Think Lasers Tech Blog

There are literally thousands of different laser pointers available today in a multitude of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Every laser design will be unique in its own way as methods of manufacturing are different across the world as well as different materials being used to produce certain types of lasers. Of course, if you’re looking to buy a laser then the price is going to be one of the biggest factors as to whether or not you will purchase something or not. This is where it can be a bit deceiving to determine the real value of a laser based on more than just its face value.

There are a few key things to look for that can help you determine the overall quality of any particular laser pointer design. Lets take a look at some of the differences that can occur between two different lasers that are supposed to be the same output power. For instance, you can find a 100mW green laser pointer online for about $100 but you can also find a 100mW at up to $800+, so what really is the difference? Why the huge price difference and why does one appear so much brighter than the other one?

It really comes down to how the laser is manufactured and what materials are being used to get to the power output that is desired. Lasers have metal, glass, rubber, coil, and other materials that can vary greatly in quality from one source to the next and because most manufacturers try to keep cost down at the expense of quality the consumer loses in the end. It is up to the company making the lasers to use materials that meet a certain standard if they are to produce a laser that is worth buying and that will last more than an instant.

IR filters are extremely important to the safety and quality of every single laser, but most companies don’t incorporate them into their lasers. This is a key factor that should be a huge determining factor in your purchase of a laser pointer. With no IR filter, the laser pointer in question will not only be far dimmer than a laser with an IR filter at the same output power, but it will also produce dangerous invisible waves of light that can be very harmful to the human eye. Lasers produce light and it is the filters that only allow a specific wavelength (color) of light through the lens.

When a laser with no IR filter tries to make 100mW it counts the power of all the laser light, including the invisible light. Meaning that your laser will appear much dimmer as some of the mW is being used up by invisible light. With an IR filter the laser produces 100mW of exactly the color desired, such as 100mW of precisely 532nm green laser being extremely bright as all of the power is going entirely to the green color. So not only do IR filters protect your eyes, they also guarantee that the lasers power is entirely devoted to the color you want.

Here is a look at the difference between two sets of lasers that show how different manufacturing equals entirely different lasers, no matter what the power output is listed as online.

High Quality Laser Pointer

Shoddy Green Laser

You should only buy laser pointers from a retailer that offers all IR filtered lasers with stylish and powerful designs. Its also fun to use a variety of colors, yeah green is the laser of all lasers now, but if you have one already its pretty cool to check out purple or blue, even good old red.