What is killing the laser show industry? Continued from another thread

[C what I mean]

OK.. here is the jest of previous posts on the other thread.. to continue at
the bottom...


<snip>

"C what I mean" <snip>
You may want to go for white light instead of just a boring green....
Green is boring the audiences quite quickly. I personally feel this is
one of
the causes of the decline in the laser industry. Too many shows being
done
with just green because it is cheaper and until lately so much easier to
use.
Think about it. If you were in the audience, how long would it take to
play out the "Wow factor" with just one color??? .. green.
James Sweet wrote...
I'd have to agree, green DPSS is a great way to get a lot of cheap
efficient
laser light, but for shows it's boring. Not a very attractive color in the
first place, and having only one color really limits what you can do. It's
hard enough to impress people anymore even with full color laser
projection,
monochrome green is only good for beam effects to augment other colors.

<snip>...

"C what I mean"

I know it is easier.. but I still think that is what is helping to kill
the
laser light show industry... I can't say I blame you in the short run..
but
long term I think those smaller shows are going to have an even worse
effect
on all of us doing shows...Only time will tell.
Adrian Pistritto wrote...
What I also think is the small portable green stinger type projectors
and other cheap ones are killing it too. People who don't understand
the benefits of an operated show aren't going to want to pay the
operator fees and higher costs associated with a decent show if they
know they can get a stinger for less than $80 a night. I suppose its
almost worth buying one, to a) clean up that end of the market and b)
take it along and say this is what you get for $100 bucks, this is
what you get for $xxx ++

More comments?

[Adrian Pistritto]

Post by C what I mean
OK.. here is the jest of previous posts on the other thread.. to continue at
the bottom...
<snip>

"C what I mean" <snip>
You may want to go for white light instead of just a boring green....
Green is boring the audiences quite quickly. I personally feel this is
one of
the causes of the decline in the laser industry. Too many shows being
done
with just green because it is cheaper and until lately so much easier to
use.
Think about it. If you were in the audience, how long would it take to
play out the "Wow factor" with just one color??? .. green.
James Sweet wrote...
I'd have to agree, green DPSS is a great way to get a lot of cheap
efficient
laser light, but for shows it's boring. Not a very attractive color in the
first place, and having only one color really limits what you can do. It's
hard enough to impress people anymore even with full color laser
projection,
monochrome green is only good for beam effects to augment other colors.

<snip>...
"C what I mean"

I know it is easier.. but I still think that is what is helping to kill
the
laser light show industry... I can't say I blame you in the short run..
but
long term I think those smaller shows are going to have an even worse
effect
on all of us doing shows...Only time will tell.
Adrian Pistritto wrote...
What I also think is the small portable green stinger type projectors
and other cheap ones are killing it too. People who don't understand
the benefits of an operated show aren't going to want to pay the
operator fees and higher costs associated with a decent show if they
know they can get a stinger for less than $80 a night. I suppose its
almost worth buying one, to a) clean up that end of the market and b)
take it along and say this is what you get for $100 bucks, this is
what you get for $xxx ++

More comments?

what about an overly blase` attitude towards audience scanning ?

There was one show in particular I was at where the operators were
playing back pangolin beam shows at a rave...

and because they wanted to crowd scan they flipped the Y axis so
everthing was below the zero line...

but they obviously either had no idea what was in this show or didn't
give a fuck because a) a lot of it was very bright and b) at one point
for at least 3 minuets (maybe the show had finished playing??) what
was meant to be a handful above head static beams was shot into the
crowd (coz of the y flip)... from a SP171 whitelight running at what
looked like 4 watts... i'll just say this was fucking totally
irresponsible - i almost copped a look into the sun... the girl next
to me did...

I heard of an instance in adelaide where somebody got blinded because
a pulsed laserscope was used - don't know the details to this... but
its not very comforting...

[C what I mean]

Post by Adrian Pistritto

Post by C what I mean
OK.. here is the jest of previous posts on the other thread.. to continue at
the bottom...
<snip>

"C what I mean" <snip>
You may want to go for white light instead of just a boring green....
Green is boring the audiences quite quickly. I personally feel this is
one of
the causes of the decline in the laser industry. Too many shows being
done
with just green because it is cheaper and until lately so much easier to
use.
Think about it. If you were in the audience, how long would it take to
play out the "Wow factor" with just one color??? .. green.
James Sweet wrote...
I'd have to agree, green DPSS is a great way to get a lot of cheap
efficient
laser light, but for shows it's boring. Not a very attractive color in the
first place, and having only one color really limits what you can do. It's
hard enough to impress people anymore even with full color laser
projection,
monochrome green is only good for beam effects to augment other colors.

