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[Xombie]

Now that I've got your attention, I'll introduce myself.

Hi, I'm Xombie.

I'm quite new to lasers.

My very first laser just arrived in the mail today. It's nothing special - a DX "True" 30mW - but I've heard good things about them, especially for beginners.

I've taken the last few hours to browse through the LaserPointer forums and I've learned a lot more from you guys than from me simply googling all this stuff. I'm glad to be a part of this community.

Also I have a few questions (I thought of starting a new thread, but I hope this will do).

1. How do I know if my DX 30mW has an IR filter? Can I check? And if not, can I add one? How? And where would I get it?

2. I've only used this laser for a couple minutes at a time and already my eyes are sore from simply looking at the dot. (Obviously I didn't flash it in my eyes, but damn that thing is shiny... It's brighter than two of my friends' 30mW DX lasers, which worries me...) I got a slight headache, too. If any of you have experienced these same problems, what did you do? Maybe a good night's rest will do the trick. Otherwise I'm seriously considering buying a pair of safety goggles... which brings me to question #3.

3. If I were to get goggles, there are two pairs I've been looking at. The first pair are the Green 532nm LaserShades from WickedLasers ($40) and the second pair are from Ebay, Zonestealth's 532nm goggles (~$30) that look different (at least in the picture) from the mediocre review I read of 'em in your Safety Forum. How do these compare? Would you recommend one over the other? Or should I consider different ones entirely. NOTE: Money is an issue. Also - Would goggles even be necessary with a 30mW laser?

4. Kind of off topic but I was liking the looks of WickedLaser's "Dragon" case for green lasers. I'm thinking of buying one. Would my DX 30mW fit? (I've heard that they don't, but I just wanted to be sure; I can't compare specs because one's specs are in the Metric System and the other U.S. standard... tbh I don't feel like converting them).

5. Last but not least, now that I have this epic device... What kind of conniving things should I do with it. Give me ideas! I don't think I should be lighting matches and popping balloons without safety glasses...

Nice to meet all of you and thanks in advance for answering any of my questions.

~Xombie

EDIT: Apparently I can't post the links for the goggles, but you've got the idea... I hope.

 

[pseudolobster]

Horrible title for a first post btw... I'm not sure everyone will appreciate your sense of humor.

As for what goggles to buy, eBay goggles are generally really bad, and WL goggles are usually reviewed favorably. It's probably worth the extra $10.

I bought a DX30, but it's yet to arrive, so I can't really tell you how safe they are... but 30mW is definitely enough to blind you if you were to look directly into the beam.. I'd avoid staring at the dot for more than a second at a time... over time this could be a bad thing. As long as you're really careful about reflective surfaces, I think you should be able to handle a 30mW without safety goggles, as long as you're really careful and responsible... but then again, your eyesight is bound to be worth a lot more than $40, so it's really a sound investment.

 

[Razako]

Now that I've got your attention, I'll introduce myself.

Hi, I'm Xombie.

I'm quite new to lasers.

My very first laser just arrived in the mail today. It's nothing special - a DX "True" 30mW - but I've heard good things about them, especially for beginners.

I've taken the last few hours to browse through the LaserPointer forums and I've learned a lot more from you guys than from me simply googling all this stuff. I'm glad to be a part of this community.

Also I have a few questions (I thought of starting a new thread, but I hope this will do).

1. How do I know if my DX 30mW has an IR filter? Can I check? And if not, can I add one? How? And where would I get it?

2. I've only used this laser for a couple minutes at a time and already my eyes are sore from simply looking at the dot. (Obviously I didn't flash it in my eyes, but damn that thing is shiny... It's brighter than two of my friends' 30mW DX lasers, which worries me...) I got a slight headache, too. If any of you have experienced these same problems, what did you do? Maybe a good night's rest will do the trick. Otherwise I'm seriously considering buying a pair of safety goggles... which brings me to question #3.

3. If I were to get goggles, there are two pairs I've been looking at. The first pair are the Green 532nm LaserShades from WickedLasers ($40) and the second pair are from Ebay, Zonestealth's 532nm goggles (~$30) that look different (at least in the picture) from the mediocre review I read of 'em in your Safety Forum. How do these compare? Would you recommend one over the other? Or should I consider different ones entirely. NOTE: Money is an issue. Also - Would goggles even be necessary with a 30mW laser?

