Wicked Lasers Nexus Specifications:

• Output Power: 95mW
• Beam Diameter: 1.6mm
• Laser Lifetime: over 5,000 hours
• Power Consumption: 500mA
• Battery Supply: 2 x AAA (1.5V)
• Battery Life: 90 minutes
• Body: Black Polished Brass
• Wavelength: 532nm
• Size: 13mm x 144mm

The Nexus 95mW is bright enough that the target is clearly visible even in bright daylight. The actual beam isn’t so visible during the day, but is clearly visible when indoors. At night this laser pretty much resembles a Star Wars light saber. The beam doesn’t seem to ever end if you shine it into the sky at night. This is excellent for pointing planets or stars. It’s power might not be the best for all situations, for example a PowerPoint presentation. The laser will probably be much brighter than your projector and will most likely blind the audience. At night the Nexus can literally light up an entire room.

The laser pointer is actually quite compact, it’s roughly the size of an average pen. Wicked Lasers also includes a neat little hard carrying case to protect the device. The Nexus runs off 2 standard AAA batteries. The laser’s true performance will probably be best experienced in the first 15-20 minutes of use since it’s powerful diode rapidly drains battery life. Wicked Lasers also recommends avoiding continuously using the laser for over two minutes without allowing it to cool. If it overheats, it may damage the laser diode. As for the fun stuff, you’ll be able to light matches after a few seconds. It can easily burn through garbage bags, however you’ll need to be within a couple of inches for it to work. The same goes for balloons. Unfortunately the Nexus won’t do much to anything if you are more than a foot away.

For a quick comparison of how powerful the 95mW Nexus is compared to the 5mW Core, I snapped an image of both of them pointed a couple inches away from each other. If you’re having a hard time making out the image, the small circle on the left is from the 5mW laser and the big one is from the 95mW.

Overall I was quite impressed with the Nexus, it was by far the most powerful laser my friends or I had seen. The only downside to all of this might just be the price tag. The Nexus 95mW retails for about $400 on Wicked Lasers’s website. You probably won’t be purchasing this just for the hell of it unless you fell like spending some cash, but if you do become an owner, you won’t be disappointed. Wicked Lasers also sells 300mW, but as expected that’s going to cost a whole lot more. If you are worried about making a purchase, keep in mind that Wicked Lasers includes a 3 month warranty which should cover defects.

Links: WickedLasers.com | Executive Series (Green Lasers)
Related: Laser Community Forums

Notice: The Wicked Lasers Nexus a pretty fun little gizmo to mess around with, but if you haven’t guessed yet, this is definitely not a toy! This laser can badly sting your skin in a couple of seconds of exposure, which means that even a second of exposure to the eye may cause some serious damage. So it may not be a good idea to allow children to handle or even use around others unaware of the danger. So beware and be cautious when handling it. No one wants to be responsible for permanently blinding someone.

We recently got a hold of the “CORE” green laser pointer from the folks over at Wicked Lasers and we’re quite impressed. It was probably the brightest laser pointer I had seen. According to Wicked Lasers, this model should be visible over 10,000 feet away (during a clear night). Green lasers are naturally over 50x brighter than red lasers since the human eye is more sensitive to it. The Core model outputs the green laser at 5mW (milliwatts), which is the maximum allowed under U.S. regulations. (100% Legal!)

As I mentioned, this was the closest thing I had seen to a true “laser beam”. When I tested it outdoors at night, a good portion of the beam was clearly visible due to moisture in the air. We compared it to another red laser of the same milliwatt output and close to nothing was visible. Although this is one of the least powerful green laser produced by Wicked Lasers, it is still quite dangerous. It is important to be cautious since direct exposure from close distances can permanently damage the eye. You will also find safety warnings on standard red laser pointers found in most office supply and electronic stores, but these aren’t nearly as dangerous or powerful.

If for some reason 5mW isn’t enough for you, Wicked Lasers sells green lasers with outputs reaching up to 300mW. (Once again ours was just 5mW) We wouldn’t recommend playing around with anything higher than the Core. If you purchase one handle it cautiously, don’t give it to children, or people unaware of its potential. If you want a better idea of how powerful these can get, the following are some examples of what each milliwatt range they can do: (So yes, they can burn and melt stuff!)

• 15-35mW: beam visible at night, in smoke, and in foggy areas.
• 55-75mW: 15 mile range, beam visible in lighted areas, melt trash bags, and stings skin
• 95-125mW: 50 mile range, pop air balloons, light matches, and melt plastic/rubber
• 200-300mW: 100 mile range, Tesla technology, and can even lights cigars

Getting back to the Core model, it runs on two standard AAA batteries for up to 90 minutes. The lifespan of the laser itself is expected to be somewhere around 5,000 hours of use. The one small drawback we noticed was the fact that using this pointer for over 3 minutes continuously could cause the insides to overheat therefore sacrificing the laser diode’s lifespan. Either way 3 minutes is a pretty long time to be pointing at something, plus it’s a great improvement over older lasers which were even shorter.

Red lasers are the most widely available, however green laser pointers are becoming much more common and cheaper. Just for a rough idea, just about 10 years ago a red laser would have cost nearly $100. As for the CORE by Wicked Lasers, it is available online for just $35. Wicked Lasers even provides a 12 month warranty with the unit and throw in a hard case, so there’s not much to worry about. Having a green laser for presentations can make things more interesting. If you wish to purchase other higher end models, prices reach over $500.

Links: Wicked Lasers CORE | WickedLasers.com
Related: TechLasers.com (Wicked Lasers Affiliate)

http://skattertech.com/media/2007/10/wicked-lasers-video.flv