<snip>...
"C what I mean"

I know it is easier.. but I still think that is what is helping to kill
the
laser light show industry... I can't say I blame you in the short run..
but
long term I think those smaller shows are going to have an even worse
effect
on all of us doing shows...Only time will tell.
Adrian Pistritto wrote...
What I also think is the small portable green stinger type projectors
and other cheap ones are killing it too. People who don't understand
the benefits of an operated show aren't going to want to pay the
operator fees and higher costs associated with a decent show if they
know they can get a stinger for less than $80 a night. I suppose its
almost worth buying one, to a) clean up that end of the market and b)
take it along and say this is what you get for $100 bucks, this is
what you get for $xxx ++

More comments?

what about an overly blase` attitude towards audience scanning ?
There was one show in particular I was at where the operators were
playing back pangolin beam shows at a rave...
and because they wanted to crowd scan they flipped the Y axis so
everthing was below the zero line...
but they obviously either had no idea what was in this show or didn't
give a fuck because a) a lot of it was very bright and b) at one point
for at least 3 minuets (maybe the show had finished playing??) what
was meant to be a handful above head static beams was shot into the
crowd (coz of the y flip)... from a SP171 whitelight running at what
looked like 4 watts... i'll just say this was fucking totally
irresponsible - i almost copped a look into the sun... the girl next
to me did...
I heard of an instance in adelaide where somebody got blinded because
a pulsed laserscope was used - don't know the details to this... but
its not very comforting...

Operators that do not adhere to the safety rules and do stuff like this,
hurt all of us legitimate laser operators.
The fact that audience scanning here in the states is hard to get varianced
at best, doesn't help the Wow factor, but it does help keep people safe.

[Smiley]

I think the decline of the WOW factor is the biggest issue. 30 years
ago, you didn't have bright video projectors, so the only time you
saw a moving projected image was at the movies. A laser show had the
advantage of being live, and not just a re-play of a filmed movie.
Also, the lasers could shoot over you, and encompase the audience
inside the magical projections. But the biggest WOW was just the
coolness of this laser beam from the world of science fiction.

I think the wide spread adoption of the disco "wiggle light"
overshadowed the laser, plus the fact that you can buy your own laser
for $5 and keep it in your pocket to play with. The laser beam itself
became as familiar as a flashlight.

I think electric lightbulbs themselves had a similar appeal to the
public when they first came out... but no one is wowed any more at the
sight of a light source without flame.

[Stuart]

Post by Smiley
I think the decline of the WOW factor is the biggest issue. 30 years
ago, you didn't have bright video projectors, so the only time you
saw a moving projected image was at the movies. A laser show had the
advantage of being live, and not just a re-play of a filmed movie.
Also, the lasers could shoot over you, and encompase the audience
inside the magical projections. But the biggest WOW was just the
coolness of this laser beam from the world of science fiction.
I think the wide spread adoption of the disco "wiggle light"
overshadowed the laser, plus the fact that you can buy your own laser
for $5 and keep it in your pocket to play with. The laser beam itself
became as familiar as a flashlight.
I think electric lightbulbs themselves had a similar appeal to the
public when they first came out... but no one is wowed any more at the
sight of a light source without flame.

YEP, the wow factor has gone. 15 years ago, the main lights used at a
concert were arrays of parcans. In those days, just firing a beam over the
audience looked amazing. Things have moved on... relatively low cost moving
light fixtures are always used now , and to joe average, they "think" these
are lasers.

The other thing that is killing it are the "1guy + 500mW YAG + website &
cellphone" set-ups. Sadly, alot of these guys have created an artificially
low price for the industry. Often working for extremely low costs or just
for the "buzz" of being at a venue or event. The laser is quite regularly
just bunged in the venue and left to play the demo shows that came with the
controller.

This makes it impossible for the full time businesses to quote for the work.
For the promoter/organisers can't understand the price difference.

In this world of competing media, the laser has to work harder to get the
"wow", but it can still be done. It just takes more effort and creativity,
...which costs more money. That the promoters don't want to pay. ... so some
of the blame has go with them.

This makes the "wow" laser shows more of a rarity.

[Florian]

Post by Stuart
The other thing that is killing it are the "1guy + 500mW YAG + website &
cellphone" set-ups. Sadly, alot of these guys have created an artificially
low price for the industry. Often working for extremely low costs or just
for the "buzz" of being at a venue or event. The laser is quite regularly
just bunged in the venue and left to play the demo shows that came with the
controller.

