Consumer grade lasers in the lower price ranges don't offer the high powers of gov't issue. That limits the application which is largely governed by regulations on output and the abuse people indulge in aiming them at airplanes, etc. There's a growing concern over misuse with high powered one - they will blind people.
We get left with the ones comparable to cat toys and that's about it. Hard to see in broad daylight and tiny pin points of light which often disappear on some backgrounds or which are hard to pick out in the clutter. If it wasn't for our ability to detect motion and our inability to hold it steady we'd probably not see them much at all in some situations. It definitely limits our use.
One workaround is to expand the dot - instead of trying to use a tiny spot, use a laser emitter which displays something bigger. The intent is that you will pick up on a much larger dot - or plate - and it can also illuminate the target enough to ID who or what it is. At this point it becomes a laser powered adjustable flashlight.
Now you can not only target but ID and in close quarter situations you have accomplished both with just one device. It becomes a lot less complicated, one less button to push and less weight handing off the front of the weapon, too. Unfortunately the fad of following the military and its adoption of the PEQ devices with two light emitters is slowing this down.
Here's the back to back - with the current traditional lights you have to flash the white light to ID while also pointing the laser where it will be targeted, vs sticking the larger laser illuminator on the target where it projects a center of mass beam where the shot will land. There are pros and cons for both, but the issue of them both being limited power for civilians will get glossed over by all the veterans and cops who will claim the military issue is superior. Of course it is - for hundreds of dollars more, likely more than the firearm costs. That is a major obstacle in a market where scopes at that cost are slow sellers, too.
My interest was for an AR pistol to use in hunting (not yet legal in MO) and self defense. Repeatability of zero would then be important for me as it must come off the two season I'd like to use it in the field. Oh well. If it would project a dinner plate sized beam at 50m or 21 feet, so much the better. Most of those are currently sourced from China, supply and quality is spotty, and the varmint industry here with the same suppliers is about locked up with no competition. Until we change how we think lasers should be used from the myth that you will hit where the tiny dot points, there's not going to be much traction. And it's not a good thing that the green lasers are horribly inefficient with high consumption power sources getting filtered for just one wavelength, either. The breakthru will be an actual viridian green emitter which is true and doesn't cost and arm and a leg.
