Advice for a laser newbie

[Epsilon]

Hello!

I recently ordered a 200mW green (532nm) "Mars" laser from biglaserpointers.com, from whom I previously bought a nice 5mW laser that I've had for a few years now. It is my understanding that such a pointer is potentially EXTREMELY dangerous, so are there any specific safety recommendations other than the usual "safety glasses, don't laser living things and planes"? Is there any risk in purchasing from them (Yes, I know I should have checked before), and does anyone have any experience dealing with lasers from the site?

I have heard that the point can be dangerous to look at without goggles, but with appropriate equipment is it safe to look at the spot? Is there also a risk of IR damage or similar? Is it safe to point at the sky so long as there are clearly no planes in the area?

I understand that everyone here takes pointers very seriously, and I am fully aware that burning lasers are not toys. In all likelyhood, I will only use it indoors under safe conditions, or when in rural areas far away from where I could accidentally strike a house or person. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[KayEm]

Hi.

I checked on the website that you linked and it just looks like a reseller of cheap Chinese laser pointers. Their so-called Mars is just an ordinary "301" laser. Your can get that laser elsewhere (for example, Aliexpress) for ~10$, and there really is no good reason to pay more than that for it.

And no, it is not "extremely" dangerous. It is no more than 80mw - most likely less. Yes, "don't laser living things and planes" and avoid reflective surfaces, but there really is no danger in looking at the dot itself without googles, unless it is really close and you do it for a prolonged period of time (for example, trying to burn something).

Also, that laser does leak IR, but not so much that you would need to be concerned about it. In any case, I hope that the laser works well for you. Although it's cheap, it can still last a long time. I've had a number of these cheap lasers. Some of them turned out to be complete garbage, while others were surprisingly reliable. Although you most certainly did overpay, I hope that at least the laser works well.

P.S. The discounts on that page are fake too. All they do is take some fancy pictures of the lasers, name them, and then come up with some professional-sounding descriptions. But at the end of the day, it's all smokescreen. It's the same lasers that you get elsewhere for cheaper. Most you can expect is that they did some additional quality check - like Sanwu do with the 301's they're selling. But that's about it.

 

[Epsilon]

Alrighty, thanks. As far as use cases, is it safe to point it at the sky in urban areas, so long as no aircraft are around? Are the diffuse reflections particularly dangerous? I have heard a LOT of conflicting information about class 3R lasers, with wikipedia saying that the points are safe to look at whilst others say that it can cause eye damage. I've also read through a lot of the OG introductory posts, but as most of them are a decade or so old a lot of the info around legality and whatnot seems to be outdated.

Also, if you have a cheap pair of 532nm safety goggles to recommend, that'd be fantastic (preferably with IR protection). I'm looking at some right now but the prospect of dumping 120 bucks on goggles for a 20 dollar laser is a touch dubious for me.

Thanks again!

 

[KayEm]

is it safe to point it at the sky in urban areas, so long as no aircraft are around?

If there is no aircraft around, it should be safe. Although you should still be careful so you don't distract any drivers, etc.

I have heard a LOT of conflicting information about class 3R lasers, with wikipedia saying that the points are safe to look at whilst others say that it can cause eye damage.

I have to agree with Wikipedia on that one. The dot of the 301 green is really bright but just by staring at it on the wall you're not going to get eye damage. However, if you look at it from a close, it may cause some after-images, just like staring at the Sun does (especially if the surface is light in color). What you should be concerned about is direct hits and reflective surfaces, like mirrors.

if you have a cheap pair of 532nm safety goggles to recommend, that'd be fantastic (preferably with IR protection). I'm looking at some right now but the prospect of dumping 120 bucks on goggles for a 20 dollar laser is a touch dubious for me.

In general, the goggles by survival lasers (Eagle Pair) are the go-to ones for a lot of people here. But they are not that cheap (~50$). I don't know if there are any cheap goggles with IR protection. But you may want to consider an Eagle Pair - especially if you are interested in getting more powerful lasers in the future.

 

[Epsilon]

If there is no aircraft around, it should be safe. Although you should still be careful so you don't distract any drivers, etc.



I have to agree with Wikipedia on that one. The dot of the 301 green is really bright but just by staring at it on the wall you're not going to get eye damage. However, if you look at it from a close, it may cause some after-images, just like staring at the Sun does (especially if the surface is light in color). What you should be concerned about is direct hits and reflective surfaces, like mirrors.



In general, the goggles by survival lasers (Eagle Pair) are the go-to ones for a lot of people here. But they are not that cheap (~50$). I don't know if there are any cheap goggles with IR protection. But you may want to consider an Eagle Pair - especially if you are interested in getting more powerful lasers in the future.

The laser came and is pretty cool, thanks again for your advice! I suspect that it's actually much closer to the 5-25mW range as it has absolutely no burning, a pretty dim beam, etc, but all things considered that's probably a good thing until I get some more experience with lasers.