Brightest and smallest spot aren't always found in the same laser, and this is more of an issue in an astronomical pointer than a firearm aiming device. This relates to Michael's question of divergence. These things are usually used to point at infinity, and I bet your marksmanship isn't quite that good. Also, recall what I wrote about variation between individual examples of the same model pointer. By examining as many examples as possible, you can determine which model has the brightest "average" beam, thereby decreasing your chances of buying a lemon. Consistency between identical models by the same manufacturer would be good news for the prospective mail-order buyer, who doesn't get to test it before coughing-up the cash. Most of us don't get to buy our laser pointers over-the-counter. Certainly nobody going for the $35 special got to test it first. I'm betting that the more money you pay, the more identical are individual examples of the same model. If it's a waste of time to you, by all means don't participate, Guy. I'd like to borrow your laser pointer, though... ;o) --- diveboss@xmission.com wrote:
I don't know why a comparison of pointers needs to be such a big production. In choosing laser sights for weapons, you simply point the competing laser sights at a wall and go with the laser that produces the brightest and smallest spot.
Quoting Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com>:
Make that "factor", not function.
Could be interesting, but we'd need a lot of distance between the laser operator and the person with the ruler. Also, a spot size small enough to measure directly would probably mean a hazardously bright environment directly in the beam. Kurt, you've researched lasers over relatively short distances, what do you think about this?
--- Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com> wrote:
Don't you think that coherence will be a contributing function to brightness?
--- Michael Carnes <michaelcarnes@earthlink.net> wrote:
Seems like beam coherence (spread over distance) might also be a good thing to measure. That's the only thing that might require some space.
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