The going standard is about 100mW for a solid performance that will give you the burning power you want. So where can you find cheap burning lasers that will give you a good bang for your buck? There are a lot of places online you can find powerful laser pointers that you can buy for relatively cheap prices, but sometimes these cheap lasers turn out to be quite shoddy in craftsmanship. Often times a laser will burn out quickly, have poor collimation, and a beam that scatters.

This can not only be dangerous, but a complete waste of your laser investment as most of these don’t carry warranties and are really all just hype. If its a deal that seems too good to be true, it usually is. You want to find a reliable laser source that not only has different laser pointer options to choose from, but a real support system and valid warranties for any laser you’re looking to buy.

Cheap burning lasers can be found at only a few sources that are high in quality and will actually live up to the laser standards you should expect. Look for warranties and most of all, FDA compliance, as any laser above 5mW must have certification and certain safety features to be legal in the United States.

When you’ve found a good model that fits your price range and includes a valid warranty, you should be all set. The most popular laser pointers available can be found reliably through the only United States distributor will full FDA compliance, ThinkLasers.com

Here is a list of the best laser pointers you can buy online: Best Laser Pointers of 2010

Like most tech gadgets of varying quality, the expertise put into the manufacturing process of every laser is individual and unique. You can find some high power lasers for low prices that may not turn out to be as good of a buy as you expected. Shoddy craftsmanship can lead to a laser diode that just does not function properly, can burn out, or has poor collimation (beam width).

There are a few names that stick out as having the best reputation for laser production, the most popular of which are the wicked laser lines, offering innovative lasers at the cheapest pricing online through ThinkLasers.com

Pro Executive Series

1. Executive Pro Series Green Laser - From 20mW through 130mW this re-imagining of the classic design is a must have for any real users collection. Rugged and with a long expected life time, the Executive Pro is FDA compliant and offers a wide range of powers to choose from. A great buy at a great value.

Spyder III Pro

2. Spyder Series Green Laser Pointer - There are 3 Pro Spyder series models, the most popular of which is the Spyder III Pro laser. Offering a futuristic and militaristic design that is even capable of being used as a combat weapon, and a wide range of output powers make this laser ideal for the simplest use to the most profound. Offering great laser stability and a long expected life time, also FDA compliant.

There are so many green lasers you can find online today that its important to have some idea of what you are looking for in any pointer. Consider if there are certain safety features like IR filters, FDA compliant measure like safety interlocks, and the quality of the diode.

Some of the newest laser technology, like 405nm violet/purple dpss laser, has hit the laser world with advantages that go above and beyond your typical laser pointer. High quality modules incorporate FDA certification, have long expected life times, use highly efficient diodes, and offer a wide range of frequencies from ultra violet to infrared.

There are not that many dpss laser sources that are very reputable as the technology involved is quite precise and takes a certain level of craftsmanship to produce properly. A shoddy laser module will not include warranties of any kind, may have a laser diode that will burn out, and no proper cooling which can ruin a laser rather quickly.

If you are looking to buy dpss lasers in q-switched or low noise outputs, you will want to find a retailer who has a reputation with laser quality that can be trusted. Here is a new list of all the latest industrial lasers that offer a wide range of powers, stabilities, and color frequencies.

Its important to be careful and exercise proper laser safety whenever using high power dpss lasers for any use, no matter how used to using lasers you may feel you are. These lasers can be extremely bright and therefore there is always some risk involved when using them. Things like laser safety eyewear and common sense are paramount to safely using any laser system.

Whatever your purpose for buying laser diodes or laser systems, be sure to take advantage of cheap pricing and advanced engineering through the web’s largest and more reputable dpss laser selection, at Thinklasers.com

There are a lot of reasons that could make sense as to why each laser brand is so different from one another, but it really comes down to the quality of materials used and the quality of the engineering behind the laser mode. Its not all that simple when learning how to make a green laser pointer because when using mirrors, crystals, and laser diodes everything must be rather precise in order to perform correctly.

Every laser starts with a power source, a crystal diode, mirrors, lenses, and a laser body that all gets incorporated to form the green laser pointer you are using. You need to be able to combine all of these pieces seamlessly with proper mechanics being put into each pointer. So if you think lasers are simple to develop then you have never tried to make your own from scratch.

Its not a good idea to try and put a laser together if you’ve never done it before because you will have most likely gotten the parts from other laser pointers you’ve had. So you’d have to take certain lasers apart in order to get the components you’d need to build your own green laser. This is different than moding a cheap lasers for more power as you’d actually be putting everything together like a puzzle.

