Tocket,
I would like to get your thoughts on this:
The little graph I posted in this thread shows that 445nm stimulates the 'blue cones' twice as much as 473 does. 473 appears brighter alone than 445 alone because 473 nm significantly stimulates the 'green' cones as well, while 445nm doesn't.
So using 100 mW of 445 with the proper amount of green to get a 473-like blue (impossible to get the exact same, I know, but will be close enough) would need approx 200 mW of 473nm alone for the same brightness.
I agree that brightness isn't perceived linearly by the eye but in our application you don't want a laser to be exactly twice as bright as ...., we just want big powerful, bright laser for the money we can spend. The mW scale simply allows us to estimate what a laser can do (how much smoke, how big a venue etc.)
Unfortunately 445nm lasers come in 500mW increments but maybe that will change, or the price will drop. The point is that with 500mW 445nm (with green mix) you will have the equivalent of 1W 473nm and with the option to have a deeper albeit weaker blue line. - that is my assessment, can Arctos confirm this?