Lasers generate coherent radiation, the frequency of the light is much more monochromatic (set by the optical cavity) than a bare LED (set by the thermally smea

Lasers generate coherent radiation, the frequency of the light is much more monochromatic (set by the optical cavity) than a bare LED (set by the thermally smeared band gap of the material). Even a very cheap laser diode can have the output collimated with a single lens, resulting in a beam that diverges a fraction of a percent. Hence cheap laser pointers. Try and do the best you can with an LED and you will end up with a torch.