Do you carry your laser as self defense at night?

Did you realize this thread is 2 years old?

Hallucynogenyc said:

Did you realize this thread is 2 years old?

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Yes I saw the dates, I found it on a search.

-T

Tyris said:

His location states Detroit Michigan , where concealed carry is fine and dandy -- and almost required in some cracked out neighborhoods.

-T

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Right. I don't know where I got the idea he was from the UK. He even said "first halloween in Detroit" :banghead:

I don't carry for defense, but I have chased bears from the area of our resort near Yosemite with a green laser of only about 15mW and others were surprised how effective it was. -Glenn

That might be a more useful defense purpose indeed.

I wonder if anyone actually used a laser as a self defense weapon, and if doing so was successful in any way.

I dont think it would be very effective, since it would take quite some time to hit someone in both eyes in order to incapacitate. If your assailant is armed and/or within arms distance, i suppose it could even make things worse.

Someone doesnt actually have to see you once they know your general position... a shot, stab or blow in the general direction is quite likely to hit.

This all excludes the use as a baton, that would probable be about as effective as a stick, bat or maglite or whatever you can swing at someone. Living in the netherlands where guns are mostly outlawed, some people carry 6D maglites in their car doors and such as a precaution, but they are rarely used. I suppose its pretty pointless in a car anyway, since you're still controlling the car as long as your inside, and that makes a more effective weapon in most circumstances.

mikeeey said:

I carry my 150mW laser at all times when I'm walking at night, I keep it in hand just in case... how many of you do the same?

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I really can't see a laser being used effectively for self-defense. How you'd stabilize your hand to shine it into someone's eyes quickly to blind them is beyond me....

maxkillz said:

... (no guns for me for I am a law abiding citizen...most of the time, only criminals get the guns :-/)

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I'm hoping you're talking about Countries other than the USA. Last time I checked, law-abiding citizens were able to own guns. It might be somewhere in the Constitution....


I carry a firearm for self-defense. I think a 147 grain JHP has more stopping power than a beam of light.

Is america really that dangerous? do you really need guns on you at all times?

robjdixon said:

Is america really that dangerous? do you really need guns on you at all times?

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I used to think it wasn't too dangerous... Until two punks snuck up behind me one evening, jammed a gun into my ribs, and demanded my money. During a brief "chat" about how I didn't have any money, I drew my gun and shot the closest one in the chest. They both ran off. All this in my own f--king driveway.

Carrying a gun saved my life that night. I never leave home without it.

I always have my old 50mW with me, but not for self defense, just cause i like to carry it with me (i tought to build something specific, for self defense, but had no time, til now)

Anyway, i think i'm safe enough :eg: ..... i mean, both my small knifes (legals) have "rows" on the blade, filled of concentrated formic acid (never been bited from 8 or 10 red ants ? ..... the effect of a little scratch is the same ) ..... my capsicum can (legal type) is somewhere in the pocket all the time ..... here is illegal to carry knuckles, but i have a big, heavy keyholder with a lot of keys ..... and ..... er, well, here is illegal to carry firearms and throwing devices, and also is illegal to defend yourself before being attacked, and also in case of legitimate self defense, you become charged the same from the law, so, the rest is better that remain between me and myself, you know

I wouldn't personally use a laser for self defense. I always carry one on me, but adjusting the focus to be enough light to dazzle someone, without permanently blinding them, or being too weak and just pissing someone off, would be a problem. Although I've read up a bit on lazer dazzlers. I found a website that had some interesting data, claiming 2.55mw per square centimeter being the power density they use in their own laser dazzlers. So in theory, if you expanded a 500mw beam until the beam cross section covered 200 square centimeters, you would have 2.5mw per square centimeter, and be in the same ballpark they are at. hmm my math is a bit rusty, whats that, around 16 centimeters in diameter? Would be a big lens assembly....

a 200mw laser on the other hand, would be needing a circle of 80 square centimeters. much smaller diameter that way. something like 10cm. Smaller lens needed for a beam expander, but also smaller beam to swipe across someones eyes. the larger the beam you could produce, the greater chance of actually hitting someone, but the less chance of having it fit in your pocket....

I'm actually curious about the logistics, but at the same time, I would never bother building one. Any way you look at it, getting a circle diameter right at a distance just by focusing a regular laser pointer would be hit and miss. If you blind someone for life, expect charges, and maybe even jail time. Not worth it. If you just piss someone off, who is holding a gun, expect to be shot. even less worth it.

Standard Laser Dazzler™

Sorry to say this, but .....

First, or the image is photoshopped, or that laser torch have the more strange shape that i've seen til now (it look like they have joined two images of different diameters, and also off-axis) .....

