If you want a good laser to show off to your friends and colleagues, the 100mw laser pointer is one of the best that can be purchased on the market. Coming in either red, green, yellow or blue, these laser pointers are extremely powerful, letting you show off the functionality of a laser.

However, there are a few things that you will want to keep in mind if you intend on purchasing a 100mw laser pointer. First, these are rather expensive, ranging from eight to four hundred dollars, dependent on quality and color of the beam. At first glance, the color of the beam may not seem significant. However, the different colors of the beams have different properties and strengths of the laser. Red lasers, using the oldest technology, tend to be the weakest. The strongest lasers are the green and yellow lasers, which are among the newer technologies. Both the green and yellow versions of the 100mW lasers can ignite wood, matches and melt plastic. All laser types are capable of permanently damaging the retina of the eye if exposed for longer than a quarter of a second.

Because of this, the 100mw laser pointer is illegal in many areas. Because of how serious the injuries are that are caused by lasers of this power, the public is not allowed to own these lasers. While this is not applicable in all regions, many countries will not permit these lasers to be shipped across their borders. When you are purchasing a 100mw laser pointer, you need to ensure you know the laws of your region. The companies that develop and sell these lasers pass all responsibility and liabilities to the purchasers. This means that whomever possesses the 100mw laser pointer will be the one criminally responsible for the possession of the pointer.

One of the most common uses of a 100mw laser pointer is as an astronomy laser pointer. This is due to the fact that these pointers are strong enough to serve as sky pointers, which can help pinpoint specific stars in the sky. When you purchase and use a 100mw laser pointer for this purpose, it is considered common courtesy to ask permission to use the pointer from others who are viewing in your area. Using a laser pointer of this strength will show on exposures, which can ruin the efforts of photographers.

A 100mw laser pointer can only be acquired through special orders, which are usually easiest to get online.