4. Kind of off topic but I was liking the looks of WickedLaser's "Dragon" case for green lasers. I'm thinking of buying one. Would my DX 30mW fit? (I've heard that they don't, but I just wanted to be sure; I can't compare specs because one's specs are in the Metric System and the other U.S. standard... tbh I don't feel like converting them).

5. Last but not least, now that I have this epic device... What kind of conniving things should I do with it. Give me ideas! I don't think I should be lighting matches and popping balloons without safety glasses...

Nice to meet all of you and thanks in advance for answering any of my questions.

~Xombie

EDIT: Apparently I can't post the links for the goggles, but you've got the idea... I hope.

1-The "true" lasers on dx DO have an IR filter. The only way to be sure is measure the output with and without an IR filter or you can use a camera that can see IR.
2-Don't look at the dot without goggles unless you are around 20-30 feet from the target and don't shine it at anything reflective.
3-You don't need safety goggles for a 30mw as long as you are careful and don't do anything stupid. It might be a good idea to get them now because you will probably want something with more power in the future. Also without goggles you can't safely do much other than shine the laser around outside and look at the beam.
4-Don't bother with the dragon case for a cheap dx laser.
5-A 30mw laser probably won't be lighting matches. You might be able to pop balloons with fresh batteries if you got a good laser. Btw you shouldn't attempt either of these unless you buy goggles.

 

[GooeyGus]

I thought it was a great first post title ;D

 

[Snytbaggen]

I thought it was a great first post title  ;D

Same here. I actually lol'd ;D

 

[Maelstrom]

5-A 30mw laser probably won't be lighting matches.  You might be able to pop balloons with fresh batteries if you got a good laser.  Btw you shouldn't attempt either of these unless you buy goggles.

Why shouldnt you do that stuff without goggles? Mine just came today,and I was under the impression that as long as you dont look directly at the beam or shine it on a reflective surface, you arent in any harm. Mine seems plenty strong, I was able to pop a ballon dotted with a sharpie( I did it safetly, held the ballon real close to the beam so I wouldnt have to aim it and looked away... Just so i could know if it was strong enough to do it.)... SHould i go ahead and get some goggles?

 

[Xombie]

Today at school I compared my DX "True" 30mW with the 2 my friends had. Mine was significantly brighter than the other two; which may have seemed advantageous to me, but my eyes really couldn't handle it. Just looking at the dot of the laser caused my eyes to get dry and sore, and frequent headaches/migranes.

My original idea was to trade mine for one of the dimmer DX 30mW lasers my friends had, however that changed...

Today we had a substitute in English who used to be in the U.S. Airforce over in Iraq. You'd never guess that he himself had a New Wish green laser (except he hadn't bought it from DX). His was 20mW. He was very interested in seeing mine and asked where I had gotten it - he said he'd order one himself, but didn't want to go through the trouble of creating a PayPal and waiting a month for something shipped over from China.

He then offered me his "true" 20mW and $25 cash for my 30mW. And I took the deal.

Now I've got a laser that I can handle - it no longer makes my eyes sore, and it was a top of the line 20mW that nearly equaled my friend's 30mW in brightness.

So now I have a kick-ass green laser that I can actually use and enough cash to buy a new 30mW!

Woot.

~Xombie

 

[nikokapo]

[quote author=GooeyGus link=1211514142/0#3 date=1211545795]I thought it was a great first post title  ;D

Same here. I actually lol'd  ;D[/quote]

i third that, i clicked right away even though i was not in the mood!!

 

[Chad]

Now that I've got your attention, I'll introduce myself.

Hi, I'm Xombie.

I'm quite new to lasers.

My very first laser just arrived in the mail today. It's nothing special - a DX "True" 30mW - but I've heard good things about them, especially for beginners.

I've taken the last few hours to browse through the LaserPointer forums and I've learned a lot more from you guys than from me simply googling all this stuff. I'm glad to be a part of this community.

Also I have a few questions (I thought of starting a new thread, but I hope this will do).

