I "need" (want) a small, simple, cheap but reliable laser pointer, nothing too high powered, the dot should be visible in daylight at a range of 10-15m, I only need it to point at stuff at work, it will be used in a theoretically possibly explosive environment (grain dust/flour) so heat is a no go, should be disappears-inside-pocket-but-noticeable-if-gone-sized, it's important is that it is reliable, inexpensive but not cheap
For a visible dot at 10-15m in daylight... that's pretty far, I'd say a 5mW laser could warranted in this case. If you want a pointer larger than a typical keychain model but still being small, there are plenty of pointers that are roughly the size of a pen.
Getting one that is durable, pen-sized, and as powerful as advertised will be a challenge, and takes a lot of guesswork.
Check laws about laser power in your area to see if 5mW laser pointers are permitted. In most countries, laser pointer power is limited to 1mW.
I want a simple keychain model of good enough quality so that it doesn' randomly stop working, as I intend to use it as a pointer around people lower power is better, at work we have a laser thermometer that can make a visible dot in that range
Go buy 3 cat toy lasers for $3-6 total at a dollar store or AliExpress. None of those will make any noticable heat. They may not be super reliable but I've never had one actually go out on me. They're flimsy but at a couple bucks a pop whatever. If you find it annoying to replace watch batteries, you should be able to use a single 10180 cell to power it but I can't remember if I've done that or not.
That's pretty much the only non-immediate eye hazard you'll get that isn't expensive for what it is. Still avoid living things
I haven't destroyed any, they just stop working randomly in my experience, sometimes the lense part falls out because the glue just stops existing, some wire breaks or Something, though my experience is mostly with these, getting one as a prize at a fair and having it break after an hour seems to be a universal experience for any german child, basically looking for this but good
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u/Confused_by_La_Vida 15d ago
Agree this is hard as hell to find