Safety with lasers

How quick does it take for a laser to wreck your eyes permantly. I asked my dad to order me an X series 105mW laser and he told me he couldnt because he cares for my vision. i told him i would be very responsible with it but he told my if it reflects just once your eyesight could be done forever or if a sibling gets in to my case somehow how they could be blinded for life. Im very responsible and have a 20 mW laser but my father says 105 is just to much to risk so how safe are these lasers to use.

And are red lasers just as dangerous as greens?

A shiny surface (specular) is most dangerous. So the reflections from them are about as harmful as looking into a direct beam from the laser! But a 100w will be dangerous even if its reflecting off a white wall (diffuse), it won't take much staring at the dot to do eye damage with that power. Accidents happen, but unfortunately theres no way to turn back the clock after that one split second.. If you decide to go above >50mW definately invest in some good goggles. I have the DX 200mW and I only feel safe pointing it in the sky or using it outside in the day. With practice and by reading tips here you can learn to avoid most hazardous situations.

So the short answer is.. a VERY short time is all it takes to permanently blind you partially or completely

Well, if your Dad reads this forum, my answer may screw you over, man

Your 20mw laser is going to be more dangerous than the 105 would. How do I know that ? Because anything over 5mw is dangerous to your eyesight, but since the 20mw is such a low power, you may be taking risks you might not take with a 105mw one. Does that make sense ? What you have to worry about is direct impact - sorry to disagree with you, David - but the human blink reflex, and the tendency to squint, or look away from bright things is what saves your eyesight from damage from specular reflections most of the time.

Now, to save you in case he is reading this. If you have shown responsibility with the 20mw one, and you were my child, I would let you have the 105mw without any hesitation. Here is why : If you are responsible enough to (I HATE using this analogy) handle a 22 pistol, why wouldn't you be responsible enough to handle a 44 magnum ? I really hate comparing lasers to guns - as I do not think they are weapons, but in this instance, I think that analogy is needed. You have shown to be responsible with a laser that is 4 times more powerful than what is normally described as being dangerous, so you would be just as responsible, if not MORE so with the 105mw. I owuld recommend safety goggles for you, and anyone that might be with you, when you mess around with the laser, though - because it always better to be safe than sorry. Tell your Dad to email me - he has my email addy - you do, heck, the whole board does ! I have no problems giving him ALL the facts, and then letting him decide. Whatever the outcome, man - love your Dad - he is only looking out for you.

For the sibling thing invest $14.99 on they key saftey thing Nova offers, then if they get the laser out somehow they can't use it cause you have the key.

styropyro said:

For the sibling thing invest $14.99 on they key saftey thing Nova offers, then if they get the laser out somehow they can't use it cause you have the key.

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PERFECT !!!

I would have to totally agree with Senkat, especially since I have the nova x105 and the goggles, I shine it around carefully and a few reflections have come close to my face, but my natural reaction is to blink or move my head and you have to remember besides a mirror or magnifying glass I believe on surfaces that split up the beam it loses some power if the beam is split into two or more beams ( someone correct me if i'm wrong). Also, the key would be a great idea becuase that completely eliminates the chance of a sibling blinding someone.
Senkat is also right, in my opinion about your 20mw, you most likely take more risks with that than you ever would with your 105.
If I were you i'd just either show your dad all these posts or just try to reason with him, maybe make a deal that for the first month of two of you having the laser you only use it while he's around to prove you know how to handle the laser. Then after the month of two you get to use it by yourself or basically whenever you want to. Or maybe make it so that for x amount of time he has the laser in him room or something and you get to use it when he says. I know that doesn't sound great because especially once you get it you'll want to use it constantly, but if he agrees you can prove how responsible you are and from then on, hopefully, he'll let you buy whatever laser you want.

Another option for hte safety obsessed would be to buy some sort of lock box to keep everything in, when it is not in use....that, coupled wit hteh keyed tailcap would be an excellent way to remove the temptation to fiddle with it while your sibling is raidning your room when you are not home !

I showed my dad this post and he is very against lasers so i have been trying to get him to learn about them but hes been to ignorant to.

NO FAIR ! Seriously, man - My 14 year old plays with lasers all the time. Safety is important, but let's not get paranoid about it ! I really think you should ask him if he would talk to me - I would have no problems calling to tak to him (on my dime even) if you think it would help out. That is a genuine offer - And before you scramble through posts, I am 40 ! So we may be able to relate a little bit. Tell him.

ye i know im a very responsible 15 year old i have a job as a meat cutter maintain an 85 plus average yet he still doubts me because i have before this post left my laser lying around. and my youngest sibling is 11 years old and listens most of the time so i didnt see much of the problem but i seriously doubt he will take the time and email or talk to hes a very busy man. but i will do my best to work on him and if not only 3 years till i can buy my own right. I just gotta see how where he is coming from but oh well. Thanks for the offer Greg but i doubt my dad will take it up.

Hey...I sent you an email, man....

yea im 14 and my mom was worried about me hitting planes with it? im like i wouldnt shine it in the sky if i saw a plane and what are the chances it would go in and blind somone? plus i would only knock down terrorist planes... if terrorists had planes rofl

I would be careful-- I live 4 miles from a small airport, and hear one or two a day. AFAIK more than most people, but be seriously careful with them outside.

My mom was worried about my future DVD laser burning the walls-- But with careful positioning and proper collimation, thats not a worry at all. But she still doesn't want me shining it around the room. :-/ (The gloss coat on my paint is only one up from eggshell)

On a sidenote, does anyone know the distribution of wavelengths emitted by a DVD diode? Rather, If I got WL's WickedShades for 'red lasers', would those block the proper wavelength?

$50 is the cheapest I have seen for a pair of decent looking safety-shades.

X - they run at about 660nm....658nm if you trust the spec sheets ;D ;D

The goggles made for red - the Wicked Sport Elite ? Yeah..those work well...TOO well - you don't see ANYTHING from the laser with those on ! I have not tested out the lasershades, though - to see if those let in a little bit more of the red or not....

Xenodius said:

I would be careful-- I live 4 miles from a small airport, and hear one or two a day. AFAIK more than most people, but be seriously careful with them outside.

My mom was worried about my future DVD laser burning the walls-- But with careful positioning and proper collimation, thats not a worry at all. But she still doesn't want me shining it around the room. :-/ (The gloss coat on my paint is only one up from eggshell)

On a sidenote, does anyone know the distribution of wavelengths emitted by a DVD diode? Rather, If I got WL's WickedShades for 'red lasers', would those block the proper wavelength?

$50 is the cheapest I have seen for a pair of decent looking safety-shades.

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The wicked lasershades are perfect for the red diode power we are playing with. You can burn up close but I still don't recommend staring at the light too long depending how bright it is and what you are burning. But you should be quite safe and can always see the red dot easily.

As far as burning the walls...lol. No way it's going to happen unless you paint a spot black and burn it. Anything glossy or light colored is just going to reflect the light.

Okay, well I REALLY REALLY value my eyesight, due to my other hobbies and my planned career, so I want to be careful.

I didn't actually notice the price difference initially; I will probably get the $40.00 model, and report back on how well they work. Its a win-win situation for me.

Thought it very well may be quite a while before I actually do. (probably not more than 2 months?)