5mw Laser

Is it illegal to buy a laser pointer ABOVE 5mW in the USA?

I am thinking of buying one of those green laser pointers for my science class. I've seen how the 5wW ones look, but I'd like to get something stronger. I'm thinking maybe a 200mW?

I've seen them on eBay and Dealextreme but I read somewhere that above 5mW in the US is illegal.
So if I order it from somewhere like China would customs just confiscate it?

Thanks for any info

Generally, a green laser pointer with output power more than 5mW is illegal. And according to FDA, any laser which more than 5mW requires a key-switch interlock and other safety regulations.
But the customs may not confiscate your 200mW green laser pointer. Good Luck!

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Barska 5mW Green Laser Sight AU11404

Whats the difference between a 5MW and a 10MW laser pen?

Im planning to get a laser pen. But I would like to know what the difference is between them two. Is the 10mw stronger than the 5mw (eg, the laser beam will go further)?

And will the 5mw be able to pop ballons and light a match stick?

Im planning to get this laser atm: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.91

The difference between a 5MW and a 10MW laser pen is 5mW

The 10mw laser is twice as much power as the 5mW. Meaning it's brighter and will run the batteries down faster.

And a 10mW laser will only be able to pop a balloon if the tip is sharp. Otherwise the beam will just make the balloon glow.

The only way a 10mW laser could burn something is if there was a short in it, starting a fire in the circuitry itself.

Think of it this way. 10mW is 0.01 watts. A typical light bulb is 100 Watts. That's 10000 less powerful than a lightbulb. A lasers energy is focused though so you don't need a 100W laser to heat something up.

A .5W (500mW) laser may start to get into the range where they can burn things. That's 50 times as powerful as a 10mW laser. This is a Class IV laser and generally must be have a key safety switch. Meaning they usually can't be sold in as a pointer. Of course, each country has it's own laws.

A Class IIIb laser (5–500 mW) can permanently blind you. Most laser pointers are in the class under that...Class IIIa. A 5mW laser is usually a Class IIIa. They can cause eye damage if you stare into them for an extended period of time or focus the beam with optics.

Many of the laser pointers you see that advertise to pop balloons and burn things are tweaked and running the diode at (or pushing it past) it's maximun levels. This quickly reduces the life expectancy of the laser diode.