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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Hello, I am new to the scene (WA)

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Jun 12, 2010
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Hello Everyone,

I am completely new to this hobby/scene. A few days ago someone that works on my floor came by my office because of a funny sign I had on my door that read...

"WARNING: High Power Laser, do not stare in to beam with remaining eye"

He interpreted this as I was in to lasers and introduced himself as a fellow laser nut. I explained that the sign was more just something funny I put on the door but he proceeded to show me his green laser he had in his pocket. I fired it up and shined it around and preceived a visible beam of light. This is something I have never witnessed before outside of a television show. I also was shocked by how powerful the dot on the wall was by comparison to the <5mw cheap lasers I have at home. This completely pulled me in like a moth to flame. He then introduced me to some sites (this being one of them) and sent me on my way. I was so impressed and pulled in by lasers I decided to jump right in and ordered up a Wicked Lasers Arctic Spyder III (1W Blue) laser since it is advertised as the most powerful handheld laser in existance. I honestly can't wait to receive it so I can start testing its capabilities. I read all of the safety documentation on Class 4 lasers and realized quickly it is no toy which makes it that much more compelling to play with :p I will excercise safety always when using it and respect it as I do my firearms. But I am still completely amazed by technology and how you can have a device that fits in your pocket that is powered off batteries create a visible beam of light with nothing more then a few impurities in the air (not a ton of fog like you need with the red dot lasers).

I am sure it will be several weeks because I receive my laser so I will have lots of time to study and catch up on the technology while I wait for to get here. I look forward to poking around the forums and taking in all the cool projects everyone has done. At some point I will even attempt to build my own laser from scratch but for now I'll just tinker with my 1W laser when I want to see a beam and burn a G.I. Joe or two and use the <5mw Red Laser when the cat needs excercise ;)
 





DJNY

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People who never dealt with lasers before shouldn´t buy the 1W 445nm as their first laser!!!
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
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People who never dealt with lasers before shouldn´t buy the 1W 445nm as their first laser!!!

Simmer down... As I stated I read the safety document and understand the dangers of using this device :D
 

Asherz

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People who never dealt with lasers before shouldn´t buy the 1W 445nm as their first laser!!!

Agreed, but theirs nothing we can do.

Nice too meet you, you seem like a sensible guy which is something! :) Just remember the risks that are there when using the laser, that are there with any laser.

Blue in particular can cause retinal damage and colour distortion so avoid long exposures too the beam and dot, and be really careful with reflections.

Hopefully you enjoy the laser and take on-board advice that everyone offers, and try and understand if people get frustrated about the 1W being your first laser, they're just worried for the sake of the hobby and it's nothing personal.
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
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Agreed, but theirs nothing we can do.

Nice too meet you, you seem like a sensible guy which is something! :) Just remember the risks that are there when using the laser, that are there with any laser.

Blue in particular can cause retinal damage and colour distortion so avoid long exposures too the beam and dot, and be really careful with reflections.

Hopefully you enjoy the laser and take on-board advice that everyone offers, and try and understand if people get frustrated about the 1W being your first laser, they're just worried for the sake of the hobby and it's nothing personal.

Thank you, this is the type of intelligent reply I was expecting :) I am here at this forum to discover information and to get advise instead of just going at it alone. And when intelligent advise is offered I will absolutely take it.

Also keep in mind that I purchased this laser primarily because of the price point and wanted to ensure I got one before supply/demand pushed the ship dates for these units back by months or potentially worse raise the price up in to the $1000 range like the other devices of lesser power. I consider purchasing it now a form of protection against laser inflation :p

No worries though, I promise I am not going to blind, burn or vaporise myself or others and I will wear my laser shades and keep a low profile and not end up on the nightly news or in jail. I also promise not to do starwars kid impressions in my cultisac or the town center at night or end up on YouTube doing something illegal with it. The hobby is safe from me destroying it :angel:
 
Joined
May 4, 2009
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Howdy and welcome to the forum :wave: There is more laser info than you could poss need. please try out the search function ;)
Have fun and be safe !
 
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Jun 24, 2009
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You've just arrived into this hobby at an exciting time with the recent discovery of those insanely powerful 445nm laser diodes. It is indeed a new frontier with these new powerful lasers and unfortunately, there will be abuse from clueless people that will probably attract unwanted attention to our hobby.

Hopefully there will be more people like you who will have respect for the power of these new lasers and will use proper precautions when handling them.

Welcome! :D
- Robert
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
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You've just arrived into this hobby at an exciting time with the recent discovery of those insanely powerful 445nm laser diodes. It is indeed a new frontier with these new powerful lasers and unfortunately, there will be abuse from clueless people that will probably attract unwanted attention to our hobby.

Hopefully there will be more people like you who will have respect for the power of these new lasers and will use proper precautions when handling them.

Welcome! :D
- Robert

I have no doubt that people will abuse it. However with a price point of $200 I still think its at a level where the general asshats wont touch it. However the few that do pick it up and draw bad attention to the hobby are going to end up making the cost and sources for these type of high power lasers impossible to find which is all the more reason I needed to buy one now!

Careful, some vintage GI joes from the early 70's can fetch hundreds of $$ in the collectors market. Think of them like Barbies for boys! ;)

No worries, I will only burn the GI Joes that are worthless and already have burn marks on them :) I would never harm one of my vintage man barbies :crackup:

I wonder how long it will take to get my laser from WickedLasers.com. I would imagine they have quite the backlog of orders.
 

Spoz

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Feb 14, 2009
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No worries though, I promise I am not going to blind, burn or vaporise myself or others

That's not something you can promise. I guess part of the reason members of this forum have strong opinions about the 1W being a first laser is because newbies don't realise just how easy it is to accidentally expose yourself or others to harmful levels of radiation. Like most, my first was a 1mW red laser ~10 years ago, which was harmless. It wasn't until I got a 5mW green that I noticed just how reflective common surfaces are. The first week I had that laser I must have accidentally got myself in the eye half a dozen times by shining it in the direction of something shiny without realising. If that had been a 1W blue, I would probably be dictating this to my computer right now instead of typing it.

It's fine for you to promise to wear goggles, but what about when you want to show it off to your friends and you only have one set?

Be very, very careful. You say you're a gun owner which is good. It means you at least know the safety procedure for firearms unlike most Aussies. Lasers need a stricter safety procedure though, because generally bullets won't bounce off something and come back at you with equal force.
 




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