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buying my first laser

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adrunkhobo

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so I'm going to buy my first laser stronger than the ones you get to play with your cat. Iwas thinking about getting ether blords 300mw 660nm or his 1w 445nm but that might be too much power for a first timer. I'm also looking to get some goggles i know those are very necessary.
if you think i need any advice as a first timer let me know for sure! id be happy to learn anything i can.

thanks
 
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First advice would be to buy within the USA for one. Customs has really cracked down on confiscating lasers over the past few months. Ive seen many people receive custom package check slips with their flashlights lately. This means they are checking for lasers and they are taking them.

My second laser was a Blord laser and yes he makes great lasers but there are people in the USA who also make good lasers. I have my whole collection up for sale ATM but not sure if anything I am selling will peak your interest.
 
I don't know of any US manufactures of lasers, but I would stick with something in the 300 mW range for your first high powered.

Good pairs of goggles for beginners would be some Eagle Pairs.
Safety
 
If you need suggestions on US members who build lasers then just ask us. No one knows the members of this forum better than the members of the forum ;)
 
I started with a 100mW green and am still happy with it to this day. Powerful enough to make you go "oh, yeah" and not so powerful that you recoil with flash blindness when you turn it on facing a white wall.

Really you want to be somewhere in between buying a xxmW cat toy* and being disappointed, and buying a xxxxmW laser that is too dangerous for first time use. I would start with the low hundreds, and as greens are so easy to see and inexpensive, they're a great place to start. Even since I started the hobby a few months ago direct diode greens have tumbled in price, it seems to be quite a fast moving hobby.

*please note I am not suggesting 10-99mW lasers are safe as actual "cat toys" - I merely use "cat toy" as a term for "weak laser" which in the grand scheme of things is anything below <100mW.
 
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The direct mW comparison is kinda irrelevant when its not the same wavelength being compared. A 300mW 532nm is just as dangerous as a 2W 445nm. Wavelengths are absorbed differently by the human eye. When it comes to 808nm the eye can take a large amount of it without damage since it is invisible and absorbs differently. I found this 100% shocking myself when I learned it a few months back and I dont know if I still believe it but that's what I've been informed. It also came from two or three very reputable members. After I found out I never checked into it since I was spending most of my time in the hospital with treatment.

Anyways, figured I'd pass on what I was told and let you all figure it out ;)
 
Mw is mw and always be mw. Difference is how the nm or wavelength gets absorbed by different objects. This is also why 405nm and 532nm are seen differently by the eye. 405nm isn't as dense I guess you could say? Like j said, I didnt verify this myself but it does make sense. Now I'm curious to look into this more. Hate to pass info along that isn't true
 
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