Whats the cheapest laser pointer that is powerful enough to pop a balloon?
It -does- depend on the color of the balloon and the ambient temperature, but the cheapest would probably be what’s generally known as a Ruby-crystal YAG LASER (yttrium aluminum garnet [fake ruby crystal]). Prepare to spend over $1000 for a used unit that is the size of a shoebox. They do not make laser ‘pointers’ that pop balloons. LASER pointers use LASER diodes which operate in the 5-50 milliwatt range, as opposed to the cheap YAG/Ruby-YAG at 500W, not to mention the LASERs actually used these days (Neodymium; Yttrium, Aluminum, Garnet) If you want a -real- LASER, buy a noble gas unit, like an Argon or Xenon ($20,000+).