Second: "200 mW" and "eye safe at aperture" are, usually, two concepts that don't match together, speaking about lasers ..... anyway, can be possible that the beam, unfocused and switched at fast pulses, acts like a flash, saturating the retina without burn it (but i remember that also flashes can cause semipermanent damages, if strong enough) .....

It resemble, anyway, a project that i had planned for something similar, using a broken module ..... i mean, i have around a broken module that i've mangled a bit, no more driver, and no more lenses, just the diode and the crystal, that still lase ..... i had planned to put it in a little box, with a circuit that drive the diode in pulses (the original module was 50mW, so i can pulse it with short pulses til 250 or 300mW for short times), and place a lens in front of the aperture ..... it must produce a decent spot of 15 to 20cm of diameter at a pair of meters, pulsed green flashes ..... maybe i have to find some time for complete it, and see what i can take off, from this old idea ..... who know, maybe it can also work



EDIT: other that the above, let me repeat a simple concept ..... why someone in security and checkpoints field, want to buy a thousand dollars green laser weapon, that can be vanificated from a less-than-10-$ red plastic laser goggles ? (playing devil's advocate, here )

I just read through enough of these posts... here is my take on this.

If your attacker is armed, the attacker sees your laser pointed in his/her general direction, that attacker is going to immediately think it is a targeting laser and fire in the direction it is coming from.

there are documented cases of kids being shot while simply "goofing off" with a laser pointer, and some of those cases by police officers.

Now I am all about laser safety, however in an "attack situation" where you as the victim is shaking, trembling or otherwise spooked, just try and get a direct shot into the attackers pupils to blind them.

By the time you can possibly render your attacker blind, they have already shot or sliced you.

hiding behind a dumpster or something and then using your laser, well all that will do is disclose to your assailant where you are hiding.

attempting to use a laser as a method of self defense is imprudent, IMHO.

Now using them to spook wild animals, that is a different story....

I live out in the country, and a powerful laser pointer is perfect to keep coyotes away, never tried it on a bear

HIMNL9 said:

First, or the image is photoshopped, or that laser torch have the more strange shape that i've seen til now (it look like they have joined two images of different diameters, and also off-axis) .....

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yeah lol it does look nice and photoshopped. either that or it's not a straight cylinder. There could be some mirrors in, or some kind of fancy optics. *shrug* who knows. but the appearance is kind of a wtf..

Second: "200 mW" and "eye safe at aperture" are, usually, two concepts that don't match together, speaking about lasers ..... anyway, can be possible that the beam, unfocused and switched at fast pulses, acts like a flash, saturating the retina without burn it (but i remember that also flashes can cause semipermanent damages, if strong enough) .....

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200mw with a beam diameter at aperture of 3 inches.
= 7.62 centimeters. this gives a surface area of that beam as 45.58 square centimeters. 200mw divided by 45.58 = 4.38mw per square centimeter. *shrug* considerably more then the 2.55mw they claim. however it's not above 5mw per square centimeter. Keep in mind even if it's more then 5mw hitting the eye, if it's spread out enough that it's not hitting the same part of the retina, then you probably wont burn it....

EDIT: other that the above, let me repeat a simple concept ..... why someone in security and checkpoints field, want to buy a thousand dollars green laser weapon, that can be vanificated from a less-than-10-$ red plastic laser goggles ? (playing devil's advocate, here )

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Lol very very valid point. Although any kind of dazzler effect would be nice and useful at first. Buying a less then $10 pair of goggles takes preparation. You would have to know ahead of time to purchase them, then put them on. However it would be *quite* funny to find someone who just spent 1000+ on a laser dazzler and put on a pair of goggles to mess with them and make them cry :eg:

but yeah, I'm quite curious as to the logistics of a laser dazzler. as well as curious as to how effective one really is. However for self defense, it just doesn't make a lot of sense. Another point is, all it takes for someone to resist it is to close their eyes for a second. If you even had a pair of goggles in your pocket, you could close your eyes, put the goggles on, then open them. Unless it's aimed right at your face when it's turned on, you will see the beam and have time to close your eyes to protect yourself. The concept is effective only with the advantage of surprise. When you have a weapon for self defense, you need to be able to trust that it's going to work. Once you use a weapon on someone, you can be certain they will use one back if you haven't disabled them. Being ineffective simply raises the risk level.

But still curious about the logistics of it.

I guess if you were toting a 50 watt C02 laser, that would keep attackers at bay. :crackup:

Some companies produce real pulsed laser "dazzler" for self defence like that in picture. Not as the WL photonic disruptor

Exposure under high output power green laser causes short time blindness of human eyes, but won't cause physical damages. Pulse mode output green laser enlarge the contract of light, has better effect.

photonaholic said:

I guess if you were toting a 50 watt C02 laser, that would keep attackers at bay. :crackup:

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Given the size of that contraption being portable, you should probably yell 'bazooka!' while you hoist it onto your shoulder ;p