If you are at all familiar with portable technology, you may be aware that the first green laser pointer to hit the worldwide market was the convenient 5mW. Since their first wide scale production in the year 2000, hundreds of varieties of 5mw lasers have flooded the internet shopping marketplace, saturating the industry with many poor quality diodes. The quick rush of popularity since the turn of the millennium has lead to a large increase in the amount of manufacturers and distributors throughout the globe, which has unfortunately lead to a plethora of poor quality diodes that are being sold on a large scale.
Now, not every single 5mw out there for sale on the web is a poor quality gadget. But it does mean that we need to be a bit more careful whenever we are shopping for a unit. There are a few simple things you can do to ensure that the 5mw you are planning on purchasing is a gadget of high quality production standards. Because lasers are high precision instruments, its worth doing a little bit of research to see to it that the unit you buy is a powerful and professionally manufactured goods.
First and foremost, what does the pointer model actually look like? Since the unit is going to be something you will be handling, be sure that you enjoy the actual design and casing of the device. Many different laser pointer pens are relatively small and convenient in size, but some pointers are designed a bit more bulky and cumbersome, so you will want to look at the sizing specs. The ideal product will be about the size of an average ball point pen, and is usually designed with a clasp so the laser can be gripped and stored very easily. The second thing you generally want to look at when you are browsing green handheld lasers, is what kind of expected life time can we expect from the diode. This will tell us roughly how much usage we can look to get, the average for a 5mw laser pointer is between 3000-5000 hours, so be sure that the product you are considering will be functional for this amount of time. You would not want to buy too cheap and have the beam die out within a week or two, so be sure to check the expected lifetime for the 532nm green diode.
Third, what is the price of the 5mw laser you are looking at? Laser pointers are goods where price directly effects the quality of the item. The lower the cost of a pen, almost always, the lower the quality. So you will want to keep this in mind, a unit under $50 is something to be very wary of. The diode may be of poor quality or the casing manufactured very cheaply, a preferred laser price for a 5mw green laser is between $75-$100 on the open market today. Yes, there are pointers out there at a lower cost, but historically these lasers have been of a far poorer quality than their slightly more expensive counterparts.
Lastly, and also most importantly, what type of warranty does the laser retailer provide for the particular unit? A reputable laser company will have no less than a 90 day warranty, and should at least provide the option for you to purchase an extended warranty. Statistically, 90 days is sufficient for a warranty, but having additional coverage can not hurt. Be sure that you buy from a laser that has a positive history and professional technicians. Even though 5mW is not all that powerful, a green laser pointer is a powerful tool and is to be used with great caution.
James has been working with 5mw green laser pointers since their first release in 2000. He has written extensively in the laser light technology field and prefers certified 5mw green laser pointers from professional laser source, biglasers.com
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