Almost every laser pointer sold in the UK is green or red. These are neither. The Emax purple pointers work at 405nm, at the violet end of the visible spectrum, and give a beam colour that most people have never seen from a pointer.
There are two to choose from: a plain violet pen at £21.99 and a five-cap version at £24.99 that projects patterns instead of a single dot. Both come with two AAA batteries in the box, and delivery anywhere in the UK is free.
Want a beam that carries outdoors? See the green laser pointers. For indoor use and pet play, see the red laser pointers. Background reading: are laser pointers legal in the UK?
Purple laser pointers
Purple laser pointers
Which purple laser pointer should you choose?
There are two. The standard Emax purple laser pointer at £21.99 is the straightforward one: a 405nm violet pen running on two included AAA batteries. The five-cap version at £24.99 adds interchangeable heads that project patterns instead of a single dot, and a box to keep them in.
What a violet laser pen is good for
Buy purple for the colour rather than for raw visibility. At 405nm the beam sits close to the edge of human vision, so the eye registers it far less readily than green: these are at their best indoors with the lights down, or against a pale wall after dark. That makes them popular with collectors, with photographers doing light-painting work, and as a present for someone who already owns a green pointer. For a beam that carries across a field at night, or for astronomy, take a green laser pointer instead. In a lit meeting room, red or green will be easier for an audience to follow.
Buying a laser pointer in the UK
- Free delivery to the UK and every EU country, with no minimum spend
- No customs fees: shipped from the UK and the Netherlands, the same working day for everything in stock
- One to three working days for most parcels
- Two AAA batteries included with every pointer, so there is nothing to order separately
- 14 days to change your mind, and sending it back costs you nothing
Other colours, and the rules in the UK
Green at 532nm is the most visible colour and the choice for outdoor use: see the green laser pointers. Red at 650nm is the practical indoor option and the only colour we suggest around pets: see the red laser pointers. For the background on what applies here, read are laser pointers legal in the UK?