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Affordable goggles for 445nm

S

steveclv

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I know there are a few threads regarding safety goggles and I hope that this isn't replicating any of them.

I'm looking to buy 3 or 4 pairs of safety glasses for just 445nm - the problem is that when I find a pair that are affordable (<$20) they either have no specs or test results or if they do, they claim 4+ OD at a wavelength other than the one that I want and then they seem to have a much lower OD for 445 such as 2 which I believe (correct me if I am wrong please) is far too low for safety.

Any ideas (and links please) to glasses that will be suitable?

Thanks

Steve
 





There is no mention on the Amazon site about these being suitable for blue laser use so are you convinced (or have you used an LPM) to see if they are working at 445?
I don't want to take any chances but neither can I afford to spend 3 * $79+ on more specialist glasses if there are cheaper ones available.

Thanks for your suggestion.
 
I have a pair and these actually work well to block a ~1W blue. However, @ 2W my blue laser's dot does look pretty bright through those goggles.

Also, beware.. this is what I found on the inside of the box the glasses came in:
UvexSCT-OrangeWarning.jpg


So, they do block a lot of 200-534nm light (up to 98% that's about an OD2) but not up to "laser-standard's", where OD4 and up are required.
 
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Well I guess they are uncertified for laser but the tests look pretty good. I've just ordered a couple so I'll see how they turn out. If I get into the hobby more then I'll invest in something more expensive. As long as I have something that will work for now.

Thanks for you help
 
^^ You get what you pay for with googles, man. If you want certified goggles, it will cost you some bucks.
 
I trawled through the testing threads and I'm an analytical kind of a guy so I am guessing that getting certified for laser use requires testing and that costs money. As the market for laser safety glasses is pretty darn small, it's likely that companies don't want to pay for the certification. To avoid litigation they then state not to use with lasers and it's not a huge loss of customers if they then choose not to buy.

Given that 'laser light' in our context can mean anything from 5mW to 150KW pulsed laser, I'm not surprised that they also say 'No laser'.

The glasses block the light at the wavelengths that we work in and they do that by absorbing the light - energy is preserved and those photons thus generate heat. That heat can cause melting or internal degradation of the material - the higher the laser power the faster this will happen - and plastic will degrade faster than glass. So although they block the light, they may degrade faster than more expensive glasses and be less able to handle a direct hit for as long.

Does anyone know what 'Certified' means? What standard is it certified to and what does that relate to in terms of power, duration and permissible light levels etc?

Sorry for the thoughts and questions - I'm a complete newbie at this but willing to learn :)
 
steveclv said:
I trawled through the testing threads and I'm an analytical kind of a guy so I am guessing that getting certified for laser use requires testing and that costs money. As the market for laser safety glasses is pretty darn small, it's likely that companies don't want to pay for the certification. To avoid litigation they then state not to use with lasers and it's not a huge loss of customers if they then choose not to buy.

Given that 'laser light' in our context can mean anything from 5mW to 150KW pulsed laser, I'm not surprised that they also say 'No laser'.

The glasses block the light at the wavelengths that we work in and they do that by absorbing the light - energy is preserved and those photons thus generate heat. That heat can cause melting or internal degradation of the material - the higher the laser power the faster this will happen - and plastic will degrade faster than glass. So although they block the light, they may degrade faster than more expensive glasses and be less able to handle a direct hit for as long.

Does anyone know what 'Certified' means? What standard is it certified to and what does that relate to in terms of power, duration and permissible light levels etc?

Sorry for the thoughts and questions - I'm a complete newbie at this but willing to learn :)
Click to expand...

Certified means they have they have certified "ANSI Z136 SPECIFICATIONS"

Like this OEM ARG Goggles.
 
I see - actually it's specifically
ANSI Z136.7 – Testing and Labeling of Laser Protective Equipment

Unfortunately they want $150 just for the specification!

ANSI Z136.7
Testing procedures are provided in this document to ensure that eyewear, windows, and barriers maintain their specified level of protection throughout the life of the products.

Determine the filter technology used; absorptive, reflective, or hybrid.
Determine the material type of eyewear/windows under study: material, metal, plastic, glass, hybrid, etc.
Determine the appropriate laser or laser system: continuous wave, Q switched, or sub-nanosecond, or some combination of pulse durations.
Determine the wavelength or wavelength band of the laser protection.
Determine the specified optical density or barrier threshold level as identified by the manufacturer at the wavelength in question.

So it would appear reasonable to expect a certified set of glasses to specify the OD at a specific wavelength for a 'continuous wave' laser - it might also require the laser power to be specified but that wasn't obvious from the synopsis.
 
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^bud you just missed out on certified ARG's there were at really good price during GB.
 
alonzomerrill said:
It is a very easy to find out the best cheap product for you and i can recommend for HD400 Series Safety Glasses and BearKat Safety Glasses. You can choose these two glasses products because It is available in very low price. I have a good experience to use it and many online stores providing these glasses.
Click to expand...

You DO realize that this is a laser forum, right?

Peace,
dave
 
alonzomerrill said:
I read your post carefully and i know about that this is a laser forum. I just give the best advice to the person for short out his problem.
Click to expand...

I'm just trying to give us some context in which to read this next statement

"Safety Glasses" will give ABSOLUTELY NO PROTECTION from laser light

One NEEDS laser goggles, with the best rating possible, to protect their eyes from lasers

If you think that recommending safety glasses to someone asking about laser goggles is good advice, you are very mistaken (or you are spamming for the safety glasses company)

Peace,
dave
 
I'm sure those HD400 Series Safety Glasses are CE certified!


... for impact resistance and ergonomics.
 
I want a pair of the OEM Args but they want $33 just to ship 'em to me - Yikes!!
 
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