green laser pointer

[Babberney]

I saw the lasers in Sherrill's catalog. $109? that's crazy! I've seen red lasers for ten bux!

After three other arborists told me it was the best investment they'd made in a long time, I began to reconsider. Finally, when the price dropped a few dollars, I decided to throw one in with another order I was making.

Took awhile to get in the habit of carrying it with me on consults, but it has, indeed, proved a valuable investment. Clients have commented how nifty it is, and I've felt much more confident that they know which branch I'm talking about. Sometimes it's pretty clear they would never see the spot I'm describing without the help of the pointer.

Also a lot of fun to go out in the front yard at night and show friends how far it will point (city blocks, FYI).

But I was wondering the other day: in light of the guy who got arrested for interfering with airline pilots, and the fact that we are generally pointing upward, how long before one of us gets in trouble?

k

 

[Tom_Blough]

Same as a gun. Know what's behind your target.

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

There are other web-sites with more reasonable prices for green lazers. I got mine for $55 dollars. I won't say the site, but if you do your homework you will find it. The first time I saw Sherrill advertise the green lazer I searched online and found it 50% cheaper. Sorry Sherrill. /forum/images/graemlins/bigcry.gif

 

[SumoClimber]

Here's the site I picked up my green lasers from. A bit pricey, but the sheer power of these compared to the 5mw lasers is amazing. http://www.wickedlasers.com/index.php

I have the 35mw Classic and the 95mw Nexus models, along with a standard 5mw I picked up off ebay. The 95mw is absolute overkill, but it's an amazing toy, lol.

SC

 

[Mark Chisholm]

I got mine from Sherrill. What size is that? Anyone?

 

[rborist1]

Got mine from http://z-bolt.com/generic27.html (could this be the mystery $55/site).

 

[SumoClimber]

Mark,

Sherril's green laser pointer is a standard 5mw IIIA. The ones from wickedlaser are classed as IIIb, rather than being overclocked IIIA's.


SC

 

[Tree_Frog]

Laser safety is something that you never hear about. I have used a lot of lasers from all catagories. I have attached a clip on the catagories for the lasers that you are talking about to give you an idea of their safety.

CLASS IIIa LASERS: Class IIIa lasers are systems with power levels of 1 to 5 mW that normally would not produce a hazard if viewed for only momentary periods with the unaided eye. They pose severe eye hazards when viewed through optical instruments (e.g., microscopes, binoculars, or other collecting optics). Class IIIa lasers must be labeled. A warning label shall be placed on or near the laser in a conspicuous location and caution users to avoid staring into the beam or directing the beam toward the eye of individuals. Equipment, such as some visible continuous wave Helium-Neon lasers and some solid state laser pointers, are examples of Class IIIa lasers.

CLASS IIIb LASERS: Class IIIb lasers are systems with power levels of 5 mW to 500 mW for continuous wave lasers or less than 10 J/cm² for a 0.25 s pulsed laser. These lasers will produce an eye hazard if viewed directly. This includes intrabeam viewing or specular reflections. Higher power lasers in this class will also produce hazardous diffuse reflections. Specific control measures covered in Class IIIb lasers shall be used in areas where entry by unauthorized personnel can be controlled. Entry into the area by personnel untrained in laser safety may be permitted by the laser operator if instructed in applicable safety requirements prior to entry and provided with required protective eye wear.

Moral of the story is to avoid other people, avoid reflective materials, and never use optics when viewing a laser.

Hope this helps.