Comparing Green & Red Laser Technology

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Duration:   2  mins

Green lasers are still a relatively new option for most people who carry defensive firearms, and even those who strongly believe in lasers on those guns still have some questions about how much better a green laser is than a traditional red one. In this video, Rob Pincus compares a green and red laser (both from the same company and using the latest technology) side by side so you can see the difference yourself. Generally, the green laser dot will be brighter and appear larger than the red laser dot in typical defensive shooting conditions.

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12 Responses to “Comparing Green & Red Laser Technology”

  1. Matt

    My biggest concern with the Green laser is that now your opponent can “trace” back to your location since green lasers usefulness is the ability to see the path of the laser. If he does not know your location and you turn on the green laser then he can easily trace where you are at. With the red laser you see a dot on your target and if he has a line of site to you he can see a do where you are but cannot see a line in the air to trace back to you.

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  3. Eye Guy

    As a vision scientist, I can tell you that night vision (rod vision) has peak sensitivity at about 540 nm (green light). This means that under dark condition your eye will be most sensitive to this wavelength because in the dark your eye uses rod photoreceptors for all vision.

    However, I will also tell you that exposing your dark adapted eye to light of this wavelength (green) will seriously reduce your night vision in those photoreceptors of the retina that are exposed (or see) this light. Sure, we are dealing with a dot, but I am not so sure I want to potentially handicapping my night vision by flashing an intense green light around.

    A red laser 640 nm, on the other hand will never ever cause this effect. You will never lose any night vision capability with a red light because the rods photoreceptors do not detect this wavelength.

    Yet, under really dark condition, shining this green laser in the eyes of an opponent would represent a tactical advantage for me because it would absolutely stun my opponent’s night vision for a short time. Unfortunately for me, as long as the green laser is on, he could easily see exactly where to aim to shoot me.

    ls the green laser really better after all? Maybe for daylight only. I guess I had better buy both flavors and exchange them on my gun at sunset.

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  5. durabo

    Dr. William Thornton, of Westinghouse, found in the early 70’s that the human eye can best discern colors at 450, 540 and 610 nm (the primary colors). Of these, the dominant is green (540 nm). This is why the best output color for night-vision systems is green, usually 555 nm.

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  6. Ivan Linde Jr

    It’s clear that the green it better in this video. I would like to see a more indepth video of different senerios. How well will it perform in adverse weather (fog,rain,ect)? Also does the green fade on like colored objects (green shirt)? Thanks for the informative videos as usual.

    Reply
  8. Arnold Reinen

    You did not cover the difference in very cold or very hot weather—both may have significant impact—maybe in a future follow up video??

    Reply
  9. John M Peluso

    I noticed several weeks ago at the gun store were I work that the green laser was much brighter then the red. I brought this to the attention of the owner and we compared the two. Again the green much brighter.

    Reply
  10. RICHARD PAYNE

    I found this presentation excellent and informative. It is clear that the green lazer is the better choice. For those of us that have to save up for one it makes sense to wait the extra month or so to get the best equipment available.

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    • Jamie

      The only major issue is that green lasers tend to cost more.

      In the case of the DBAL-I2 (rifle laser/IR combo), that difference is over $300.

      I’m not sure of the Veridian laser sets, but they’re surely going to be an extra 1/3rd more expensive.

      Reply

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