Optical Probe Clarity: Examining Power Loss vs. Beam Spot

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daniel1211
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I work in a lab that uses laser probes to test for vibration and other data, currently the lab techs hook up the probe to a laser source and check to see how bright and clear the beam spot is. I have been working on having a signal power budget created for each probe using a laser source and detector and calculating the probes power loss in dBm and dB.

Am I wrong in believing this is a better option then just looking at the beam spot?
 

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daniel1211 said:
I work in a lab that uses laser probes to test for vibration and other data, currently the lab techs hook up the probe to a laser source and check to see how bright and clear the beam spot is. I have been working on having a signal power budget created for each probe using a laser source and detector and calculating the probes power loss in dBm and dB.

Am I wrong in believing this is a better option then just looking at the beam spot?
What is the safety class of the laser?