Typically this is reserved for factory or lab settings where engineers can play with different design ideas and put lasers together in a testing setting. If you try to make your own green laser pointer or are looking to simply mod a cheap laser, you will want to be careful not to ruin any of the components and ensure that the laser is properly designed for your own safety and the safety of anyone viewing you.

All in all, I wouldn’t hold my breath about making a laser pointer if you have no background in laser development or engineering. Leave it to the pros and find the laser brands online that not only perform the best but require no modification for high output powers. You can get your hands on lasers that are visible for more than 20 miles these days, so the power levels are super high and so to is the availability of laser pointers worldwide.

*Note: Just remember that not all lasers are created equally and if you are thinking of buying any lasers then you’ll want to do some research into that brand. Get an idea of what people are saying about the laser pointer model? Is it liked? Disliked? How long will it last? How visible is the beam? Can the laser burn? Etc. These are all questions you’ll want to answer before you buy a laser pointer.

The 21st century, however, has its own views about high power laser pointers and what they are capable of. If you take a look on youtube you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of different laser videos showing everything from combat situations to popping balloons to entertaining cats with lasers of every kind.

You can find hand held lasers in wavelengths (colors) of all kinds from red, green, blue, orange/yellow, purple/blu-ray, and even infrared (invisible). Each laser pointer will have its own pros and cons, the point is to look for something that you are really going to enjoy and get a lot of use out of. This means finding a laser that not only looks good, but performs with a level of consistency that can be relied on again and again.

A lot of high power laser pointers just are not engineered all that well and it can really show when compared to a high quality laser diode. When you start to deal with more powerful lasers its really important to ensure the quality is superb. With such a bright laser beam any imperfection is clearly visible and can have your beam scattering way off target and even being potentially dangerous from reflection.

Some lasers will be able to burn black plastic, pop black balloons and light dark colored match heads, so if you are going with a laser that is powerful like that (100mW+), be sure you take some simple safety measures before you start burning. Laser safety goggles or glasses are important to protect your eyes, even when lasers have IR filters, and the phrase “don’t play with fire” should come to mind as burning things tends to lead to fire. Since that is what you probably want, just be careful. Maybe have some water handy or a fire extinguisher, lasers can be a great time but if you go overboard you can have some problems on your hands.

Make sure any laser pointer above 5mW in output power is FDA certified and legal to own in your country, including the USA. Remember its not only completely insane and dangerous, but highly illegal to aim any laser at any aircraft anywhere! So don’t be foolhardy and point your laser at the sky without paying at least a little bit of attention to what you are pointing that beam at. Star gazing and astronomy can be really enhanced with a high power laser pointer but you need to be careful of any air traffic and keep yourself and others safe.

Laser Safety Goggles

1. Laser Safety Goggles

These are some of the most important accessories that any laser user can take advantage of because of the slight dangers that are involved with certain laser beam applications. Laser safety eyewear is pretty fundamental, the lenses of the goggles or glasses are designed to block a certain specific light frequency or frequency range that protects the human eye from potential damage. Whenever you are considering a powerful laser this is something you should probably pick up as well for your own safety. Laser light can be very bright and can reflect off of different surfaces, the beam may shine back towards the users eyes without that being their intention. This is why its pretty important to have a set of safety shades around, especially if you are using a cheap laser pointer that does not have IR filters.

2. Crystal Laser Optics Sets / Mirror Sets

These laser gadget accessories have become some of the most popular as laser technology has become more readily available. The value here is that you can really enhance any laser application or experiment with different optical lenses and crystals which are used to bounce the laser beam off of one another or deflect the beam into various shapes, creating a sort of laser show. It can be extremely fun to set up crystals and mirrors around a room and see how a powerful laser can reflect the beam from one to the next, literally for hundreds of feet. Also different crystals can be used to create a laser ‘dance’ effect as the prism reflects light in various directions. This is the perfect laser accessory for anyone involved in photography or looking to produce some visually spectacular laser effects.

Laser Pointer Stand

3. Laser Pointer Stand

A laser stand can be a great accessory to combine with a crystal mirror set as it allows the user to stabilize the laser pointer and also maintain its beam output without actually having to hold the laser forever. This can also be a great piece for astronomy laser use with a telescope that requires a mounting device. Keep your laser stable and active while allowing yourself the freedom to move about.

4. Laser Cap Sets

Laser pointer cap sets have become popular for a few reasons, mainly because they are inexpensive and protect the laser pointers head and lens from potential damages. Individual cap sets will only be able to work with certain laser models, so be sure to see if the model you are considering is capable of using the certain laser cap set your viewing or not. Remember, that this is an optional accessory where 99% of laser users do not have them, and are not required for proper laser use. This accessory will protect your laser from scratches where applicable.

