How powerful is 10mW?

Just wondering, if i got a 10mW green module how powerful would it be. I want to know if it would be safe to take it to point at stars at a public place. Well, you shouldn't take a powerful laser into a public place but is 10mW fine? Obviously with any laser i wouldn't point it at anyone but would it be ok to bring a 10mW green along to a fireworks night to point in the sky?

Thanks (Sorry if you think i am stupid for asking this question, i just want your ideas)

It's powerful enough to damage your eyes if you take a direct hit from it nearby ,but you'd need to take a direct hit from a reflection over 50% for it to be a eye danger. 10 mw probably won't be noticeable to anyone with the fireworks going on. One word of warning a generic 10 mw laser can be anywhere from 5-40mw so don't assume you have 10 mw of green.Just be very careful what you shine it at.

Always use common sense when pointing outside.

if all conditions are perfect... no planes, no relfective surfaces near by etc, than pointing a laser at stars is very safe. you don't want to use goggoels because they will inhibit you from seeing the beam.

10mw you will be able to see the beam at night. If you're looking for a pretty good cheap one I did a review on some $8 cheepie on amazon that does surprisingly well; I sell them at all my flea markets for $25 a pop

Ok thanks, obviously i would never do anything stupid and only point in the right conditions but i understand.

Thanks

Just wondering how powerful is a 5mW, if you have a 50% reflection is it damaging. I have a nice little 5mW green which i point around the house and on ceilings. Just wondering, maybe i shouldn't? Is this even safe, a 5mW green?

a 5mw green shouldnt be harmful considering you dont stare at it all day long and your blink reflex is fast enough too blobk a direct hit before damage occurs

I have never and i will never but is there a law about taking high powered lasers into a public area?

laserx323 said:

10mw wouldn't damage your eyes unless you took a really close hit for a couple second, but 10mw green laser beam wouldn't be to good at night with fireworks try a cheap amazon 50mw.

Click to expand...

No Thats Wrong, Above 5 mW can hurt your eyes in 1/100 th of a second with a direct hit or direct reflection.

You seem to be insinuating that 4.9mW is relatively safe but 5.1mW will blind you faster than you can blink. It's not that simple.

Anything over 1mW is dangerous and have to be Handled safely

I didn't mean it like that. I just have looked it up from a few sources and thats what they say.
I do Understand how it is generalized and that 5 mW would go slower than 100 mW. But it's faster than you can blink regardless so less than a second.

I believe safety manner should be applied the same way despite the laser being 1mW or 1W.


Better be too safe than loosing ur eye.

Damn y'all if you want to be safe, go get yourself a lamp and carry that around
>WITH THE SHADE OF COURSE!
But C'mon be real. 1mw of green, aiight yeah it can be dangerous. Don't point it at peoples faces or I'll be pissed off, they'll be pissed off and LPF will be pissed off. 10mw? yeah it can be dangerous. But it's relatively safe, if you can understand that. If you take a direct hit from 10mw from a distance like 200 ft, it'll be bright and might hurt you're irical muscles for a bit but it won't obliterate your eyes. At my university, we had a couple of owl, horse and human cadavers sitting around so I did a little testing with the approval of a professor and cracked some eyes opened and tensed the sclera, retina, eye lens it's self and iris. The sclera will block light like no tomorrow, but chances are the beam will still get to your iris, which stops light like a handfull of parallel, taut threads. it'll stop an amount but a good amount will get through. And the retina will stop all light but we're more worried about the retina in posterior portion of your eye being affected. There was no visable evidence of a laser being shined on the retina after a quick pass, probable on it for less than 1/16th of a second. BUT DAMAGE WOULD BE DONE ASSUMING IT WAS ON AN ALIVE SUBSTANCE AND IT WAS STILL VASCULAR.
At night, pointing it at the stars, heck I take my safety glasses to look at my 100mw green while I'm starpointing. BUT ONLY STARPOINTING. My 1.4w 445, I keep my glasses on and take pictures with a camera, that can get dangerous fast.

All in all. 10mw is safe. You don't need glasses if you're going to be smart with it. pointing it in a pitch black room would be fine, as long as you avoid very reflective items like mirrors. It can hit a wine glass or something and difract the beam and ya know what, it's kinda cool but some light may hit your eye. So you can go ahead and do that at your own risk.

But I'm not going to be an eye doctor, so...

:thinking:


Did you read the whole thread or just the last few posts? If you Read up we agree with each other....:shhh:

Cyparagon said:

You seem to be insinuating that 4.9mW is relatively safe but 5.1mW will blind you faster than you can blink. It's not that simple.

Click to expand...

>agreeing with eachother

Fenzir said:

Damn y'all if you want to be safe, go get yourself a lamp and carry that around
>WITH THE SHADE OF COURSE!
But C'mon be real. 1mw of green, aiight yeah it can be dangerous. Don't point it at peoples faces or I'll be pissed off, they'll be pissed off and LPF will be pissed off. 10mw? yeah it can be dangerous. But it's relatively safe, if you can understand that. If you take a direct hit from 10mw from a distance like 200 ft, it'll be bright and might hurt you're irical muscles for a bit but it won't obliterate your eyes. At my university, we had a couple of owl, horse and human cadavers sitting around so I did a little testing with the approval of a professor and cracked some eyes opened and tensed the sclera, retina, eye lens it's self and iris. The sclera will block light like no tomorrow, but chances are the beam will still get to your iris, which stops light like a handfull of parallel, taut threads. it'll stop an amount but a good amount will get through. And the retina will stop all light but we're more worried about the retina in posterior portion of your eye being affected. There was no visable evidence of a laser being shined on the retina after a quick pass, probable on it for less than 1/16th of a second. BUT DAMAGE WOULD BE DONE ASSUMING IT WAS ON AN ALIVE SUBSTANCE AND IT WAS STILL VASCULAR.
At night, pointing it at the stars, heck I take my safety glasses to look at my 100mw green while I'm starpointing. BUT ONLY STARPOINTING. My 1.4w 445, I keep my glasses on and take pictures with a camera, that can get dangerous fast.

All in all. 10mw is safe. You don't need glasses if you're going to be smart with it. pointing it in a pitch black room would be fine, as long as you avoid very reflective items like mirrors. It can hit a wine glass or something and difract the beam and ya know what, it's kinda cool but some light may hit your eye. So you can go ahead and do that at your own risk.

But I'm not going to be an eye doctor, so...

Click to expand...

OK so you know big medical words... I'll give you that...

But it is the general consensus on this Forum that ANY
Laser over 5mW that is not used in a controlled laboratory
setting should be operated with appropriate Laser Safety
Goggles/Glasses...

That basic safety info is simple to understand by anyone and
will provide eye safety to anyone that baseline...

To categorically state that 10mW Lasers are safe and one
does not require Laser Eye protection on a public Laser Forum
is totally irresponsible...IMO
You have no clue if the operator is smart or not....

There are young members here that may believe you...
Sorry.....I don't....:beer:


Jerry