Understanding Laser Pointer Power Output
Laser pointers come in a variety of styles and colors and with the fast pace of technology it is getting increasingly difficult to pick the correct laser pointer for your needs. You have a choice of the typical 5mw green laser pen to the extreme 500mw. The most important factor when choosing a laser pointer is to understand the different grades of lasers. After you’ve gotten that figured out then it’s just a matter of taste and you can choose any style or functionality to your liking.
Output power
The output power of laser beams is measured in milliwatts (mW). The higher the output power the more dangerous the laser gets. Lasers beams visible to the naked eye that hover between 400-700 nm operating at less than 1 mW power are considered Class 2 or II. These are your low powered typical laser such as that on a key chain or what not. Usually the distance is less than 15 meters. You can typically get a nice one for less than $10 dollars. Those operating within 1–5 mW power are labeled Class 3R or IIIa. They are more powerful than the Class 2 and can go as far as 1000yards. The price range is huge considering the different quality and make of the model. Then there are higher powered laser beams which are Class 3B/IIIb lasers and operate between 5-500 mW. At the lower end are the astronomy grade lasers and they can bee seen for miles in the clear night. To give you an idea of how powerful these are, lasers with 350mW are strong enough to light a cigarette. The next class, which is Class 4/IV, is lasers operating above 500 mW and cannot be legally promoted as laser pointers.
So now you can differentiate the different laser beams. Choosing the correct laser pointer pen for your task should be a walk in the park. Just figure out what you’re going to use it for, pick the color, the right output power, and of course the right price. There are many places to do price comparisons online. If you going for the basic, 5nm or less, then any online store will have what you need. But if you’re looking for something a little more you can always do a search for it in Google and usually the top couple of sites will have what you need.
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