Where to buy greenies

[NightShift]

Hey guys...i'm bored...need somethin new and exciting so i'm in the market for a green laser pointer (searched the forums but couldn't find anything up-to-date). Was looking for some reliable online sources to purchase a good one from, preferrably powerful but costing no higher than $130-150. Any info appreciated /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[snuffy]

I can recommend Howie Glatter but the price is higher than you wanted. He starts at $165 for a 5-9mw and goes up to 30mw at an extra $10 per mw

 

[The_LED_Museum]

You could get one from Simon Megalaser at http://www.megalaser.com or from Zbolt at http://www.z-bolt.com
I got one from both sources, and I'm happy with them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The 4.99mW model from Megalaser costs $169, so it's a bit over your max.
I forgot what I paid for the Zbolt 4.99mW laser.

 

[NightShift]

thank ya /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

oh yea, since this is the one that brought my interest back to them, is this one any good? http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/5a47/

 

[Shark]

I bought my green laser from thinkgeek very nice came in a nice wood display case too. Good price also. My cats love it too they keep trying to bite at the beam in mid air.

 

[FlashlightOCD]

They are all over eBay. There are only a couple or few true manufacturer's of greenie pointers, but lots of Modders.

 

[NightShift]

Hmm, the megalaser site looks good (4.99mW for 169), but then the z-bolt site has a 7.5-10mW greenie for a special of $159. How come they fine tune ones to 4.99mW exactly, then they have no idea how powerful the 7.5+ are so they just give a broad range "7.5-10mW"

I'm also wondering on the z-bolt site, why the MOD laser pointers are all 4.99mW, then the OEM are 7.5mW + ...shouldnt the "MODded" ones be more powerful?

 

[vladuz]

Finally, a thread that I like.

Well, here is my list:
www.z-bolt.com
www.spacecoasteletronics.com
www.megalaser.com
www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/5a47/
http://store.yahoo.com/deharpport/noname19.html (wholesale)
http://store.yahoo.com/xenoline/greenlaspoin.html
www.apinex.com/ret2/gls5an.html (cheap)
http://store.yahoo.com/controloptic/greenlaspoin.html (good support)
www.no1laserpointers.com/Store/index.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=6414 (cool staff)
http://store.yahoo.com/thelaserguy/greenlasers.html
www.sciencekit.com (over-priced, but you get a free cool fan, BIG noise but nice air blowing from it.)
www.sparco.com/cgi-bin/wfind2?spn=A598647

I could continue, but I think this are enough. If I were you, I would choose z-bolt.com or megalaser.com.

 

[The_Bean]

Got mine from z-bolt

Ben

 

[The_LED_Museum]

If you get one from Space Coast Electronics, you might have to wait awhile. It took about two months from the time I
sent my MO until the time I got my laser to get one of their 50mW green laser pointers. Maybe it was a fluke, or
maybe not - somebody else had to return one because of a {vulgar term for feces}ty beam, and if I remember,
they had to wait a couple of months too.

As for "modded" vs. "OEM"... the "4.99 modded" type are made so they stay within CDRH Class IIIA limits - just
barely. Go to 5.00mW, and you've got a Class IIIB device. It's just legal horse puckey that all laser resellers have
to follow. If it's Class IIIA, they can sell it as a pointer, and the buyer is allowed to use it in public
without getting a license or filling variance papers out. But if it's 5mW to 499mW, it's a Class IIIB device, and
cannot be used in public without a license or variance.
(NOTE: these are US rules - I don't know how laser
classifications work overseas.)

 

[FlashlightOCD]

[ QUOTE ]
The LED Museum said:But if it's 5mW to 499mW, it's a Class IIIB device, and cannot be used in public without a license or variance.

[/ QUOTE ]

I suspect the ratio of Licenses and Variances issued to the number of Class IIIB lasers used in public is much less than one to one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[The_LED_Museum]

[ QUOTE ]
FlashlightOCD said:
I suspect the ratio of Licenses and Variances issued to the number of Class IIIB lasers used in public is much less than one to one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
You're probably correct... I lasered some Seafair floats with a Class IIIB green laser a couple of months back, and never had any paperwork for it. And I lasered the public Christmas tree and Bon Marche star lighting ceremony with one a few years back, and didn't have a license for that either. The green laser spot from that one made it on the nightly news here in Seattle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[NightShift]

Ok, I decided on the z-bolt classIIIB. I'll just have to take extra precaution with it. Maybe i should close one eye while activating it

 

[FNinjaP90]

Hehe just like the atomic bomber pilots in WWII. Just cover up one eye, if you lose it, you still have one left!

 

[sharkeeper]

This is what $16k buys...

More than enough to burn "things". This laser will do over 2W CW 24/7...

Cheers!

 

[The_LED_Museum]

Check out that burnt UPS tag... and hey, where's the interlock key on its PSU?!? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

 

[FNinjaP90]

LED Museum, I saw your review on your 50mw. Do you think mine will have a lot of haze too? On my crap 2mw laser, when I took off the IR filter, the haze totally disappeared. It might have been a dirty filer? I'm thinking that the haze will disappear if all the optical surfaces are cleaned. Yep.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

If you took off the IR filter, you're getting 15-30mW of IR radiation (some 808nm, most 1064nm) in addition to the 2mW green beam. So you'll DEFINITELY want to keep that thing out of your eyes now if you didn't before.

I can't get to the IR filter in mine without ruining the laser itself, so that's an experiment I cannot try.

 

[vladuz]

Indeed, when I removed the IR Filter of a 5mW most of the haze disappeard. Probally the filter was dirty.. nice pic sharkeeper :>

 

[FNinjaP90]

Well I was kinda forced to open mine up and check it out. Dwight sent it to me and the IR filter ended up being broken into 3 pieces and it fragmentated the beam EVERYWHERE, so I opened up the laser, unscrewed the lens cap, and out came 3 pieces of glass and the piece of bronze that they were glued onto. You would think that laser technicians would wear gloves to avoid touching the optics...