My digital light meter arrived, so I have some preliminary numbers for the 3 different green laser pointers I own. This isn't the "big test" Wayne and I are planning, just a trial run with the meter and the lasers I have on-hand, to test the concept. The meter's sensitivity peaks at about 550 Nm, so it works well with green lasers, which emit at 532 Nm. For each laser, I held it centered and in contact with the diffusor lens of the photo-diode. Here are the results: ComputerGeeks.com laser: ~9,000 lux Lucky Duck "20mw" laser: ~32,800 lux Beta "optimised" 5mw laser: ~40,000 lux The readout on the meter would shift during testing by some tens of lux, thus the "approximate" symbol before each reading. Preliminary conclusions: Because I had trouble choosing between the Lucky Duck and Beta for brightest to the eye, it seems that differences of less than about 20% are not enough to discern visually, in side-by-side comparison. The ComputerGeeks.com laser was always obviously a lot dimmer than the other two, and is probably a true 5mw diode. It appears that Noah Acres' (of Lucky Duck) statement that my Beta laser was probably more powerful than the advertised 5mw is correct. Remember that my own Lucky Duck 20mw tested at just over 19mw according to Mr. Acres, so it would appear that the Beta laser is more powerful than 20mw, based on my test. I am not sure why Beta calls thier product an "optimized 5mw" laser, unless the careful wording is to help comply with government regulations. They would clearly generate more sales if they called a duck a duck (pun intended!). Wayne and I still want to perform further tests to include current draw under load, visual brightness comparisons, as well as test a larger sample of lasers. Some useful and interesting consumer data can be generated, and it will be fun as well. Please let us know if you want to participate, or just volunteer your laser if you can't make it for the test. I promise to take good care of any lasers loaned for the test and return all of them in the same condition that they were borrowed in. We are probably going to do some initial testing, just to verify the robustness of our procedures and apparati, on a weeknight next week, before the final testing on a weekend, hopefully at a star party. The more the merrier, and thanks to those who have volunteered so-far. I may try testing my red laser pointers later tonight, as time permits. I'll post the results if they are worth note. Again, I have to give Guy credit for being ahead of the curve on super-bright lasers. He's the one who recommended the Beta laser. ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.