- Joined
- May 15, 2012
- Messages
- 320
- Points
- 28
(completely reedited for your safety)
Hey there, I noticed that it's kinda hard for a beginner to understand which safety glasses go with which wavelengths, and even how much light can get through to consider them safe. I want to make a list for the right ones to get if you're just starting out with lasers and don't want your first build to cost you $XX+$50(glasses). I in no way encourage the purchase of cheap safety glasses like this because there is no guarantee they will work; but if you are a stubborn noob and ignore all the warnings we give you on the LPF and refuse to buy the $50 genuine safety glasses, here are some tips for you. The following information only approximates the right kind of cheap-o safety glasses. Before testing your cheap-o safety glasses with class 4 lasers, please test them with lower power lasers of the same wavelength, and do it in a safe controlled environment away from shiny objects. Also, cheap safety glasses will not cover your vision completely; you may see a gap of light between your nose and the nose in the glasses: one slip-up with a class 3B/4 laser through that gap and you could be blinded. Safety glasses from reputable laser safety companies (like Eagle Pair or Laservision) are sold based on optical density and range of wavelengths protected against. Get the genuine safety glasses, please.
If you don't want to mess around with searching for the safest ebay safety glasses sellers, I buy these safety glasses from many different sellers and approve them and resell them if they are safe to use: You can usually find them in my ebay listings, or if you want to save 10%, just send me a PM.
405nm violet lasers: amber safety glasses
Most beginning laser hobbyists might jump on red safety glasses for their go-to. But the thing is that while most pairs of red glasses on ebay will protect your retinas from 2w blue laser light reflecting all over your face, they pass an unhealthy amount of light from even low power 405nm lasers. While clear polycarbonate safety glasses may block UVB and most UVA, the yellow ones advertised to block 99% of UV will likely protect your eyes completely from even >1 watt class 4 405nm's. It's broken now, but yesterday I had a 450mw 405 running and through the glasses all I could see were fluorescing dust particles on my LPM's thermopile. Be careful though, because some brands are extremely cheap and do nothing at all. If you can see any bit of violet through your amber glasses, find another pair or opt for the $50 ones.
445nm-532nm blue&green lasers: red-orange safety glasses
This one is almost obvious because almost everyone advertises them correctly. But some do pass a small amount of light, maybe 1-3%; from 1000mw, that's 10-30mw. Not safe to reflect into your eye off of a match head. If the ones you have pass any amount of blue or green light, then throw them out and order a different pair from another dealer; or opt for the $50 safety glasses
***There is no substitute for genuine safety glasses for 532nm lasers which have no IR filter. If you use the cheap ones, you are constantly exposing your eyes to powerful infrared light***
638nm red-orange lasers: DEEEEEP blue safety glasses
Here's a major problem. If you look for glasses on ebay for use with red lasers, you get light blue glasses everywhere you look. And these light blue glasses barely work at all; just a huge safety hazard. I was fortunate to find that HDE on ebay sells them with enough pigment to protect your eyes from a 700mw 638nm laser. You will be able to see the dot through the glasses, but my LPM (thermopile) tests show that from a 480mw 638nm, about 0mw was passed. I want to stress that if you don't have a laser power meter, then there is no way to know if your pair of these glasses is effective since you can still see the dot. If you have any doubts, opt for the $50 pair of safety glasses.
650-660nm red lasers: dark green safety glasses
The simplest laser you can build is a red DVD burner. But if you're looking for safety glasses for them, all you'll find are blue glasses with green glasses few and far between. This might sway 660 users to just get the blue ones, but in reality you're much safer with green glasses. In most cases, dark blue safety glasses are completely useless for 660nm lasers. The same issue may occur as with 638nm lasers if the glasses are too lightly colored, so always try to find the DARKEST green safety glasses you can find. Even still, they may not be effective since nobody on ebay cares about red lasers anymore enough to want to make quality safety glasses for them. Since you may still be able to see the dot through the glasses, if you have any doubts, try ordering from another vendor, or just stop messing around and opt for the $50 safety glasses!
