need to cut down shoes hanging from power lines

What is the cheapest handheld laser for this and how many Watts would I need? Shoes are hanging from power lines all over my neighborhood and it's a major eye sore. I just need to nick shoe laces from about 25 feet with a steady hand. I can't use projectiles because there are too many cars and houses nearby. I also don't have room to store long fruit picker poles because I live in a dense urban environment. It seems like eBay has low priced lasers from China but I don't know what to get or how many Watts I would need.

... don't use lasers with such powers in free sight!

Better find or build a crossbow and use fork-arrows with cutters inside -- the tip can be 'safe', as you only need the cutter ... you can guide the arrows with a wire, a bit longer than the target distance.

Another good methode is a quad-copter with cam and cutting hook ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

flamethrower? Might sound ridiculous, but if you could ignite a thin stream of flammable liquid you might be able to just melt/set fire to the laces so the shoes fall.

... fire is conducting plasma! -- could cause shorts, when around open power lines

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

I am sure the local constabulary will be interested in your plans to use a cutting laser in the street.

I am liking the quadcopter idea though!

Here's a YouTube video to inspire you. Don't worry about the cost as it doubles up as a home defence unit.

Inspirational Video

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Helium Frog Website

... hmmm ... thinking about using my 400kW UV-pulselaser in 'remote' operations with a quad-copter or a ball-drone ( [www.spiegel.de] )

The laser isn't lightweight enoug (or the copters not powerfull enough) for beeing transported -- but with a galvo-scanner fixed to the laser and a focussing mirror-head mounted on the drone this wouldn't be a problem

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

I also understand that hanging shoes over power lines is used by gangs / drugs gangs to mark territory.

Perhaps home defence may also come in useful when you start taking down their markers.

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Helium Frog Website

Lol! Buy a cheap RC helicopter and attach razor blades to the roter tips and cut em down, just make sure you have plenty of flight time first, you dont want to do practice flights that way!

A RC heli with razor blades attached to the rotors sounds perfectly safe to me. >< What could possibly go wrong?