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bentuttle

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I have been looking at this laser
Mid-Open Chromium stee Violet Purple Blue Beam Laser Pointer Pen (2 x AAA Batteries): 100mW 405nm

while the specs are in line with what I want, I have seen lasers with similar specs run for ~$100 on other more trusted sites. Also, the pictures indicate a green beam, but the specs indicate a violet one. Basically what I need to know is
A.) is Ankaka a reasonably good laser vendor?
and
B.) Should I expect 100mw out of the laser like the specs say or might that be a bit too optimistic?
 





It would be my guess that is the top rating of this laser, as if don't expect more than 100mW but do expect less.

Having never heard of this place before I would be skeptical of them till I knew more about them.
 
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Well, since I have that particular laser, I feel like being the best at answering your questions.

1: Ankaka is fine. My laser was shipped en a few days, and everything went smooth and fine.

2: I have measured the laser, and its output is 93-102 mW - pretty good for a laser that cheap. Of course, the build material isn't great, and the color may be neat, but it's pretty weak and won't go further than 800-1000 meters.

What surprised me about the laser is that it can actually burn though it's fixed focus. But you have to use black materials and at the right distance.

My laser has been working for a little more than 6 months, and the only problems I have had with it was dust going in, and if you haven't been using it for some time it has to warm up before it actually does the output. The battery life is pretty good, but don't use it for too long; it goes pretty warm.
By the way, it's a bit blue for a violet laser, but it's okay.

Remember to use goggles!
 
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If it will burn black tape then the reflections can burn the back of your eyes. This is always true.
 
Everything above 5mW can potentially damage your eyes.
A 100mW laser is a class IIIb laser, meaning that direct eye contact will damage your eyes either temporarily (if you're lucky) or permanently (if you're unlucky). A reflection from such things as mirrors can damage your eye just as bad.
If it happens, it will usually be the retinal eye that burns, making you see "dots".

Though it won't damage your eye without direct contact, accidents can happen, therefore you should buy eye protection. They sell it cheap on eBay, and they work fine.
 
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jellex900 said:
Everything above 5mW can potentially damage your eyes.
A 100mW laser is a class IIIb laser, meaning that direct eye contact will damage your eyes either temporarily (if you're lucky) or permanently (if you're unlucky). A reflection from such things as mirrors can damage your eye just as bad.
If it happens, it will usually be the retinal eye that burns, making you see "dots".

Though it won't damage your eye without direct contact, accidents can happen, therefore you should buy eye protection. They sell it cheap on eBay, and they work fine.
Click to expand...
5mW and under can most definitely burn your eyes as well. If you intentionally stare into a 4-5mW beam it will damage your eyes. The 5mW level is the power at which your blink reflex will be enough to protect you in case of an accidental hit.
 
"Im not planning on looking at it up close. "

So what are you planning to do with it that always occurs far away ?
The nature of a 405nm laser is such that far away things don't work very well.
And that it borders on being in the UV spectrum a lot of the energy isn't perceived well by your eyes. This means that the pupils won't dilate when exposure goes up. Therefore your eyes get "cooked" and you don't feel anything or notice it, possibly for years.
anything over 5mw is very dangerous for your eyes whether you can see the difference or not. While a 100mw 532nm (green) would seem very bright in comparison they both have 100mw outputs.

So be careful !

Why do you think you need it to be 100mw ?
If just playing around with it I would recommend a much lower power and perhaps get multiple units or 3 colors.
 
I want to be able to "burn" things. I know that red laser pointers are generally used more for this purpose but I also wanted something with UV properties (for glow in the dark putty, etc) So a 100mw violet seemed like the best solution, although I will probably look for something with a better build quality.
 
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