1. How do I know if my DX 30mW has an IR filter? Can I check? And if not, can I add one? How? And where would I get it?

2. I've only used this laser for a couple minutes at a time and already my eyes are sore from simply looking at the dot. (Obviously I didn't flash it in my eyes, but damn that thing is shiny... It's brighter than two of my friends' 30mW DX lasers, which worries me...) I got a slight headache, too. If any of you have experienced these same problems, what did you do? Maybe a good night's rest will do the trick. Otherwise I'm seriously considering buying a pair of safety goggles... which brings me to question #3.

3. If I were to get goggles, there are two pairs I've been looking at. The first pair are the Green 532nm LaserShades from WickedLasers ($40) and the second pair are from Ebay, Zonestealth's 532nm goggles (~$30)  that look different (at least in the picture) from the mediocre review I read of 'em in your Safety Forum. How do these compare? Would you recommend one over the other? Or should I consider different ones entirely. NOTE: Money is an issue. Also - Would goggles even be necessary with a 30mW laser?

4. Kind of off topic but I was liking the looks of WickedLaser's "Dragon" case for green lasers. I'm thinking of buying one. Would my DX 30mW fit? (I've heard that they don't, but I just wanted to be sure; I can't compare specs because one's specs are in the Metric System and the other U.S. standard... tbh I don't feel like converting them).

5. Last but not least, now that I have this epic device... What kind of conniving things should I do with it. Give me ideas! I don't think I should be lighting matches and popping balloons without safety glasses...

Nice to meet all of you and thanks in advance for answering any of my questions.

~Xombie

EDIT: Apparently I can't post the links for the goggles, but you've got the idea... I hope.

Let's try this again.

1. Almost all of the DX lasers under 50mWs have IR filters. (depends on the model. ) The "True" thing is basically a marketing gimmick. The only thing different is the pump diode - they use a slightly better one. You can get an IR filter here.

2. Yep, get goggles. Unless you want to just condition your eyes to it. (a long and painful process... but hey - I can look at green lasers above 200mWs now without problems or eye damage.)

3. These. I like them infinitely more than the WL lasershades.

4. The dragon cases are GREAT. Can't be beat for protecting pen-size lasers. Get one from here, though. It'll save you a few bucks on shipping.

5. You really won't be able to do much with a 30mW laser. Mine could light a match, but it was averaging at more than 50mWs at the time...

Lastly, don't buy from DX again, unless you get the 200mW Red. It's about the only good laser they have.  

 

[Snytbaggen]

2. Yep, get goggles. Unless you want to just condition your eyes to it. (a long and painful process... but hey - I can look at green lasers above 200mWs now without problems or eye damage.)

You can do that?!

 

[Chad]

Yes... only if you're REALLY REALLY STUPID. ;D

Thing is, I spent almost a year messing around with lasers before I actually got one. No goggles. My peepers are tanks now, I swear.

Don't try.

 

[nikokapo]

Yes... only if you're REALLY REALLY STUPID.  ;D

Thing is, I spent almost a year messing around with lasers before I actually got one. No goggles. My peepers are tanks now, I swear.  

Don't try.

yeah, get goggles, i wanna sell my dilda RIGHT NOW ASAP, because i will end up blind if i keep using it

 

[silly-jimmy]

I just bought a true 30mw off deal extreme and I just wanted to ask a question I know it may sound REALLY REALLY DUMB but let me just ask because i'm a super cheap skate (lol) would sun glasses help protect my eyes at all cause since i live in Australia the wicked laser goggles will cost me 60 buks thats for the 39 dollar model ( the shipping is 20 buks )

thanks for your help guys

 

[Chad]

Nope. Sunglasses will hardly block any of it. Also, they make your pupils dilate, which makes the potential for damage much greater.  

Oh, and read the FAQ. a lot of your first questions will probably be answered in there. Like this one.  

Niko - Of course I have goggles NOW! I've got like, 4 pairs sitting on my desk. I was just saying that I didn't have any before I got one.

 

[nikokapo]

I just bought a true 30mw off deal extreme and I just wanted to ask a question I know it may sound REALLY REALLY DUMB but let me just ask because i'm a super cheap skate (lol) would sun glasses help protect my eyes at all cause since i live in Australia the wicked laser goggles will cost me 60 buks   thats for the 39 dollar model ( the shipping is 20 buks )

thanks for your help guys

read TEH FAQ!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[silly-jimmy]

I have now and its answered alot of questions I had