New Laser Pointer: HELP!!!!!?

Question

i ordered a new laser pointer and it worked perfect. I could see the beam and the green dot. I used it for 2 minutes and the power reduced. I left it for 10 minutes and power was high then reduced after a minute or two. Laser heats up fairly quickly. I got a 5 or 10mw Laser pointer green. Is this normal or shall i return it.

Answer 1

Most consumer grade laser pointers are not meant for "continuous duty" (being turn on continually).  They are designed for "intermittent duty" (on and off).  Commercial lasers can operate indefinitely and stay consistent.

It does sound  as if your pointer  may have a problem if it dims that quickly.  Being an "AV guy", I have owned many laser pointers over the years.  None of them were great and lasted long.  I think a big part of the problem is poor quality contacts and buttons.  Most of them are just made cheaply.

I would return it, but don't be suprised if the next one does the same thing.