I definitelly know TOO much of those people here ... and there even are a
few, doing shows with spectra 171 lasers, 2 or 3 pairs of scanners for less
the 1500 bucks an evening, just because they want to be "cool"....
Prices are falling rapidly, because everybody has a small (or even "not that
small" 532nm DPSS doing shows for cheap money...or even for nothing.....

I recognized, that lots of people are just looking for low price....but not
for quality......

Any idea what to do against such people?

florian

[Scrim]

Post by Stuart

Post by Smiley
I think the decline of the WOW factor is the biggest issue. 30 years
ago, you didn't have bright video projectors, so the only time you
saw a moving projected image was at the movies. A laser show had the
advantage of being live, and not just a re-play of a filmed movie.
Also, the lasers could shoot over you, and encompase the audience
inside the magical projections. But the biggest WOW was just the
coolness of this laser beam from the world of science fiction.
I think the wide spread adoption of the disco "wiggle light"
overshadowed the laser, plus the fact that you can buy your own laser
for $5 and keep it in your pocket to play with. The laser beam itself
became as familiar as a flashlight.
I think electric lightbulbs themselves had a similar appeal to the
public when they first came out... but no one is wowed any more at the
sight of a light source without flame.

YEP, the wow factor has gone. 15 years ago, the main lights used at a
concert were arrays of parcans. In those days, just firing a beam over the
audience looked amazing. Things have moved on... relatively low cost moving
light fixtures are always used now , and to joe average, they "think" these
are lasers.
The other thing that is killing it are the "1guy + 500mW YAG + website &
cellphone" set-ups. Sadly, alot of these guys have created an artificially
low price for the industry. Often working for extremely low costs or just
for the "buzz" of being at a venue or event. The laser is quite regularly
just bunged in the venue and left to play the demo shows that came with the
controller.
This makes it impossible for the full time businesses to quote for the work.
For the promoter/organisers can't understand the price difference.
In this world of competing media, the laser has to work harder to get the
"wow", but it can still be done. It just takes more effort and creativity,
...which costs more money. That the promoters don't want to pay. ... so some
of the blame has go with them.
This makes the "wow" laser shows more of a rarity.

Personally I never found the use of lasers to produce animation very
interesting. It's suits advertisers because you can introduce their logos,
text and other requirements easily, but conventional and computer animation
through a bright projector can produce higher quality results, which
everyone regularly sees in a similar way on TV, so there isn't much in the
way of wow! in that. I think it also suits the industry because the high
cost of the required equipment is a barrier to new entries. But lasers can
be used to produce loads of other interesting effects - my personal
favourites are a static beam disappearing off to the horizon and an expanded
beam illuminating a rotating mirror globe, smoke tunnels/slices etc.
I think to get wow!, lasers need to be used for things you can't see without
them, even if it seems they've all been done before.

Scrim

[Justín Käse]

Post by Stuart
YEP, the wow factor has gone. 15 years ago, the main lights used at a
concert were arrays of parcans. In those days, just firing a beam over the
audience looked amazing.

I remember when the light shows involved overhead projectors with dishes
of water, mineral oil, and food coloring. Didn't see any laser
involvement until mid-70's at a Genesis concert.

[Eric Schmiedl]

How about lack of marketing ability among laserists?
I mean, think about it. If some idiot with $1k can go on eBay, get a
web address / cell phone, and do "REAL PROFESIONAL LAZER SHOWS!!!"
while people assume he's giving the same product as guys who have been
doing it for years with equipment we can only drool over the mere
thought of seeing in person...

Post by Stuart

Post by Smiley
I think the decline of the WOW factor is the biggest issue. 30 years
ago, you didn't have bright video projectors, so the only time you
saw a moving projected image was at the movies. A laser show had the
advantage of being live, and not just a re-play of a filmed movie.
Also, the lasers could shoot over you, and encompase the audience
inside the magical projections. But the biggest WOW was just the
coolness of this laser beam from the world of science fiction.
I think the wide spread adoption of the disco "wiggle light"
overshadowed the laser, plus the fact that you can buy your own laser
for $5 and keep it in your pocket to play with. The laser beam itself
became as familiar as a flashlight.
I think electric lightbulbs themselves had a similar appeal to the
public when they first came out... but no one is wowed any more at the
sight of a light source without flame.

