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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Why do we buy lasers, will we get bored with them quickly?

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Apr 8, 2012
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I dont mean that thread title to start an argument or to upset anyone. Not at all. My concern is: What do you do with your new laser(s) to keep yourself from getting bored, so that the purchase didnt seem too frivolous? Here's why I ask this question:

I'd always been into gemstones since I was a kid after we stopped at a roadside gem store and do-it-yourself mining/panning spot in the N.C. mountains.

So years later, I decided to start buying and collecting faceted/cut gems, of every type/variety/color I could find. I hooked up with a few sources out of Thailand(colored gem hub of the world), and was able to buy stones at a small fraction of their value. But It was still an EXPENSIVE hobby, and took about 12 years or so, and I pretty much stopped buying them about 4 years ago. I had bought sapphires, emeralds, rubies, opals, tourmalines, rare garnets, kunzites, aquamarines, morganites, spinels, etc. I bought 2 large, flat trays with separate compartments for each stone with a clear lid.

It was cool initially, and it was fun to show it to people who got a kick out of it, especially girls/women, but as I spent more money and I realized it could be stolen and I'd be out a lot of money, I became worried about it. Now it sits in a safe deposit box in my bank, where nobody can see it, not even me. Even before I put it in the bank, it had become a bit boring. There's only so much excitement you can get from looking at them over and over. I'm not saying that I wish I wouldnt have bought them in the 1st place, as I love the collection, but it was money I couldve spent elsewhere on something more useful.

I got my 1st lasers last week, and they were really cool! I went out and shined them on trees, signs, buildings, etc. I take them out at least once each night to check them out. But its already starting to get a little boring.

I want to buy a 1W 445nm blue, and a 200-400mW 532nm green, but the 2 will cost around $360 from O-like, and much more if I bought them from a more "high end" laser supplier.

I really dont want to spend that money if I'm going to run out of interesting stuff to do with them in a matter of hours. So, I assume I am just too new to this that I am just not yet familiar with all the different stuff you can do with them. I have a few high-end, production LED flashlights, and they arent real cheap, but they do come in handy almost every day(night), so they are a more justifiable purchase to me.

I know there are probably many people here who have no such issues with their lasers, such as boredom or not being useful, because there are people here who build them and/or use them in their work or day to day activities. Plus, they probably buy enough parts that they get their own lasers for free or almost free after selling the rest. Therefore it all works out for them.

So what do you do to keep yourself interested in your laser purchases, and do you still find a use for them regularly, or do they wind up on a shelf unused after a little while?

PS: Sorry this thread was a bit long, I just didnt want to come off sounding like I was bashing the hobby in any way, and felt I needed to explain my point so nobody was offended.:thanks:
 





Things

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Assuming you mean handhelds here, but ...

IMG_2254.jpg


It has made me dead broke, but I'll never be bored of it :D

Dan
 
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The same could be said of anything really... I think that we as humans are always looking for the "next best thing" to keep our attention. Our likes and dislikes change over time.

Variety is the spice of life. The grass is always greener.

Anyone want to buy a buttload of Star Wars action figures? :D
 
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Lasers might be a phase for some, but not for me; I'll always have an interest in them. Granted, I only caught the laser bug 7 months ago, but I'm hooked for life! I just like being able to make a statement from a long distance away. I'll project my 5mW green at malls and down hallways and stuff, just to see people's reaction. Everyone gets a kick out of it. I ordered a powerful blue pointer from a forum member who builds his own, which I
just wanted for no particular reason. It'll be cool to aim into the night sky.
 
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Nov 4, 2011
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Well like any hobby you will have to dig a little deeper to find out what interest you. There are many facets to this hobby (pun intended). This is a great place to start digging.
 

dazza1

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i buy them because i like bright shiny things,always have done-probably always will,glow in the dark stuff was my first fascination but that was the 70`s!,hello everybody by the way,im a new boy.
 
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I think that this 'boredom' is what causes many of a lower intellect than the people on this forum to start doing stupid stuff with them :(

For me, the technology behind them is waaay more interesting than the finished item.

I've learned more about driver technology, diode specs and performance, battery technologies and heat sinking etc in the last few weeks and I keep finding more and more to learn about - I have a nice 1.4W blue laser that I have run for maybe 5 minutes total - turn it on, light a few matches from 15' away, throw a beam onto the desert mountainside, turn it off and never bothered with it again. But I'm still thinking about how I can combine multiple diodes into a more powerful laser which if built will probably go the same way - it serves no useful purpose other than me being able to say that I built it and I know how and why it works.

Just my opinion. YMMV
 

Ablaze

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I think a lot of people who buy simple laser pens have the same problem as you, LightBeam. I think the key is to use them for something. That's why I started making laser gloves, because it gives them a useful purpose and a way to have fun with them for years rather then weeks.

Some people use them for photography. You can make holograms with lasers (and through holograms understand more about how the brain works).
 
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This is a common problem. I really only use my pointers a couple of times a year.

I try to incorporate lasers into art projects. There are many things you can use lasers for in art. Its pretty much limited to your imagination. One guy made the wolds biggest clock from lasers. It was really easy, he just substituted the arms of the clock with laser modules that projected the beams far out.

If you go into the "DIY" social group you can find a few starter projects, along with some good info. Do a search for Spiro, Lumia, and Laser Projectors.
 
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My interest in and use of lasers is a bit atypical. To me and growing numbers of marine aquarists, lasers represent a new tool that can be used to control and in some cases eradicate certain invasive pest species.

They provide a new ability to manage a problem that has plagued aquarists since the inception of the hobby. Interestingly, many of the same debates on safety, licensing and regulation raging on LPM are occurring in the marine venues.
 
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Referring people to outside forums is a no, no here. Normally once or twice is over looked, but you are starting to do it a lot. So please keep that in mind.
 
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Referring people to outside forums is a no, no here. Normally once or twice is over looked, but you are starting to do it a lot. So please keep that in mind.
I did not realize that providing a link to a non-competing marine forum was a violation of terms. The link was to a thread focusing on developing the use of lasers and safety standards in aquaria. I would have thought LPF members would have appreciated the exposure as I and many others in that and other marine forums have been actively referring readers to LPF to learn more and as resource to purchase lasers. I myself have purchased and showcased 2 (soon to be 3) lasers through LPF.

I have removed the link you complained about and upon further thought, perhaps I should also remove all the links on the marine forums forwarding readers here so as to not violate their terms of use.

I think I will return to my side of the fence.
 
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Nearly all your posts are about reef aquariums. We get it, you're into it. You dont have to keep repeating over, and over, and over, posting the same links, and videos.
 
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I like light, me getting bored with lasers won't happen. I have been fascinated with lasers since my first lasarium in about 73 or 74 in San Francisco and have been hooked ever since.
 
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The more people that use lasers responsibly for varying purposes even if it is different than our own the better it is for us! :beer:
 
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