The 5mw laser pointer has been available for purchase on the American market since before the turn of the last century. The first ones to appear were the red lasers pointers. They were mainly used by public speakers and presenters to help the audience follow what they were talking about by pointing to an image on a screen. These are best used indoors and in low light situations. They emit a beam of light at 670 nm.

Because the human eye is more sensitive to the color green, the green lasers are better suited for use outdoors, as well as indoors. They can be up to 50 times brighter that the older style red lasers. They send a beam of light at 532 nm. Their uses have expanded from being a tool that a presenter uses, to pointing out stars at night for groups of astronomers, as laser sights for firearms and just for fun with friends.

The reason they are named 5mw is a reference to the power of the laser itself. The “mw” stands for “mill watts.” That is the maximum allowed power set forth by the United States government. It has been proven that a laser with more power can cause permanent eye damage. By limiting the power of these little lasers, the US Government is just playing big brother and is watching out for us.

The green laser is the most widely produced and used in the world today. For this reason, it has one of the lowest prices associated with it. There are other lasers in blue and yellow, but because of their cost to manufacture, they have not become as popular.

The 5mw laser pointer is the most powerful pointing instrument permitted under US law at the present time. Use with caution and never aim any laser at anybody’s eye as a safety precaution.