Laser newbie looking for safety advice

[Kevymetal0326]

Hello all,

So, I recently saw a YouTube video about high powered blue lasers, and I was immediately hooked!! I purchased a blue laser that I have not received as of yet, but, I want to make sure before I play with, that I am not going to endanger my own eyesight, or anyone else's for that matter.

It seems pretty obvious not to stare directly into a beam, nor should you point it at anyone else's eyes, but, I was wondering what would be safe activities, and, what activities I would need to use safety glasses, i.e. burning things...

I tried to attach a picture of what I bought, but I am unable to do so.

I'm sorry for my ignorance, but I am brand new to this hobby and am thirsty to learn as much as I can.

I really appreciate any and all help.

Thank you.

 

[paul1598419]

You will want to refrain from having specular reflections as well. These can happen off of glass surfaces or any surface that can allow the reflection to remain colimated. Diffuse reflections are much safer as they decrease in intensity by the square of the distance you are away from them. See the stickies on laser safety.

 

[Kevymetal0326]

Thank you so much for for the reply, I never even considered reflections..... lots to learn

 

[gazer101]

It's a best practice to always wear some sort of safety goggles. Even if the risk of going blind is low, the repercussions are too high to justify it

 

[Snecho]

Just wondering what is your laser called? Where did you buy it from?

It would be important to know what laser you're trying to match goggles for.

 

[Kevymetal0326]

I bought it off of Wish.com, it says :

High Power Laser Pointer Pen Ignition Laser Flashlight Irradiate 5000m Laser Pen with Battery + Battery Charger + Protective Glasses + 5 Replacement head
Blue, Laser Pointer Set.

Product color: Silver Light color: Red/Green/Blue Material: Aluminum Alloy Brightness: 350lm Product size: 14*4*4cm Battery: Red/Green :18650 Battery * 1; Blue--High Power: 16340 Battery * 2

I bought the blue one.

 

[Snecho]

I bought it off of Wish.com, it says :

High Power Laser Pointer Pen Ignition Laser Flashlight Irradiate 5000m Laser Pen with Battery + Battery Charger + Protective Glasses + 5 Replacement head
Blue, Laser Pointer Set.

Product color: Silver Light color: Red/Green/Blue Material: Aluminum Alloy Brightness: 350lm Product size: 14*4*4cm Battery: Red/Green :18650 Battery * 1; Blue--High Power: 16340 Battery * 2

I bought the blue one.

Of of course you bought it off Wish! Cause everyone knows that's the best, most non-shady place to buy lasers!

Sounds like a 1-1.6W Thor H knockoff. I would suggest wearing the glasses most of the time until you gain a little more experience and get comfortable with it.

 

[Kevymetal0326]

Yeah, I'm pretty embarrassed about it after reading various posts, but, it was cheap enough to experiment with.
Thank you very much for the advice, I will DEFINATELY be investing in some eye protection.
Would you happen to have a quality recomendation?

 

[FuzzyPancake]

Yeah, I'm pretty embarrassed about it after reading various posts, but, it was cheap enough to experiment with.
Thank you very much for the advice, I will DEFINATELY be investing in some eye protection.
Would you happen to have a quality recomendation?

Well known folks around here recommend Survival Laser's goggles and products in general. Look around this forum for more sites, but I will note that you definetely want something with an OD (optical density) rating of 3 or more (abbreviated "OD3") if this laser you bought can actually burn stuff. Look for something that covers light in the 445nm (blue) spectrum. Goggles will cover a wider spectrum than that, but make sure the goggles you buy cover 445nm. They will likely have red lenses.

I also want to say in case it's not clear to you already that ordering a high powered laser from Wish was a hilariously bad idea. I hope it works out for you though! Please, please, please write a review for it when it comes in! I and many others would love to read it. And what did you pay for it?

Don't be surprised if you see multi week delays if this laser is coming from China. I ordered a burning blue laser from Jetlasers Feb 14th, and it has not arrived yet either.

 

[Snecho]

Yeah, I'm pretty embarrassed about it after reading various posts, but, it was cheap enough to experiment with.
Thank you very much for the advice, I will DEFINATELY be investing in some eye protection.
Would you happen to have a quality recomendation?

Eagle Pair from Survival Laser is the one and only everyone uses as they are the best hobbyist goggles.

Link: https://www.survivallaserusa.com/Ea...rd_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p1667092_7862033.aspx

 

[paul1598419]

Don't forget the discount for LPF members. The code is LPF445.

 

[Kevymetal0326]

Thank you all for such great advice!!
Yeah, a REALLY bad idea now that I have been learning more.

All told, with shipping and all, I paid 42 dollars, and, yeah, I won't see it for a month!! LOL

As soon as I post this, I'm going to purchase some Google's as per your recommendations.
I really am quite appreciative for all the good advice, and I will add another post when I receive it... hope it's not a complete disaster (fingers crossed).

 

[Snecho]

Thank you all for such great advice!!
Yeah, a REALLY bad idea now that I have been learning more.

All told, with shipping and all, I paid 42 dollars, and, yeah, I won't see it for a month!! LOL

As soon as I post this, I'm going to purchase some Google's as per your recommendations.
I really am quite appreciative for all the good advice, and I will add another post when I receive it... hope it's not a complete disaster (fingers crossed).

Hey we all learn and make mistakes/learn.

It's great you are reading up on info and getting goggles asap. I hope you enjoy this extremely fun hobby

 

[Eddie H]

I actually got a cheap chinese nasty that turned out to be a peach for the £30 I paid for it. As was noted, it's around 1.6-1.8W but it has a good fine beam. I think I just got lucky and got a good one as it seems the good ones are genuinely pretty decent but the bad ones are awful. Bit of a gamble but don't write it off til you've used it, some of them are actually quite good (by fluke rather than by design).