More, more, more!

Every laser I buy, I try to get the max output power possible. Just bought a 2.2 watt 445... Then I realized, that I can't even enjoy the beautiful beam because I have to wear my goggles. I have to make videos so I can appreciate the awesome beauty of the blue, red, or green beam.
So... My next purchase will be a lower power 445... One that I can point around without worrying about goggles... What do you think... 100mw? 200mw?
I can't seem to bring myself to buy cheesy 5mw jobs...

viking said:

Every laser I buy, I try to get the max output power possible. Just bought a 2.2 watt 445... Then I realized, that I can't even enjoy the beautiful beam because I have to wear my goggles. I have to make videos so I can appreciate the awesome beauty of the blue, red, or green beam.
So... My next purchase will be a lower power 445... One that I can point around without worrying about goggles... What do you think... 100mw? 200mw?
I can't seem to bring myself to buy cheesy 5mw jobs...

Click to expand...

Get out of your bedroom kid. Take it outside.

Take off the glasses?

How is the laser powered ? With two 3.7V cells ?
Some lasers can take one 3.7V cell with a great reduce output.

See this is what I'm talking about.

General consensus of this forum regarding usage of laser safety goggles is so exaggerated that it's unbelivable.

You do not need laser safety goggles while pointing the laser around your room.
You will not go blind from viewing the projected dot of a handheld 445nm laser.

You only need goggles when burning stuff up close, or doing any sort of activity which implies incredible danger of stray reflection and/or viewing the dot of the laser very up-close for extended periods of time (such as engraving or aligning mirrors/dichros/galvos).

Anybody disagrees?

Eudaimonium said:

You do not need laser safety goggles while pointing the laser around your room.
You will not go blind from viewing the projected dot of a handheld 445nm laser.

You only need goggles when burning stuff up close, or doing any sort of activity which implies incredible danger of stray reflection and/or viewing the dot of the laser very up-close for extended periods of time (such as engraving or aligning mirrors/dichros/galvos).

Anybody disagrees?

Click to expand...

I disagree!

Especially about your highligthed part. I don´t point around with a high powered laser indoors. I have them on a tripod. There is always the chance of getting an accidental hit from a reflecting lamp, window, vases, pictures in glass, door glass or reflection from the wall and the paint on my walls is reflective also.

To someone new to laser, who has never owned another one, aside from maybe a cheap $3 red keychain, there is danger.

My advice is grab a 5mW green, sit down, or stand, wherever it is you want to shine your laser around, and shine around the 5mW at EVERYTHING. Try to catch reflections ON PURPOSE.

After you do this a few times, you will know what is reflective in your room/house/apartment, and what isn't.

As far as danger from looking at/seeing the dot on a non reflective surface, I think the danger is often GREATLY exaggerated on here. Looking at the dot of a 2.2W laser from 5 feet away is not comfortable, but neither it is actually dangerous. Maybe with long term cumulative exposure, but not from 5-10 minutes.

For the OP, the tripod & beam dump setup for indoors would be great, or as steve001 said, just go outside, and shine it at some tree tops.

The reason I always advocate the use of goggles though, is for the 10% of people who won't be able to resist pretending they have a lightsaber, or something, and go waving it around like crazy.

Yes... Good idea...
Thanks!

Blord said:

How is the laser powered ? With two 3.7V cells ?
Some lasers can take one 3.7V cell with a great reduce output.

Click to expand...

Its each to their own.

I sometimes wear my goggles, and sometimes I don't...depends what I'm doing.

If you want to be as safe as possible, wear your goggles all the time.

As for pointing class 4 around your room, also consider fire hazard. You most likely wont set your house on fire, but you can for sure leave marks on furniture.

Simple...

Have the Laser on something stable e.g. Tripod.
Have the beam in a strayed path like a Hallway,Garage, backyard, etc.
Then Hve the dot at about 5 feet or more aimed into a BeamDump ,securing it.
Just Avoid Looking into the Dot or Aperture and ypu can see the Beam Nicely.
But ALWAYS Goggles when close up stuff like pointing, burning, LPM, etc.

If Visibility on your laser is a problem then you should get Eagle Pair 190-540, if you have other lasers e.g. Yellow, orange, red, near IR, IR then get another pair pf goggles to protect those wavelengths. You can go around many sites for protection over specific WL (obviously)

If a person cannot use a (very) high powered laser pointer in a room reliably without any danger, then, an accident will occur sooner or later and no amount of goggles will help you with that.

And not to mention people around you who do not have safety goggles.

I have discussed before a phenomenon called Peltzman effect before:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peltzman_effect

In short, the safer you feel, the more you are inclined to do stupid sh*t.

If you do not know how to use a laser without goggles on, or if you rely solely on those goggles to protect you, instead of your own better judgement and common sense, you'll end up without your eyesight sooner or later, and in all honesty, if you're that prone to accidents, you'd might want to stay away from hobbies where accidents do not end with mere "oops".

I am not, and never will, say that you're free to bust a move with three lasers in each hand in your room or whatever environment without goggles.

I'm saying you are free to use a laser without laser goggles, in a manner which does not neccesitate the use of the goggles.

EDIT - In addition, I'd just like to reply to this:

DJNY said:

Especially about your highligthed part. I don´t point around with a high powered laser indoors. I have them on a tripod. There is always the chance of getting an accidental hit from a reflecting lamp, window, vases, pictures in glass, door glass or reflection from the wall and the paint on my walls is reflective also.

Click to expand...

Are you sure that there's always a chance of getting an accidental hit? How big of a chance is that really?

Once it's in your subconcious routine to avoid general "items" with your laser on instinct, not simply for fear of reflections but for burning a mark on it, what are, realistically, chances of accidental reflection, happening?

Personally, having laser goggles on is about an equivalent of having a bulletproof vest and other body armour equipped.
You don't need it if you go shooting and do it like it's supposed to be done - safely. You only need it when you do things that deviate a lot from the definition of safety, a perfect example in our case, trying to light a piece of wood. That neccesitates looking into an incredibly bright spot, in a very short distance.

madmacmo said:

and thereby knowingly engage in stupid sh*t, as well.

Click to expand...

Indeed, I've definitely been one to fall for this behavior. But I've always had the belief that when you do something that causes afterimage because of light intensity your getting into the Danger Zone! :yh: