# recommendations for a cheap and bright laser....



## herbeapuce

Hi. my coworker , who is now in his 70s, has put me on a mission to buy him the strongest green laser cheap money can buy. the thing would have to be under $25USD and run on AA, AAA or 9v, or maybe CR2 if it makes such a difference... Not for burning things, but for playing at night outside. ( he lives up north where it's Ok to use...) ... I'm pretty sure it will come from China ....
do you have something in mind for a decent model please ? 

thanks for your help

stef, Montreal.


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## etudiant

I'd think he would be very happy with a Sanwu green laser pointer https://www.sanwulasers.org/product/304green

Cost under $20, before shipping, ridiculously powerful imho, listed at 1000 milliwatt on my specimen. Comes with a screw on diffuser lens and has a keylock for the on/off switch, both sensible precautions imho, because this thing is NOT eye safe.

Only quibble, it runs on one 18650 battery, not included. That will probably add $40 to the bill for a decent charger and a couple of batteries.


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## Accutronitis

Sanwu lasers are some of the best money can buy !

BUT the laser in your link is rated at 100 milliwatt, not 1000 milliwatt because your not going to find a 1 watt green laser for even close to $20 i'm sorry to say.....


The laser in Sanwu power output test only got up to 80 milliwatts which is a LONG way from 1000 milliwatts !


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## etudiant

Accutronitis said:


> Sanwu lasers are some of the best money can buy !
> 
> BUT the laser in your link is rated at 100 milliwatt, not 1000 milliwatt because your not going to find a 1 watt green laser for even close to $20 i'm sorry to say.....
> 
> 
> The laser in Sanwu power output test only got up to 80 milliwatts which is a LONG way from 1000 milliwatts !





You are fortunate to have the tools available to actually measure the laser output. I don't think those are widespread.
And you are quite right that the Sanwu laser pointers are listed as having power in the 100 milliwatt range on their web page.
However, the unit they sent me is labeled as 1000 milliwatt. Of course the label and the actual power may be very different.

It honestly does not matter whether this laser is 100 or 1000 milliwatts, either way I'm pretty sure it is NOT eye safe. It is hugely more intense than the $20 laser pointers offered on Amazon.
It serves me as a tool to direct the view of nature watchers to some specific object or creature in daytime, something not practical with the 1-5 milliwatt pointers usually sold. 
The weaker units get lost in the sunlit fields while this Sanwu remains clearly visible.


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## Accutronitis

That isn't my test, That is Sanwu testing the laser model you bought so you can believe it's very close to 100mW power..... 

But there is a big difference between a 100mW 532nm Class 3B laser and a Full 1 Watt (1000mW) 532mn Class 4 laser as far as eye injury risk and severity ! 

*
Class 3B lasers are hazardous for eye exposure.
*Class 3B visible-beam lasers are medium powered, from 5 to 499 milliwatts. *A Class 3B laser can cause eye injury.* The more powerful the laser, the greater the chance of injury.
*Use of laser protective eyewear is suggested or recommended (*depending on the laser's power level)

*

Class 4 PREVENT EYE EXPOSURE*
Class 4 visible-beam lasers are high-powered, from 500 milliwatts and up. *A Class 4 laser can cause a significant eye injury if the beam, whether direct or reflected, enters the eye.*
Even staring at the diffuse reflection of a laser "dot" on a wall or other surface, may cause an eye injury within a few feet of the dot. *Do not stare at the laser "dot" when it is close to you.*
To prevent eye exposure, *always be aware of the beam location.* Keep it away from people's eyes and heads. Watch out for reflected beams from glass and shiny surfaces.


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## herbeapuce

Hi . thank you for the Sanwu suggestion. well since he doesn't have any other devices using 18650.... AA or 9V would have been simpler, 
Now I know he wants to be the king of the hill with the thing....told me his friend has one and he wants to beat him... 
If I have to buy 18650 it makes sense to also buy him a nice flood or zoomable torch, for cheap money, as usual...
I feed back for asking to many questions but can you also suggest a good and cheap torch, very bright plz. Not a pure thrower.
Some question for 18650, doesn't need to be Japanese or high capacity, just something decent...

thanks again
stef
ps keep the AA laser suggestions coming if you think of something plz.


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## Espionage Studio

Thank you for the cheap laser recommendation, going to pick one of these up.


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## etudiant

herbeapuce said:


> Hi . thank you for the Sanwu suggestion. well since he doesn't have any other devices using 18650.... AA or 9V would have been simpler,
> Now I know he wants to be the king of the hill with the thing....told me his friend has one and he wants to beat him...
> If I have to buy 18650 it makes sense to also buy him a nice flood or zoomable torch, for cheap money, as usual...
> I feed back for asking to many questions but can you also suggest a good and cheap torch, very bright plz. Not a pure thrower.
> Some question for 18650, doesn't need to be Japanese or high capacity, just something decent...
> 
> 
> thanks again
> stef
> ps keep the AA laser suggestions coming if you think of something plz.



I've been happy with the Thrunite TN 12, uses one 18650, compact and convenient, more a general purpose utility light than a thrower, about $40 on Amazon.
Nitecore offers both chargers and 18650s, about $50 for a 2 bay charger plus two good batteries, also on Amazon.

