Laser for Newbee

[Johnyjackpot]

Hi, I am interested in a laser just for fun! Enjoy my 1200 lumen flashlights reach and someone suggested that a laser might be fun. Budget is not too critical, and would just like to light up far away objects (I know not people and I would need to be careful). Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[gcbryan]

A 5mw green laser pointer is good for playing around. You can see the beam itself at night.

You need to read up on them a bit regarding safety issues and legal ones as well.

I got one for $40 that arrived DOA and was cheaply made. I returned that and found a better one for $20 and it's been good from what I use it for. I tried to find where I got it but all I can remember is the dealer with the overprice DOA laser come up in a Google search from Calif and the place I ended up going with was in Florida.

Both were fairly large dealers I believe.

 

[Johnyjackpot]

Thanks. How is wicked lasers reputation?

 

[gcbryan]

I think it's good, just expensive and overkill for what I was looking for.

 

[SmurfTacular]

Thanks. How is wicked lasers reputation?

Wicked Lasers (WL) has a impeccable reputation, known for its high quality, exotic design, and powerful output. But it comes with a hefty price tag.

I got a 180mW Evolution pro. It averages at about 160mW, and max's at 180mW. easily capable of burning most things. And the beam at night time is absolutely unbelievable, more like a neon rope. WL is also completely legal. Because it complies with all FDA laws regarding lasers. The Evolution Pro cost about $530.
If money is no issue I strongly recommend WL.

But

If you dont have $500 to spend on a laser, then I'd go with a $25 50mW laser from LEDshoppe.com. Here is a link to a x2 AAA green laser pointer that outputs about 50mW. Not the best quality laser pointer, but it is pretty cost effective. Also, it has a sensitive duty cycle, meaning don't leave it on all the time, give it a 10min grace period for every 20min of use, otherwise it would most likely burn out. Also, dont point at your eyes or anyone else's eye or face area, laser does not have a IR filter.

NOTE: 99% of laser pointers greater than 5mW are illegal in USA. Buy at your own risk. IMO you should be fine with buying a 50mW, just do not point at a plane, helicopter, police officer, or strangers, that will get you in big trouble

 

[Apollo Cree]

I bought 4 of these $20 green lasers for gifts at Christmas:

http://www.jasperlaser.com/index.php?/shop/details/7

They all worked OK as far as I can tell. They seemed to all put out about the same amount of light as each other and my other 5mW green laser. The beam from the laser was not very precisely aligned with the body of the pointer if that matters for your application.

 

[gcbryan]

If you are just playing around with it I can't see why anyone would want one more powerful than 5mW. I have one and can't see as far as my laser will point so getting anything more powerful to me just increases the danger with no real purpose.

 

[SmurfTacular]

If you are just playing around with it I can't see why anyone would want one more powerful than 5mW. I have one and can't see as far as my laser will point so getting anything more powerful to me just increases the danger with no real purpose.

Once you get a 50mW or higher you would understand. :thumbsup:

 

[Johnyjackpot]

Thanks everyone!

 

[gcbryan]

Once you get a 50mW or higher you would understand. :thumbsup:

Ah! That must be when you learn the secret handshake.

 

[SmurfTacular]

I bought 4 of these $20 green lasers for gifts at Christmas:

http://www.jasperlaser.com/index.php?/shop/details/7

They all worked OK as far as I can tell. They seemed to all put out about the same amount of light as each other and my other 5mW green laser. The beam from the laser was not very precisely aligned with the body of the pointer if that matters for your application.

None of them are, not even my Wicked Laser is correctly aligned. :duh2:

 

[DrQuantum]

Well if you do decide to go higher bear in mind the safety costs.
Goggles can go upwards of 40$. Though its worth every penny.
Those stray reflections come when you least expect it.

 

[HobbyLaser]

I would recommend the DX True Series 5mw pen-style. They are quite bright, have a nice sturdy feel, and are well-known as one of the few green lasers that can be successfully pot-modded (if you know what you are doing ).

They are also one of my favorite lasers. My first greenie was from eBay, and I was a bit disappointed in the beam brightness. Then I got one of these puppies, and WOW, what a difference!

They are also about 1/2 the price of the Jasper laser mentioned above, and that includes free shipping.

Once you get a 50mW or higher you would understand. :thumbsup:

Ah! That must be when you learn the secret handshake.

50mw is the "magic" number for green. When someone sees a 5mw green, they may think it's "interesting". But when someone sees the beam on a 50mw green at night for the first time, the almost-universal reaction is...

WOW!!! I GOTTA have one of those!!!

A greenie in the 50mw range is how many ppl get "hooked" into the addictive hobby that is lasers.

 

[Shreknow91]

Wicked Lasers (WL) has a impeccable reputation, known for its high quality, exotic design, and powerful output. But it comes with a hefty price tag.

I got a 180mW Evolution pro. It averages at about 160mW, and max's at 180mW. easily capable of burning most things. And the beam at night time is absolutely unbelievable, more like a neon rope. WL is also completely legal. Because it complies with all FDA laws regarding lasers. The Evolution Pro cost about $530.
If money is no issue I strongly recommend WL.

But

If you dont have $500 to spend on a laser, then I'd go with a $25 50mW laser from LEDshoppe.com. Here is a link to a x2 AAA green laser pointer that outputs about 50mW. Not the best quality laser pointer, but it is pretty cost effective. Also, it has a sensitive duty cycle, meaning don't leave it on all the time, give it a 10min grace period for every 20min of use, otherwise it would most likely burn out. Also, dont point at your eyes or anyone else's eye or face area, laser does not have a IR filter.

NOTE: 99% of laser pointers greater than 5mW are illegal in USA. Buy at your own risk. IMO you should be fine with buying a 50mW, just do not point at a plane, helicopter, police officer, or strangers, that will get you in big trouble

About Wicked... I have only ever heard BAD things about them, overpriced, underpowered, poor quality control, customer service, etc... be warned....

 

[entoptics]

+1 on the $25, 50 mW green from LED Shoppe. Google "LED Shoppe Coupon" for a 10% discount. It puts an obvious spot on my work building from a GoogleEarth measured 0.6 miles at night. That's in a small town, with a decent amount of ambient street lights. In the "wilderness" I would imagine it would be easily seen at more than a couple miles.

Indoors, a 5 mW green from LED Shoppe doesn't seem hardly any dimmer, but when you try it outside, there's a pretty noticeable difference.

In broad daylight, the 50 mW laser will put an obvious dot on a white surface at 100-200 yds.

As mentioned. BE CAREFUL. Lasers are like blowguns, BBs, and knives. Toys? Maybe...Dangerous? Certainly.