50 mW green laser safety

I've just bought a 50mw green laser pointer from trademe (NZ eBay)

How dangerous is it? Can looking at the dot harm my eyes and how concerned should I be about IR.

Not really related to safety but is there any easy test to see if it's a pot modded garbage laser

If it truly is 50 mW, it will be dangerous for your eyes. Looking at the dot on a non or barely reflective surface (walls, carpet, wood, etc.) should not be harmful. However, although diffuse reflections such as those are not dangerous, any accidental direct reflection off of things like mirrors, unpainted metal, silverware / glass cups pose a substantial threat.

If you STRICTLY follow rules such as; don't point the laser anywhere near reflective surfaces or people you will probably not need safety glasses. I highly recommend them however, because an accident can always happen, and safety glasses can mean the difference between two remaining eyes and one.

Use a sharpie or similar black marker to color a blown up balloon. Shine the laser at the dark spot and see if it pops. This is a very rough estimate, but if it can pop the balloon then it should be at least 40 mW+. Then try smoking black tape, which should test it at a minimum of 60~ mW. Remember, this is a VERY rough estimate due to other factors affecting the burning capability such as the size of the point (power over area), and different types of tape / balloons.

If I were to point at objects in the distance (200m+) There is no risk of harm to any people or animals there right?

This is just for peace of mind, I have no intentions on trying to hurt and or annoy people.

Try to keep the angle high. Perhaps in the distance there is a small bird? Or what if a person is blocked by a tree and walks into your laser? So try to aim high like the skies and like AndyR said wear safety glasses. If the laser hits somebody in the eye at 200m plus damage can still occur due to the laser's ability to collimate.

What If I were to point at fairly tall buildings around 1+ KM away would I still be endangering people.

I just want to make sure I'm not putting others at risk

Depending on the divergence but there is still a chance, as you may hit a window and hit the person in the eye.

mewrox99 said:

What If I were to point at fairly tall buildings around 1+ KM away would I still be endangering people.

I just want to make sure I'm not putting others at risk

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Unless your laser has amazing divergence, it should not harm anyone, BUT these kind of activities will attract unwanted attention to you, for instance, someone inside the building sees the beam or gets hit by it, they or someone else will call the police, then they will start looking for the beam with helis and ground patrol, which will eventually lead to you getting arrested and/or your laser confiscated...

What King Dave said.

BTW on the topic of divergence. 2 milliradians is considered "bad". I have no clue what a milliradian looks like so I converted it to degrees. Its about 0.11 degrees. That is so tiny... Does that really make that much of a difference?

jfp999 said:

BTW on the topic of divergence. 2 milliradians is considered "bad". I have no clue what a milliradian looks like so I converted it to degrees. Its about 0.11 degrees. That is so tiny... Does that really make that much of a difference?

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i kinda think like you!
0,1 degree is almost a straight line for me as well!
and besides: if you have smaller divergence, u wont be abloe to see the dot 1km away - it would be so small!
well - i think 2mrad is pretty fair for pointing lasers, and showing stars.

Hey you have the same laser as me! lol
Mine is only outputting about 20 to 30mw at best.
But I'm trying to see if I can sell it off to a friend or something for 30 bucks lol.

Yes - i do have a 50mw ledshoppe.
however, i have no intentions of burning stuff now.
whenever i do, i'll try to buy a cheap and crappy focalprice 200mw pointer. luckly it will output something around 50-100mw -but hey! is is only 38$!
where else can you get a 100mw pointer for 38$? (ok guys, be kind - it'll be really shamefull if you would give me the links... let me look smart, ok?! :thanks: )

perfectlasers said:

just take enough care while using a green laser pointer

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whoa!
700mw for 0,99$??? :drool:
are u sure this site is not a scam?!?!?!
has anyone ever used this? is this real?
thx!

Heleno said:

whoa!
700mw for 0,99$??? :drool:
are u sure this site is not a scam?!?!?!
has anyone ever used this? is this real?
thx!

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No one is gonna be getting a laser of >0.5mW for $0.99

mewrox99 said:

No one is gonna be getting a laser of >0.5mW for $0.99

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i believe u r right.
but just for the hell of it, i bought 2 units of their "700mw" laser - with shippment it still gets pretty affordable.
and more than 2 units might draw customs attention.
so - if it outputs 5mw, at least it looks fancy! eeheh
let's wait and see!

Nah, they are spam crap. They have done this before, just randomly spamming threads, and the moderator deleted all his previous posts, and now he is back at it again. Im hoping for a ban this time.