PS Sanwu ships by slow boat from China. Unless you throw $$ on high speed delivery, expect to wait a few weeks to get your unit. Mine came in a large brown manila envelope, no cardboard box, fortunately the thing is just a very solid metal tube.


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## herbeapuce

etudiant said:


> I've been happy with the Thrunite TN 12, uses one 18650, compact and convenient, more a general purpose utility light than a thrower, about $40 on Amazon.
> Nitecore offers both chargers and 18650s, about $50 for a 2 bay charger plus two good batteries, also on Amazon.



Thank you much for your help étudiant. I will check your suggestions.
Best to you !
Stef.


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## etudiant

Thank you, Accutronitis. That is a very helpful posting, it really should be a sticky on this forum. 
People disrespect lasers at their peril and at the peril of those around them. They are like loaded guns, just without the noise. So always treat them carefully.


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## herbeapuce

Hi. I need to ask you one more question plz. Regarding the sanwu laser. on their page, they offer 3 models : a green and a violet at 100mw and a red at 200mw. if I want to buy the brightest , which one should I get. has to be visible day and night. 
thanks
https://www.sanwulasers.org/product/304green
ps I will be buying one also


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## FRITZHID

Green will be many times more visible to the human eye than the red or violet.


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## herbeapuce

FRITZHID said:


> Green will be many times more visible to the human eye than the red or violet.



:twothumbs Thank you !


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## Accutronitis

Here is a good way to compare perceived brightness of different wavelength and power....

http://lsrtools.1apps.com/relativebrightness/


As you can see here a green beam at 100mW will be a 9.36x brighter than a red beam at 200mW !

Or you can say the red beam will only be 10% as bright as the green to your eyes !


http://lsrtools.1apps.com/relativebrightness/?nm1=532&mw1=100&nm2=650&mw2=200&useRaleigh=on


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## Adam_Clap

A good self leveling, rotary laser will cost you some big money. For most tasks that a home owner / light professional would do a self leveling laser line (horizontal/vertical) level will fit the bill. PLS make very good ones PLS * PACIFIC LASER SYSTEMS As do Topcon/Bosch/Dewalt, Porter Cable (Robotoolz) and other good names. I do have a cheap one that does a good job, but the laser is not very bright and the angle of projection is kind of narrow. With lasers you pretty much get what you pay for.


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## daddygofast

I got this laser and it is VERY bright:

Pretty cheap too - 12.50! 

It actually is so bright that it lights a match.


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## reviewcart

Look on eBay for some 303 532nm lasers. They can be had for ~$8.00 and put out ~80 mW of power. It is pretty bright. You can see the beam in dimly lit rooms quite easily. For that price, you can pick up a few from different sellers and see which you like the best. They run on a single 18650 Li-ion battery.


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## jessicatt

daddygofast said:


> I got this laser and it is VERY bright:
> 
> Pretty cheap too - 12.50!
> 
> It actually is so bright that it lights a match.




Yes you are right, I also tried this and the results are awesome. It is very bright and the good thing about it is it is cheap and consumes less electricity.


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## pointer

reviewcart said:


> Look on eBay for some 303 532nm lasers. They can be had for ~$8.00 and put out ~80 mW of power. It is pretty bright. You can see the beam in dimly lit rooms quite easily. For that price, you can pick up a few from different sellers and see which you like the best. They run on a single 18650 Li-ion battery.


I think the laser 301 pointer is also another good choice along with the 303 laser. They are very bright & affordable


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## Blaine

Thank you for the suggestion of Sanwu lasers. Looks like I’ll be buying the set of 3 lasers that they offer. I’ve been looking for some decent laser pointers for a while to replace a Rayfoss laser I have.


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## PhotonMaster3

Hey I happen to have several Sanwu lasers and I love them. The green 304 you mentioned is nice and the lightsaber attachment (a clear plastic rod) looks super cool in a dark room. Great customer service too

i also have a 6 watt blue and man is that a fun device. You have to be super careful but with good goggles you can light paper on fire and even burn dark metal. 

but for a beautiful beam def go with the green

incidentally, I’ve asked them if they ever considered making a white light attachment to generate a LEP type of beam. I’d have to think their 7+ watt diodes would be more powerful than the Acebeam W30


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## PhotonMaster3

And please be diligent about wearing safety glasses. With a multi watt laser, I even put mine on before putting the batteries in. One flash and you can get permanent eye damage 

Great hobby though


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## PaulPool89

Our job has ordered from Optotronics.com because that was the only USA-made laser company we could find, almost everything else was cheap Chinese junk. Hope that helps.


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## Mishalk

Adam_Clap said:


> A good self leveling, rotary laser will cost you some big money. For most tasks that a home owner / light professional would do a self leveling laser line (horizontal/vertical) level will fit the bill. PLS make very good ones PLS * PACIFIC LASER SYSTEMS As do Topcon/Bosch/Dewalt, Porter Cable (Robotoolz) and other good names. I do have a cheap one that does a good job, but the laser printer at printerhow is not very bright and the angle of projection is kind of narrow. With lasers you pretty much get what you pay for.


Someone drove around our neighborhood with a green laser pointing at buildings, vehicles, and people. As if the President had arrived, law enforcement from many agencies swarmed our streets in a matter of minutes. That was a year ago, and I haven't had any issues since...


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