YEP, the wow factor has gone. 15 years ago, the main lights used at a
concert were arrays of parcans. In those days, just firing a beam over the
audience looked amazing. Things have moved on... relatively low cost moving
light fixtures are always used now , and to joe average, they "think" these
are lasers.
The other thing that is killing it are the "1guy + 500mW YAG + website &
cellphone" set-ups. Sadly, alot of these guys have created an artificially
low price for the industry. Often working for extremely low costs or just
for the "buzz" of being at a venue or event. The laser is quite regularly
just bunged in the venue and left to play the demo shows that came with the
controller.
This makes it impossible for the full time businesses to quote for the work.
For the promoter/organisers can't understand the price difference.
In this world of competing media, the laser has to work harder to get the
"wow", but it can still be done. It just takes more effort and creativity,
...which costs more money. That the promoters don't want to pay. ... so some
of the blame has go with them.
This makes the "wow" laser shows more of a rarity.

[Brian Wirthlin]

Post by Eric Schmiedl
How about lack of marketing ability among laserists?
I mean, think about it. If some idiot with $1k can go on eBay, get a
web address / cell phone, and do "REAL PROFESIONAL LAZER SHOWS!!!"
while people assume he's giving the same product as guys who have been
doing it for years with equipment we can only drool over the mere
thought of seeing in person...

Guys

I've watched this thread for a while. The "Laser Show Industry" is
killing itself. A friend of mine did a RUSH concert tour back in the
mid eighties. (Actually he did a couple tours...) The first tour
started in Toronto. The reviews of that show were 90% about the
lasers. Of course someone told Craig to tone it down a bit. ;-) It's
not just WOW - it's pacing, choreography, maintaining the audience's
interest, and a whole bunch of mundane things that makes the
difference. Does the word "art" make you uncomfortable? As long as you
see lasers as a high tech light you'll likely fail, as long as you do
the stuff you or your client likes with no regard for the audience
you'll likely fail. As long as you just wait for the phone to ring
you'll likely fail.

Perhaps it was only the WOW factor that made Laser Shows successful in
the first place. I can't prove that it wasn't, but I don't believe it.
Even way back in the bad old days some shows just sucked, but I have
to say some of the modern stuff I've seen is as bad or worse. People
used to come up to talk after the shows and some of them would compare
Laserium to Fantasia. I'd never seen the Disney Classic but obviously
they intended it as a compliment. When I finally saw Fantasia I was a
little chagrined. Lot's of people point to Fantasia as an animation
masterpiece that stands apart of all the rest. Most of these people
I've talked to eventually admit they were more than ready to leave for
popcorn halfway through the movie. That's bad pacing, and it's the
dominant flaw of most laser shows I've seen over the years.

Well that's my two cents...

Brian

[C what I mean]

Post by Brian Wirthlin

Post by Eric Schmiedl
How about lack of marketing ability among laserists?
I mean, think about it. If some idiot with $1k can go on eBay, get a
web address / cell phone, and do "REAL PROFESIONAL LAZER SHOWS!!!"
while people assume he's giving the same product as guys who have been
doing it for years with equipment we can only drool over the mere
thought of seeing in person...

Guys
I've watched this thread for a while. The "Laser Show Industry" is
killing itself. A friend of mine did a RUSH concert tour back in the
mid eighties. (Actually he did a couple tours...) The first tour
started in Toronto. The reviews of that show were 90% about the
lasers. Of course someone told Craig to tone it down a bit. ;-) It's
not just WOW - it's pacing, choreography, maintaining the audience's
interest, and a whole bunch of mundane things that makes the
difference. Does the word "art" make you uncomfortable? As long as you
see lasers as a high tech light you'll likely fail, as long as you do
the stuff you or your client likes with no regard for the audience
you'll likely fail. As long as you just wait for the phone to ring
you'll likely fail.
Perhaps it was only the WOW factor that made Laser Shows successful in
the first place. I can't prove that it wasn't, but I don't believe it.
Even way back in the bad old days some shows just sucked, but I have
to say some of the modern stuff I've seen is as bad or worse. People
used to come up to talk after the shows and some of them would compare
Laserium to Fantasia. I'd never seen the Disney Classic but obviously
they intended it as a compliment. When I finally saw Fantasia I was a
little chagrined. Lot's of people point to Fantasia as an animation
masterpiece that stands apart of all the rest. Most of these people
I've talked to eventually admit they were more than ready to leave for
popcorn halfway through the movie. That's bad pacing, and it's the
dominant flaw of most laser shows I've seen over the years.
Well that's my two cents...
Brian

Pacing has a lot to do with it of course.. good point! But that is part of
the WOW factor... isn't it? Controlling your audience and making them want
more. I once did a rave... yeah.. even I did a few... It was easy to tell
that the crowds get immune to the effects pretty fast these days... so you
can't just shove it all out there at once.. you have to have something
different, interesting, intriguing, and eye catching.. and you can't just
blast away!