Hey there, I noticed that it's kinda hard for a beginner to understand which safety glasses go with which wavelengths, and even how much light can get through to consider them safe. I want to make a list for the right ones to get if you're just starting out with lasers and don't want your first build to cost you $XX+$50(glasses). I in no way encourage the purchase of cheap safety glasses like this because there is no guarantee they will work; but if you are a stubborn noob and ignore all the warnings we give you on the LPF and refuse to buy the $50 genuine safety glasses, here are some tips for you. The following information only approximates the right kind of cheap-o safety glasses. Before testing your cheap-o safety glasses with class 4 lasers, please test them with lower power lasers of the same wavelength, and do it in a safe controlled environment away from shiny objects. Also, cheap safety glasses will not cover your vision completely; you may see a gap of light between your nose and the nose in the glasses: one slip-up with a class 3B/4 laser through that gap and you could be blinded. Safety glasses from reputable laser safety companies (like Eagle Pair or Laservision) are sold based on optical density and range of wavelengths protected against. Get the genuine safety glasses, please.
If you don't want to mess around with searching for the safest ebay safety glasses sellers, I buy these safety glasses from many different sellers and approve them and resell them if they are safe to use: You can usually find them in my ebay listings, or if you want to save 10%, just send me a PM.
405nm violet lasers: amber safety glasses
Most beginning laser hobbyists might jump on red safety glasses for their go-to. But the thing is that while most pairs of red glasses on ebay will protect your retinas from 2w blue laser light reflecting all over your face, they pass an unhealthy amount of light from even low power 405nm lasers. While clear polycarbonate safety glasses may block UVB and most UVA, the yellow ones advertised to block 99% of UV will likely protect your eyes completely from even >1 watt class 4 405nm's. It's broken now, but yesterday I had a 450mw 405 running and through the glasses all I could see were fluorescing dust particles on my LPM's thermopile. Be careful though, because some brands are extremely cheap and do nothing at all. If you can see any bit of violet through your amber glasses, find another pair or opt for the $50 ones.
445nm-532nm blue&green lasers: red-orange safety glasses
This one is almost obvious because almost everyone advertises them correctly. But some do pass a small amount of light, maybe 1-3%; from 1000mw, that's 10-30mw. Not safe to reflect into your eye off of a match head. If the ones you have pass any amount of blue or green light, then throw them out and order a different pair from another dealer; or opt for the $50 safety glasses
***There is no substitute for genuine safety glasses for 532nm lasers which have no IR filter. If you use the cheap ones, you are constantly exposing your eyes to powerful infrared light***
638nm red-orange lasers: DEEEEEP blue safety glasses
Here's a major problem. If you look for glasses on ebay for use with red lasers, you get light blue glasses everywhere you look. And these light blue glasses barely work at all; just a huge safety hazard. I was fortunate to find that HDE on ebay sells them with enough pigment to protect your eyes from a 700mw 638nm laser. You will be able to see the dot through the glasses, but my LPM (thermopile) tests show that from a 480mw 638nm, about 0mw was passed. I want to stress that if you don't have a laser power meter, then there is no way to know if your pair of these glasses is effective since you can still see the dot. If you have any doubts, opt for the $50 pair of safety glasses.
650-660nm red lasers: dark green safety glasses
The simplest laser you can build is a red DVD burner. But if you're looking for safety glasses for them, all you'll find are blue glasses with green glasses few and far between. This might sway 660 users to just get the blue ones, but in reality you're much safer with green glasses. In most cases, dark blue safety glasses are completely useless for 660nm lasers. The same issue may occur as with 638nm lasers if the glasses are too lightly colored, so always try to find the DARKEST green safety glasses you can find. Even still, they may not be effective since nobody on ebay cares about red lasers anymore enough to want to make quality safety glasses for them. Since you may still be able to see the dot through the glasses, if you have any doubts, try ordering from another vendor, or just stop messing around and opt for the $50 safety glasses!
Attachments
Last edited:
