Few quick questions about 35mw,55 mw, and 75 mw

[justl2003]

well, im new to all this stuff, but i bought a 5mw laser, pot modded it to be a little bit stronger, but not impressed. Im looking at Dragon lasers 35mw 55mw and 75 mw laser.... I dont know which one to pick.... So heres some questions:

1) does the 75mw really sting your skin? (I dont want anything to strong!)
2) Would the difference between the 55 and 75mw be that big? What about the 35 and the 55mw?
3) Can you see a 55mw beam in pure daylight?
4) what about the 35mw in daylight?

I want a laser that you can see the beam pretty clearly in daylight, but i dont want anything that you would have to avoid peoples skin with, jsut something that i can walk around my house with and just have fun with....


So what do you think, 35mw, 55mw, or 75mw


Thanks!!!:twothumbs

 

[Kiessling]

It is not the skin that is problematic with lasers, it is the eyes. Because you might lose them for good.
The power levels you mention are generally unsafe to "walk around the house and have some fun".
Please educate yourself abouot power and safety measures first before buying and regretting.
bernhard

 

[Shreknow91]

unless the laser is insanely powerful, you will not see the beam in direct sunlight, unless you look directly down the beam

 

[jufam44]

My wicked lasers spyder II 300mw is visible in direct sunlight, (beam too) and it will certainly pop balloons, light matches, etc. A buddy of mine has a Executive 75, and you can just see the beam when it reflects off dust in the sun. At night, it's a real beast to see, as the beam is a thick tube of green goodness I wouldn't "have fun" around the house with lasers unless you educate yourself on what they're capable of and use proper precautions (wicked's Laser Glasses are pretty good).

Just my $0.02

-Max

 

[hank]

Educate yourself.

There was a kid recently at the wicked laser site who posted he'd zapped his eye with a bright red laser --- and asked if seeing a black dot in his visual field meant that he was hurt. Then after a few days, he posted that he quit noticing it and decided he was okay.

Asking for medical advice on the Internet
Using bright lasers without eye protection

Two symptoms of the same problem.

Blind spots -- mental and optical -- are dangerous and easy to ignore after a while.

An opthalmologist can find the dead spots on the retina. Your brain will 'ignore' them after a few days til they get too big.

But you'll still be missing something important.

Seeing lasers at this intensity available is scary.
If you don't think so, please reconsider.

 

[1 what]

Ditto to all the notes re. CAUTION above. These things are not toys and eye damage is not trivial.

 

[hank]

Oh, and
> see the beam pretty clearly in daylight,

Nope.

 

[chizel]

If you want a laser to just have fun around the house with I'd stick with a <5 mW pointer like the Wicked core. They can be had on ebay for $44 shipped and they're more than powerful enough to geek around without undue risk of eye damage.

I just got my core today and it's a great little laser; I've also got a 55 mW coming and am VERY aware of the potential dangers. <5 mW: toys. >5 mW: dangerous toys!

 

[herbicide]

Be very *VERY* careful with high(er) powered lasers.

I've just received my DX 200mw red and the difference between it and (say) my 5mw red keyring job is insane (Intellectually, I knew it would be bright, but seeing the thing in the flesh... it's scary).

Echoing hank, upthread, you can now get handheld lasers of a power range until recently only found in physics laboratories for near-negligible money.

Be safe, protect your Mk1 mod 0 eyeballs - you only get one pair.

 

[hank]

Kids, don't try this at home:
http://space.newscientist.com/artic...-universe.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news2_head