[Skywise]

"C what I mean" <no ***@frontiernet.net> wrote in news:BT8sd.6251$***@news01.roc.ny:

<Snipola>

Post by C what I mean
Pacing has a lot to do with it of course.. good point! But that is part
of the WOW factor... isn't it? Controlling your audience and making
them want more. I once did a rave... yeah.. even I did a few... It was
easy to tell that the crowds get immune to the effects pretty fast these
days... so you can't just shove it all out there at once.. you have to
have something different, interesting, intriguing, and eye catching..
and you can't just blast away!

I think a perfect example of pacing would be the last tour by Pink
Floyd.

The beginning of the show started out fairly mellow with almost no
lasers and basic but unique lighting, most of it still. As the show
progressed, more and more effects were brought in. By the finale of
the encore every single light and laser was out and dancing in perfect
sync with the music.

They used copper vapor lasers so they really only had three colors,
green, yellow, and the combined lime like color. The lasers themselves
never stole the show but they were used very aesthetically and never
got boring. Perhaps they could have used some other colors as well
but to keep up with the power of the copper vapors I think it would
have taken some pretty powerful argons.

If you even half like Floyd, the video "Pulse" is a must see for the
most awesome use of stage lighting I've ever seen. I hope it comes
out on DVD soon as I've about worn out my VHS tape.

Brian

[b***@hotmail.com]

I guess I didn't express myself well. The WOW factor in my mind
involves rocking the viewer back in his seat. Blowing his mind as they
used to say, and there's a place for that sometimes. But the shows I've
loved weren't about instants of wow, but about much more subtle
developments that drew me into the experience. Each development needs
to build on the last. Sometimes the audience needs a slow number to
catch up. And sometime they really don't. I remember the first time I
saw Laserium Starship thinking simply this is going to be fun... The
progression from abstract to representational imagery, from live to
canned, from imagery then music to music then imagery seems much more
profound than the evolution of the audience's exposure to high tech
imagery. Frankly I doubt the average Joe sees a fraction of the
subtleties that might be present. You have to learn how to see a laser
light show, but first you have to want to learn. The imagery has to
draw the viewer into the show. That's what I mean when I say pacing.
The sign of a great laser show isn't getting someone to attend - it's
getting them to get right back in line again...

Brian

Post by C what I mean

Post by Brian Wirthlin

Post by Eric Schmiedl
How about lack of marketing ability among laserists?
I mean, think about it. If some idiot with $1k can go on eBay, get a
web address / cell phone, and do "REAL PROFESIONAL LAZER SHOWS!!!"
while people assume he's giving the same product as guys who have been
doing it for years with equipment we can only drool over the mere
thought of seeing in person...

Guys
I've watched this thread for a while. The "Laser Show Industry" is
killing itself. A friend of mine did a RUSH concert tour back in the
mid eighties. (Actually he did a couple tours...) The first tour
started in Toronto. The reviews of that show were 90% about the
lasers. Of course someone told Craig to tone it down a bit. ;-) It's
not just WOW - it's pacing, choreography, maintaining the

audience's

Post by C what I mean

Post by Brian Wirthlin
interest, and a whole bunch of mundane things that makes the
difference. Does the word "art" make you uncomfortable? As long as you
see lasers as a high tech light you'll likely fail, as long as you do
the stuff you or your client likes with no regard for the audience
you'll likely fail. As long as you just wait for the phone to ring
you'll likely fail.
Perhaps it was only the WOW factor that made Laser Shows successful in
the first place. I can't prove that it wasn't, but I don't believe it.
Even way back in the bad old days some shows just sucked, but I have
to say some of the modern stuff I've seen is as bad or worse. People
used to come up to talk after the shows and some of them would compare
Laserium to Fantasia. I'd never seen the Disney Classic but

obviously

Post by C what I mean

Post by Brian Wirthlin
they intended it as a compliment. When I finally saw Fantasia I was a
little chagrined. Lot's of people point to Fantasia as an animation
masterpiece that stands apart of all the rest. Most of these people
I've talked to eventually admit they were more than ready to leave for
popcorn halfway through the movie. That's bad pacing, and it's the
dominant flaw of most laser shows I've seen over the years.
Well that's my two cents...
Brian

Pacing has a lot to do with it of course.. good point! But that is part of
the WOW factor... isn't it? Controlling your audience and making them want
more. I once did a rave... yeah.. even I did a few... It was easy to tell
that the crowds get immune to the effects pretty fast these days... so you
can't just shove it all out there at once.. you have to have

something

Post by C what I mean
different, interesting, intriguing, and eye catching.. and you can't just
blast away!

