Violet 405nm Directly-Injected Diode Laser Pen

Retail $1.99
Manufactured by (unknown)
Last updated: 11-02-23



This is a 405nm (visually estimated at 406nm) violet directly-injected laser pen. Design power output is unknown, but appears to be between 35mW and 55mW. It is made primarily from brass, covered with what I believe is a black baked enamel finish and has chrome-plated tailcap, bezel, and band near the center.

I'm not equipped to measure wavelength, but it appears to be between 406nm and 407nm.

Feed the laser pen a pair of AAA cells first, and then you'll be ready to rock.

To use the laser pen, just aim it at something you wish to point out, and press & hold down the metal pushbutton on the barrel. Release the button when you want to neutralise the laser pen.


To change the batteries in this laser, unscrew the laser near the center, and set the front half aside.

Tip the used AAA cells out of the barrel and into your hand, and dispose of, recycle, or recharge them as you see fit. Please do not under any circumstances flush them down a toliet or throw them into a trout-filled stream or those tree-huggers might hunt you down and then beat the living tweedle out of you. ;-)

Insert two new AAA cells into the barrel, button-end (+) positive first. This is the opposite of how batteries are installed in most flashlights, so please pay attention to polarity here.

Screw the front half of the laser back on, and be done with it.


This is a laser pen, not a flashlight meant to be carried around, thrashed, trashed, and abused, so I won't try to drown it in the toliet tank, run over it with a 450lb Quickie Pulse 6 motorised wheelchair, stomp on it, send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analyses, or perform other indecencies on it that a flashlight might have to have performed on it. So this section of the web page will be a bit more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.

This laser is not water-resistant, so please be extra careful when using it around sinks, tubs, loos (toliets), fishtanks, pet water bowls, or other places where water or water-like liquids might be found. And you'll probably want to cover it up or otherwise get rid of it (such as by putting it in a pocket or bag) if you need to use it in rain or snow.

There are no current usage, optical power output measurements or spectrographic analyses because I no longer own or have access to a DMM, LPM, or spectrometer.

I was not able to measure wavelength with a diffraction grating and a meter stick (yes, I have both products at my disposal) because there is insufficient space here, and an outdoor measurement is not possible because I'm in a wheelchair after falling prey to a crippling stroke on 03-21-22 and my physical ability to measure with this equipment is extremely limited at best.


Beam terminus photograph on a wall at ~8 feet.


Beam bouncing off of a standard 2nd-surface household mirror at ~5 feet.
Incense was burning nearby.


TEST NOTES
Test unit was purchased from Ebay on 08-02-23, and was received on 08-19-23.


UPDATE 00-00-00


PROS:
Color is extremely radiant and unuusual for a portable laser (violet is becoming common and inpen$ive however)
Nice beam quality -- beam is exceptionally clean with no unwanted "nasties" (artifacts) in it
Uses batteries that are common and relatively inexpen$ive
Appears significantly brighter than expected -- a bit overspec
The price has come WAAAAYYY down over the last 15 or so years


NEUTRAL:
Not waterproof or submersible - but most pointers aren't. Will not figure into my rating.


CONS: A bit overspec


PRODUCT RATING: