Laser newbie enthusiast wants to be safe

Hello all. I know I may not be appreciated here with this first post, but I'm going to be sincere. I'm one of those guys interested in lasers just because of WL marketing around the Arctic S3. Yes! I admit it. This started all my laser enthusiasm quite recently.

So basically, I do want a 1W laser. But I don't want to take ANY risk, and I don't want to put anyone in danger. I searched these forums, I searched the internet, I searched. What I understand is that the arctic performances are not great for the price you pay (but come on, and let's admit that the host looks really cool ). But the worst thing is that all the reviews I'm reading do mention a SECURITY RISK with the googles they are providing! What a shame. For this reason, I started looking at the Spartan 1W (DragonLasers). I plan buying 3 security googles from them + the Spartan 1W.

So I have a few newbie questions for you guys, if you have some time:

1) Using DragonLasers googles: does it make the usage of the Spartan 1W safe? More precisely, what would happen if you receive a reflecting beam in the eye when protected by security googles? What distance is tolerable?

2) Using the same googles: is it safe to stare at the beam end (the dot/square) on a white wall?

3) Is there a distance for which the 1W laser becomes "safe", even when not wearing googles? (I guess not, so, sorry for this question, I know it looks stupid, but I really want to know all the details in order to understand the danger precisely).

4) I see that the risks are quite high (I guess you realized that I'm quite concerned about risks): shouldn't these lasers be ALWAYS operated in safe enviroments? I see that a lot of people do operate such lasers outside. Can you use a laser safely in such an environment? What are the risks? Can you remove the googles when pointing such a laser to an empty sky? (I think such lasers are maybe too powerful to point to the sky, but a lot of people seem to do it in their reviews, even on this forum).

So basically I would like to know if my choice for the Spartan is ok (isn't WL much better nowadays than they used to be?), and if operating it cautiously with the safety googles in a controlled environment is really really safe, and what are the risks when the environment is not that much controlled (such as operating outside during the night).

Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for answers

1) As long it has an OD>4 at 445nm, it is perfectly safe given that you stop shining it at yourself once you realise you have taken a hit from the laser, before the glasses melt. Given that even cheap glasses take >10 seconds to melt, this should be a large enough safety margin. If you are wearing goggles, nothing will happen, even at point blank distance.
2) Yes, if it will protect you from a hit, it will protect you from diffuse reflection.
3) According to calculations, about 4.8 nautical miles, ~5.4 miles. See Laser Pointer Safety - Different lasers' hazards compared
4) You can point it towards the sky without wearing goggles, as long as you take sufficient precautions to prevent a plane hit and to prevent the laser from somehow falling (by using a tripod and mount for example). As long as these precautions are taken, it is safe to point it towards the sky. Proper goggles should never show the beam, so to see the beam you must take them off.

double posted

Thank you very much for your reply Nouthyella, I'm a bit reassured now

Another question: I'm currently validating my order with Dragonlasers so I will get the Spartan, but I would also like to know if it's possible to get a well-crafted and complete package of hand-made lasers by users on this forum. My "dream" would be to get a 2W laser with a host looking like the Arctic S3. I don't know if such thing is possible or available.

But besides the appearance, I'd still be interesting to get a 2W laser (I see that somebody on this forum is selling one with corresponding protective googles in a nice package, but only to US residents. Too bad I'm in europe...).

Just look around once in a while in the buy/sell/trade section, bound to have a good one turn up there once in a while.