[e***@757.org]

Post by b***@hotmail.com
I guess I didn't express myself well. The WOW factor in my mind
involves rocking the viewer back in his seat. Blowing his mind as they
used to say, and there's a place for that sometimes. But the shows I've
loved weren't about instants of wow, but about much more subtle

Lasers are a hobby and I've seen a few professional shows.

I downloaded the Lobo corporate videos, and I was blown back in my seat
:-) Very very very very cool work.

I have a few rickedy intellabeams, everyone calls them lasers. Some
friends make jokes about me having warped my lasers out of the 80s. And
I would imagine high powered compact lasers are going to become a
commodity pretty quickly. RGB projectors should be pretty cheap soon,
wait until the factories in china start competing on the blue and dpss
red front.

$1000 per color @ 150mw...
Assuming they don't get outlawed as terrorist weapons.

[C what I mean]

Post by e***@757.org

Post by b***@hotmail.com
I guess I didn't express myself well. The WOW factor in my mind
involves rocking the viewer back in his seat. Blowing his mind as

they

Post by b***@hotmail.com
used to say, and there's a place for that sometimes. But the shows

I've

Post by b***@hotmail.com
loved weren't about instants of wow, but about much more subtle

Lasers are a hobby and I've seen a few professional shows.
I downloaded the Lobo corporate videos, and I was blown back in my seat
:-) Very very very very cool work.
I have a few rickedy intellabeams, everyone calls them lasers. Some
friends make jokes about me having warped my lasers out of the 80s. And
I would imagine high powered compact lasers are going to become a
commodity pretty quickly. RGB projectors should be pretty cheap soon,
wait until the factories in china start competing on the blue and dpss
red front.
Assuming they don't get outlawed as terrorist weapons.

Actually, there in lays part of the problem... 150mw is not a show laser.
Not in any color. Something that size is good for hobby play and very small
rooms.. nothing more. Way too many people own way too many hobby lasers and
selling shows as professionals.

These are great for playing with however, if you like the hobby aspect of
"playing laser"!

[James Sweet]

Post by C what I mean

Post by e***@757.org

Post by b***@hotmail.com
I guess I didn't express myself well. The WOW factor in my mind
involves rocking the viewer back in his seat. Blowing his mind as

they

Post by b***@hotmail.com
used to say, and there's a place for that sometimes. But the shows

I've

Post by b***@hotmail.com
loved weren't about instants of wow, but about much more subtle

Lasers are a hobby and I've seen a few professional shows.
I downloaded the Lobo corporate videos, and I was blown back in my seat
:-) Very very very very cool work.
I have a few rickedy intellabeams, everyone calls them lasers. Some
friends make jokes about me having warped my lasers out of the 80s. And
I would imagine high powered compact lasers are going to become a
commodity pretty quickly. RGB projectors should be pretty cheap soon,
wait until the factories in china start competing on the blue and dpss
red front.
Assuming they don't get outlawed as terrorist weapons.

Actually, there in lays part of the problem... 150mw is not a show laser.
Not in any color. Something that size is good for hobby play and very small
rooms.. nothing more. Way too many people own way too many hobby lasers and
selling shows as professionals.
These are great for playing with however, if you like the hobby aspect of
"playing laser"!

It's only a matter of time before much higher powers are available at
relatively low prices though.

[Sam Goldwasser]

Post by James Sweet
It's only a matter of time before much higher powers are available at
relatively low prices though.

So what do 1-3W green DPSS laser show quality lasers go for new these days?

I know what scientific lasers go for but would assume that's much higher.

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[C what I mean]

Post by Sam Goldwasser

Post by James Sweet
It's only a matter of time before much higher powers are available at
relatively low prices though.

So what do 1-3W green DPSS laser show quality lasers go for new these days?
I know what scientific lasers go for but would assume that's much higher.
http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/

<snip>

Sam, I believe they are still in the $4k-$8k range for some of the Chinese
imports..