There are a lot of different laser pointers that you can buy online relatively cheap in price. When you’ve found a laser that suites your needs, you may consider some of the accessories listed above as a use full addition to your collection. Keep in mind that these are optional and not necessary for normal laser applications, and also similarly to laser pointer manufacturing, laser accessories will be manufactured with different quality from one provider to the next. Ensure that any gadgets you are browsing comply with your laser pointer, are relatively low in price, and produce the desired effect you want.

For the web’s largest selection of laser pointers to buy and laser accessories, check out Think Lasers for all of your laser options.

So how can you determine what type of green laser is best for your needs? Its pretty simple with the wealth of information available via the internet today, so with even just a simple google search or two you can learn a great deal about any laser you are looking to potentially buy. So think about it, what do you need that laser for? Are you looking for green laser sights or a simple presentation pointer or a high power laser for search and rescue? Whatever your purpose for using a laser, make sure that the power output and price of the laser in question meet the requirements you may have.

If you are unsure its still pretty simple. The power is pretty easy to determine, the average presentation laser uses a 5mw green laser pointer which is not too bright and where you can not see the beam during the daytime. If you need to see the beam during the day or want to “burn” things, like lighting matches, you’ll want around 100mW or more. Power outputs in between will change in brightness based on power “mW”, so look for a power that is within your sale price range.

Now, you may come across different laser brands that seem to vary in price quite a bit. There is actually good reason for these differences, and that is because not all cheap lasers are actually a good buy. In fact, the cheaper the laser the more likely it will be a poorly designed model that does not meet some simple quality standards. Cheaper lasers do not incorporate safety measures like IR filters and diode cooling mechanisms that make them far more likely to burn out and die far more quickly than a better laser of equal output power.

You want to look at the expected life time of the laser, which should be listed on any reputable laser model, and determine how long the laser should last. You want 5,000 hours or more as a standard for the best laser pointer out there, so inspect this piece of information on any and every laser you’re browsing. When you have found a model that meets all of the style and performance stats that you prefer, compare prices online and see if you can find it cheap. Last step is to get that laser and start to enjoy everything that a green laser pointer can provide.

Because all lasers are produced differently with various materials, some do not include all of the proper safety measures that can really hinder the output of any laser. For example, if a laser does not have Infrared Filters, it will produce a beam of IR light that is not only damaging to the human eye but also takes power away from the actual color of the laser.

You want to get a laser that has a few simple features like the IR filter mentioned above, as well as some simple quality assurances like a sturdy laser body and collimated beam. The collimation of a laser beam will determine how thin it appears, and this is important because as you aim the laser you will see a dot you the target. If poorly collimated this “dot” can be very wide and misshapen.

Be sure that any cheap laser pointer you may be looking at has some simple features that comply with basic laser standards. There is no sense in buying something that could be potentially dangerous or illegal.

There are not that many varieties to choose from as this is relatively new laser technology, but there are some models that do stand out above the rest as being the most high in quality. The Sonar series lasers offer 3 different purple laser types, the Sonar Advanced, Sonar Elite, and Sonar Extreme.

Each has its own design and output power as well as price range accordingly. They are all FDA certified and legal to own and use in the united states, so that really gives these lasers an even greater edge in comparison to other violet lasers, not to mention the brands reputation itself.

purple laser

The purple beam really is a unique laser element that most people have yet to behold which can make this laser style even that much more special for any everyday application you have in mind. From star gazing to a presentation, a purple laser pointer is a truly unique laser.

So how do they work? Its actually pretty complicated for the scientists and engineers who came up with this stuff, even though to us it seems as easy as turning on or pushing a button, but that is far from the reality of the physics behind the laser beam.

Lasers produce a beam by stimulated emission of its gain medium, a controlled material that is the crystal of the laser which produces the specific light frequency that the laser diode emits. The laser lens then blocks all light frequencies except the desired one, such as 532nm for a green laser. What then comes out of the laser is the green beam that we can all see, that is about the most simple way you can put it.

The quality and clarity of any laser will vary greatly from one design to the next and if you’re looking for a laser pointer its important to ensure that the quality will meet a few standards. Lasers are available in hand held form as well as independent diodes, laser display systems and dpss industrial lasers.

There are also some laws that regulate the importation and sale of laser pointers of powerful output powers, so be sure any high power laser you consider is FDA certified and legal in the United States.