# Laser Pointer: Red or Green?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 14, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397 "2006-02-14T03:12:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/1 "2006-02-14T03:12:25Z")
Green
---
### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/2 "2006-02-14T03:22:31Z")
> [@cerberus](#):
>
> Green
Mine are Red, why do you ask?
I have dozens of tips to display different images. Even my Laser Level is Red.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/3 "2006-02-14T03:26:29Z")
My little laser pointer is a .5 mW red one. My cat, Pepper, absolutely goes nuts chasing the dot. My BIG laser “pointer” is a 15 mW red HeNe. With that one I can put a spot on a building three miles away.
So, red.
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### Author:  [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/4 "2006-02-14T03:34:02Z")
I ask because it’s mundane and pointless.
I have noticed a trend in teahing and presentation circles that view the green pointer as being an upgrade of sorts.
The point is clearer, but much brighter, and the visibility of the beam is a great index for the air quality of the room.
Plus, the cats really, really like the green one.
I can hardly wait for blue and yellow.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/5 "2006-02-14T03:38:27Z")
> [@cerberus](#):
>
> I ask because it’s mundane and pointless.
>
> I have noticed a trend in teahing and presentation circles that view the green pointer as being an upgrade of sorts.
>
> The point is clearer, but much brighter, and the visibility of the beam is a great index for the air quality of the room.
>
> Plus, the cats really, really like the green one.
>
> I can hardly wait for blue and yellow.
Damn you sir, now I might need to seek out and purchase a new basically useless gadget. Do you work in the Laser industry? How did you know my weakness? 🙂
Jim
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/6 "2006-02-14T03:48:17Z")
> [@cerberus](#):
>
> I can hardly wait for blue and yellow.
Blue ones are out there. Rare and expensive, but available. You’re more likely to see them in the form of standalone module (with or without collimating optics), rather than as a pointer, at the present time. Like green diode lasers, blue can’t yet be directly emitted. Instead, an IR emitter is used to pump a fluorescent crystal material, which in turn pumps another to create the final green or blue output. Haven’t seen yellow yet. _That_ would definitely be cool.
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### Author:  [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/7 "2006-02-14T03:52:29Z")
I could see bundling all four colors into a single uber-pointer…
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/8 "2006-02-14T04:01:46Z")
Green lasers (532NM) appear 50% brighter than standard reds (650NM), the green light frequency emitted from the green pointer is more visible to the human eye
so for me, the greenie is best
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/9 "2006-02-14T04:03:12Z")
Y’know, when some genius figures out how to smoothly and repeatably raster scan a laser beam, we’ll be able to take a red, green and blue laser and make one HELL of a projection TV.
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### Author:  [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/10 "2006-02-14T04:10:13Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#):
>
> Y’know, when some genius figures out how to smoothly and repeatably raster scan a laser beam, we’ll be able to take a red, green and blue laser and make one HELL of a projection TV.
[Psst… over here…](http://www.es.com/products/digital_theater/digistar3-laser.asp)
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/11 "2006-02-14T04:26:05Z")
> [@drewbert](#):
>
> [Psst… over here…](http://www.es.com/products/digital_theater/digistar3-laser.asp)
I notice they don’t have a price listed. I don’t think I even want to know.
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### Author:  [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/12 "2006-02-14T04:41:35Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#):
>
> I notice they don’t have a price listed. I don’t think I even want to know.
Yeah… probably not.
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### Author:  [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/13 "2006-02-14T04:55:36Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#):
>
> I notice they don’t have a price listed. I don’t think I even want to know.
I want to know. Just so I can do my motorboat impression for a good half an hour.
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### Author:  [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/14 "2006-02-14T15:03:20Z")
Green…I use it for pointing out stars
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/15 "2006-02-14T15:14:12Z")
> [@caveman](#):
>
> Green…I use it for pointing out stars
Great. Some innocent alien lifeform is now dabbing at his sense cluster with his pseudopod and screaming “My eye, my fucking eye!” It wouldn’t have been so bad if he had more than just the one.
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### Author:  [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/16 "2006-02-14T15:15:27Z")
Green. No, red! No, damnit, I’m color-blind and I’m moving this to IMHO.
So, um… there.
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/17 "2006-02-14T15:30:51Z")
Green on one end and red on the other.
(Not available in Plano, TX.)
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### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/18 "2006-02-14T16:19:37Z")
> [@cerberus](#):
>
> I could see bundling all four colors into a single uber-pointer…
No, you fool! Don’t cross the streams! Aiiii!!!
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### Author:  [@usar\_jag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usar_jag)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/19 "2006-02-14T16:21:46Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#):
>
> Green on one end and red on the other.
Wouldn’t that be green on the right and red on the left hand side?
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### Author:  [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laser-pointer-red-or-green/344397/20 "2006-02-14T16:27:05Z")
Red, and I’ve never known anyone with a green or blue one.
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