indoors you will not be able to see the beam so probably the best way to enjoy the beam is to point it as somewhere safe outdoors like far away trees at night away from ANY plane traffic.


If you get the green you will need goggles like these:

Eagle Pair® 190-540nm & 800-2000nm Laser Safety Goggles

For blue lasers you could go for these since 445nm blue does not contain IR.

Eagle Pair® 190-540nm Slip Over Laser Safety Goggles

You could also consider a red laser for lighting matches since red does not contain IR and does not have the blue light hazard to be concerned about.

For the best visible beam go with the green but it is best to use it outdoors. You can use it indoors to enjoy the beam but only if you have the laser set up in a very safe way as in pointed at a beam stop that captures all the light produced by the dot. This could be like a curved PVC pipe with heat resistant paint over top steel wool inside the tube.

Best way is just to enjoy it outdoors unless you acquire the expertise and have a very safe and sturdy way to set up the laser so it or the beamstop does not tip over. Otherwise this could happen:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/hit-eye-1000mw-445nm-blue-laser-69469.html

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful, and I didn't tell you anything you already know.

 

[LightBeamConcentrate]

Hopefully you realize you will absolutely need a pair of goggles with any of these you choose.

With blue there is also the "Blue Light Hazard" Are you aware of this?

With green you will also have residual and invisible IR which will mean you will need goggles that block this as well if you plan to use the laser for burning or using indoors. You could also get an IR filter.

All of these lasers you will not be able to use indoors unless you wear goggles as not only do you risk accidental reflection off of any shiny object, but simply viewing the dot on these lasers will damage your vision if used indoors as you will most likely be looking at the extremely bright dot at far too close of a range for the power you are thinking of getting. While wearing goggles indoors you will not be able to see the beam so probably the best way to enjoy the beam is to point it as somewhere safe outdoors like far away trees at night away from ANY plane traffic.


If you get the green you will need goggles like these:

Eagle Pair® 190-540nm & 800-2000nm Laser Safety Goggles

For blue lasers you could go for these since 445nm blue does not contain IR.

Eagle Pair® 190-540nm Slip Over Laser Safety Goggles

You could also consider a red laser for lighting matches since red does not contain IR and does not have the blue light hazard to be concerned about.

For the best visible beam go with the green but it is best to use it outdoors. You can use it indoors to enjoy the beam but only if you have the laser set up in a very safe way as in pointed at a beam stop that captures all the light produced by the dot. This could be like a curved PVC pipe with heat resistant paint over top steel wool inside the tube.

Best way is just to enjoy it outdoors unless you acquire the expertise and have a very safe and sturdy way to set up the laser so it or the beamstop does not tip over. Otherwise this could happen:

http://laserpointerforums.com/f53/hit-eye-1000mw-445nm-blue-laser-69469.html

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful, and I didn't tell you anything you already know.

Thanks for bringing that up(blue light hazard) as I had heard about it, but I'd also read that it had been proven, and might not be true, but after reading more about it, I'm not willing to take the chance.

As far as blue lasers go, I think I'll skip them for now.

But green laser also have their problems with potential UV light being released, especially with lasers on the mid-priced and cheap end of the scale. So I'll have to read more about green lasers and learn more about which glasses I'll need.

Obviously I'll have to wear 532nm safety glasses, but will I have to wear a 2nd pair of UV glasses too? How do you wear both at the same time?

I think I'll buy either a Gamma ray laser or a millimeter wave laser!

Really though, I'll think about this a little more before buying something that powerful, and maybe I'll just step up to 200mW green or 250mW red for now.