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What’s the Best Laser for Me?

What’s the Best Laser for Me?

There are loads of different lasers available, and which model best suits you depends entirely on what you’ll be using it for. It might be that all you need is an extra light effect to finish your DJ booth, but it may also be that you’re planning to put together an all-out light show. Regardless of your plans, this Buyer’s Guide will help you find what you need. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!

1. What’s a Laser?

In this Buyer’s Guide, the lasers we’re referring to are devices equipped with laser diodes, which are used as a light source to generate highly focussed, intense bundles of light. Lasers can be used to create light shows and can be combined with smoke machines to enhance their effectiveness and the overall spectacle. While each laser beam is monochromatic (meaning that it consists of a single colour), some lasers are equipped with different colour diodes and can actually produce multi-colour beams.

Also, in case you didn’t know, laser is an acronym that stands for ‘light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation’. Simply put, the amplification takes place at the centre of the laser diode and is achieved via a continuous output of electrons.

Lasers

2. What Can I Do With a Laser?

Using a so-called grating laser, you can project dots and patterns to create effects like a starry sky on walls, ceilings and theatre backdrops.
There are also lasers available that can be used to project animations or figures. The limitation here is that a single fast-moving laser dot has to create an entire ‘drawing’.
Want to simply create stunning bundles and washes of light? Decide which colour(s) you need and check out Question 4 for more details about combining colours. To grant the laser beams more visibility, you’ll need a smoke machine along with a laser.

Lasers

3. Are Lasers Dangerous?

Every laser is potentially dangerous, so make sure to operate yours correctly.

Rule of thumb: the higher any laser is classed, the higher its potential danger.
Even a simple laser-pointer can be dangerous. While its typically weak beam is generally harmless, keeping it pointed at someone’s eye for a long period of time can cause serious damage. In fact, every laser beam that’s aimed at a specific target for too long is potentially dangerous.
Grating lasers are relatively safe since these units divide the central laser beam into multiple weaker beams. That said, the produced beams are still fairly concentrated at short range, so never set a grating laser on say your kid’s desk or nightstand.
Other types of lasers often make use of a central laser combined with quick-moving mirrors. Here, it’s worth considering the speed at which the mirrors move and what kind of safety features have been built in. Professional gear is generally safer than entry-level gear and may feature automatic shutters or the option to activate an emergency break of sorts.
Never leave any lasers unsupervised and never allow children to operate them!
See Question 6 about laser classification for more info.

Lasers
Blog: How dangerous are show lasers?

4. Which Colours Can I Create Using a Laser?

Some lasers are only capable of producing a single specified colour, which is sometimes enough to create impressive light shows. Other lasers feature multiple diodes (e.g. green-blue (GB) or red-green-blue (RGB), and while mixing colours is definitely possible here, the options aren’t as extensive as they are in the case of LED lighting. An RGB laser, for instance, is ‘only’ able to produce a maximum of seven colours.

Now for some technical info: a laser diode is a semiconductor that measures roughly half a millimeter in size. It’s fed electrical current so it can shoot out bundles of light, where the colour depends on the speed at which the light particles move (the wavelength). As such, each diode is limited to a single colour. The human eye is best at making out green, which is why green lasers are up to ten times as visible as red lasers with a similar output capacity. For that reason, green lasers require much less power than red ones.

Green Lasers
Blue / Violet Lasers
Green-Blue Lasers
Red-Blue Lasers
Red-Green Lasers
Red-Green-Blue Lasers (RGB)

5. What Does ‘KPPS’ Mean?

KPPS is usually mentioned when it comes to the projection of patterns and animations. The abbreviation stands for ‘kilo point per second’ and indicates the speed of the scanning system (if built in). The higher the kpps, the higher the quality of the projection.

If whatever you’re projecting is flickering, this means that the scanning system built into your laser isn’t fast enough to ‘seamlessly’ render the projected image for the human eye. In other words, there are too many points per second to cover, but it could also be that the desired drawing or pattern is simply too complex, or that the scanning speed has been set too low via control software.

If the projection is downright wobbly and you can tell that the outlines of fixed shapes such as squares jitter a little, this is a sign that the scanner is operating beyond its capabilities and struggles to project stable images.

Lasers

6. Which Laser Class Rating Do I Go For?

All lasers are classified. Class-3B lasers, for example, have a power output of between 5mW and 499mW (milliwatt). Keep in mind that laser classes are often indicated via Roman numerals, so Class IIIB in this case. To give you a frame of reference, any laser with a power capacity of 20 to 50mW is powerful enough for smaller parties and events.

With lasers, the classification system also takes safety into account. When it comes to higher-class lasers, you need to not only consider the answer to Question 3, but realise that if the laser were to hit any mirrored surface (so mirrors, mirror-balls and even the lenses fitted to moving heads) it could potentially harm the eyes of any audience members. The bigger the laser, the bigger the risks.

Lasers

7. Can Lasers Be Used Outdoors?

Some lasers can indeed be used outdoors. Usually, these are smaller grating lasers like the ones used during Christmas time. At large festivals, you’ll also come across waterproof lasers that are simply too expensive for us to add to our range of lasers.

Please note: Only assume that a laser is waterproof if this is explicitly stated in the product specifications. Also check to what degree the unit is water-proof. Lasers can be completely watertight, just splash-proof or something in between.

Lasers

8. What’s the Best Way to Control a Laser?

Most lasers can be used in standalone mode as well as controlled via DMX or ILDA. In standalone mode, pre-programmed patterns can be manually activated, but if you want more control and customisation options or if you use a multi-unit set-up, it’s worth taking control via DMX. Using a DMX controller, you can adjust the intensity, colour, scan speed and the pre-programmed figures or patterns. ILDA goes one step further even and allows you to control all individual laser elements. However, this doesn’t mean ILDA lets you call up the built-in figures and patterns like DMX does. Instead, each element is independently controlled via external ILDA software. This concept isn’t as beginner-friendly, but ultimately offers you the most light-show-shaping options.

Lasers
Laser ILDA Software
Laser Cables
DMX Cables
DMX Controllers

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Blog: How dangerous are show lasers?