It's hard to tell if a laser that costs $1,700 is a toy, but since Wicked Lasers asked us if we'd like to take a look at some of its products... yeah, I'm going to call it a toy, call dibs on the review, and see what that much money gets you in terms of laser. I will say this: the Spyder II GX is an amazing product.

Holding something so powerful and expensive is a joy, in and of itself; the construction is top-notch on the unit. You know the possibilities for shenanigans are infinite when postal service rules keep the rechargeable batteries from being shipped in the same container as the laser itself. If I'm going to play with expensive science toys, I need to be prepared: I asked for eye protection, and they were nice enough to provide me a nice set of eye wear. The lab coat and clip board I had to purchase on my own.

I pinged Wicked Lasers to see if I had to worry about local laws. "There are laws about using them for criminal acts. One should never point a laser at vehicles, aircraft, animals, pedestrians, houses or anything that someone could complain about (all the obvious stuff ). However when using the product in a respectful setting and using them wisely, you should have no problems," I was told. I promised not to use my laser for criminal acts.

So far the product has been very impressive in every way, although I'll save the details for the full review. Is there anything you would like to know about a laser of this power? What would you do with it? Give me a heads up about what you'd like to see in the review, and I'll see if I can make it happen.