Hey everyone, been lurking here for a while as I am in the market for a new green astronomy laser. This is something that I plan on carrying around with me in my pocket, so my biggest concerns are durability, size, and of course, the ability to see the beam at night (hence my username lol).
However, I have one special condition which I can't seem to get an answer to by lurking and searching....and that is how to pick a laser that is unlikely to mode-hop. I have owned many, many 5mw lasers (all extremely cheap) and all have mode-hopped. Before I go spending more than $10 on a 5mw laser, I would like to get an idea of how to make sure this issue doesn't arise in the future because it is super annoying and is the reason I have to keep buying new lasers. I have owned some "high quality" green lasers and paid $80+ for them, but I am forgetful and often lose them.
I have learned what causes mode-hopping and what it is, and that DPSSL lasers are more likely to do it than diode lasers.
Where should I buy from that sells cheap (preferably under $50) high-quality 532nm diode lasers? ==LAZERER== Laser Pointer in Green, Red, Blue with Real Genius Granteed Power for Sale has some highly attractive models like this one LZTN - 532nm 5mW Smallest Green Laser Pointer Key Chain
Would that be a smart purchase?
Thanks for any advice, and sorry if I sound like a noob but I swear I have been searching and I don't understand this haha