I have only had this for one day, but I can say that it is easily powerful enough to point out specific objects in the night sky, even before it is completely dark. I live on the edge of a major metropolitan area with significant light pollution and could still easily see the beam.
This laser is also easily bright enough to direct someones attention in a very well lit room, regardless of size. If a red laser pointer isn't up to the job, this one will be. I would keep a red one around, though, as this one was too bright to me in my house.
Most of my pets didn't seem to care for it and ignored it, even though they like to play with red lasers, so I would stick with cheap red ones for that purpose. The one that did pay attention to it still didn't play with it, just watched it.
As for construction, the button slides around a bit, but everything else seems to have a tight fit. So far the loose button has not had a negative impact on operation. It looks nice with a matte finish on the black portion. It simply says "* Laser Pointer *" on the pocket clip, no other markings except for the laser warning label.
The laser requires that you hold the button down to keep it on, but I prefer it this way as a safety precaution. The laser is extremely bright and I wouldn't want it on if it were dropped or carelessly handled.
The product comes with no details about the manufacturer, distributor, or warranty, so don't expect warranty service. The only box marking is on the inside of the top: "Laser Pointer". 5mw 532nm Astronomy Powerful Green Laser Pointer - Black
Out of curiosity I bought 1 of these last summer, then after testing for a whilepurchased ten more as christmas gifts for family/friends.
I tested them all out before giving away. 6 or 7 had very strong, even beams even with the no-name (included) batteries. My father/brother and best friends got these. If you haven't seen a green laser you'll be amazed at the intensity and distance you can get out of it. Too bright for indoor presentations though!
2 or 3 of te ten had weaker beams, but still stronger than a quality red laser pointer so I still gave these out.
1 had a bright hot beam to start, but ever time after 1 or 2 seconds would 'weaken' significantly and slightly flicker. I didn't bother sending this back, just keep it as a back-up.
The original one from summer 2009 is still going strong, probably use it every week or so just to have fun. Outdoors in heavy fog/mist the visible beam is especially impressive.
As others have said be very aware that not only a direct shot to the eyes is very dangerous, but also a reflection. It doesn't take a mirror either, any smooth surface (i.e. a window) can will reflect enough of the beam to do permanent eye damage, and something like a glass or complex shape will send reflections in unpredicatble directions.
Anyway, since I've bought so many though I'd leave a review of this quite nice pruduct for the price.
It wasn't too long ago that something like this could cost more than $100. These things here can be a bit fragile at certain components (usually the clip), the button will often be loose and rattle, the fringes of the beam pattern vary, and about one in ten have a noticable warm-up time of about 0.5-0.75 seconds, however I haven't come across a single one that completely does not work yet. At this price (currently $16-17) little quirks like these are expected.
Good product, good price.
I purchased this for my teenage son and it was everything that we expected it to be. We could see the green dot at night across the river canyon about 1/2 mile. We could see the dot 4 houses down through a window in broad daylight. The product looks great, works great, was delivered in excellent time (Xmas gift). I give it all thumbs up
I have purchased 7 of these over time for our crew of military contract Battle Command Systems Trainers. Superior to red laser pointers - the green pointer is easily more visable in bright light - even on the most intense colors projected on our large screens from HD projectors.
Construction
The pointer has a pocket clip - but the weight is such it will probably wind up on the floor when you bend over. The pointer is larger and wider in cirumference than a ball point pen - but easily fits in the elastic pen holder of my day timer. The screw connection of the upper and lower parts of the barrel are robust enough to change batteries without concern.
Battery Life
Included with the laser are two AAA alkali batteries which quickly lose their charge. Purchase of AAA rechargable batteries is a must. Rechargable many hundreds of times - they quickly pay for themselves. No issues using these over a year. I keep a spare set of rechagable AAA's in my equipment box I use for any type of instructional situation.
Use
This model will warm up if the laser is left on for a continuous period of time. The press button on some pointers purchased seems as if it might be a weak link. No problems yet - it just seems a bit flimsy to me. Great also as a useful gift to my career professional son and daughters - the box, pointer and batteries make a good looking gift presentation.
Choices
I remain somewhat confused as to the power, professional use and price featured from a multitude of vendors here on Amazon. With many purchased from different Amazon partners and providers - all I purchased are all adequate for the intended purpose of military instructional use and seemingly identical in size, weight and performance. Made in China - I chose to purchase from a vendor with a 30 day warranty-just in case!
Just got my green laser pointer yesterday and it is SUPER bright. Point it to at the night sky and you can definitely see the beam clear as day for what seems like miles. Very impressive for the money. I didn't expect much for 11 bucks, so it exceeded my expectations. I can't say anything about its longevity, durability, or battery life because I just received it. Initial quality impression is good though. It seems better put together than one of those little button battery driven red pointers you can get for 2 bucks. The shell of the pointer is nicely rubberized. Oddly, the trigger button is the flimsiest part. If somethings going to break, that's probably gonna be it. - Laser Pointers - Astronomy - Laser Pointer - Green Laser'
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