Yet another First Time Buyer

[Fazor]

Hello All. First time post here. Looking to buy a Green Laser. Had some questions. Did some research on the site and got alot of my questions answered, except some real newbie questions.

What's the difference between a laser pointer/pen/torch?

If I don't want to burn... is the focusing option worth getting?

What I ideally want is a strong visible beam... is a torch best for this? I don't need any burning capabilities. Looking to spend up to $60 or so. I'd also like it to be safe to look at the beam without goggles or anything.

So what power/options are best for this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[GreenMachine]

Im a first time violet laser buyer. But i can tell you from having about 8 green lasers that even low powered once are very visible and amazing.

ive purchased 6 of the focalprice 50mw greens and they are GREAT at only under 20.00 a piece.

 

[Fazor]

Yeah, I just want to know if a "torch" is different than a pen or pointer.

Also after reading the safety section I'm almost a little concerned about getting a laser over 5mw. Maybe I'm over-reacting though.

If I plan on using this in my home just to play around what power should I get? I have 3 cats running around and I don't want to remove anything that's reflective. I also don't want to use safety goggles either. Maybe it's better to go lower power then.

I just want a strong beam that looks cool. What do you think?

 

[Jaseth]

A pointer/pen is generally a pen-shaped laser. These tend to be cheaper, have less heat-sinking, have no focusing, have only a momentary on/off switch, lack safety features and they are usually in the lower power range of <1mW to <200mW (though 200mW is still high power).
A torch tends to be the opposite - a wider torch (American: Flashlight) style laser. They often cost quite a bit more but they tend to have superior heatsinking, be more sturdy, be focusable and they are often found well into 300s of mW. Because of more space and more heatsinking, these are used for the highest power portable lasers, while they can also be used for weak ones.
There are many many other differences between the two, but most of them vary from laser to laser and you can figure a lot of it out just using logic.

If you don't want to burn, focusing is not a big deal.. I use focusing for three things which are not done as well with a laser stuck in infinity focus:
Burning (tiniest dot)
Testing fluorescence using a blu-ray (large dot)
Wider beam to make the beam more visible up close (small/medium dot)

If you just want to point at the night sky, have nice beams, etc. you don't need focus.

A 30mW or 50mW green pointer (532nm) will do nicely for a really good beam, and you can get them cheap (about $20). Personally I really prefer torch style lasers, but if you want something cheap, a pointer will do fine.
The main difference I find is that it is a pain to hold down the button on a pen-style all the time while using the laser, and often they are poorly constructed so you have to press the button down hard to get full power.

If you don't look directly at the dot close up, a 30mW or 50mW should not harm your eyes. A direct hit or strong reflection may however damage them!

Try searching for o-like, ledshoppe and buyincoins on the forum to find cheap dealers.

Seb

 

[Fazor]

Ok, thanks for the reply Jaseth. I've decided that the "torch" style is what I'd like to purchase then. Also agree that 50mw is probably the right power for me since I don't want to hurt myself, but also want a good beam. I plan on using this in my house and outside to point in the night sky.

So I've narrowed it down to these. Let me know what you think is best for what I'm looking for:

http://www.o-like.com/b2b_cpinfo.asp?id=1016
http://www.o-like.com/b2b_cpinfo.asp?id=1021
http://www.o-like.com/b2b_cpinfo.asp?id=1057

or Rayfoss I suppose:

Rayfoss
Rayfoss
Rayfoss

Although I think I'm leaning toward one of the O-Like ones since I read that bad review of Rayfoss. Anyway, let me know, thanks!

 

[Fazor]

Well, from the research I've done so far, I think I've decided to go with the O-like Tactical Ultrafire 50mw. I think this one looks the best. Someone stop me if I am wrong!

Thanks.

 

[Jaseth]

I would go for it.. it's pretty good looking, not too expensive and should do what you want it to do!

Seb

EDIT: 650nm post