New WL 445nm Spyder....irresponsible?

[hxdrummerxc]

The Spyder look a lot like a Star Wars Lightsaber and the
marketing imagery seems to be pushing that line too.
Or is it just me?

:lasergun:

Thats exactly what my dad said when I showed him...

I personally love the looks of the Spyder III. I think it looks more "military" like....

 

[Moebius]

There's nothing wrong with selling high power lasers, but packaging it as a toy? What's that all about?

I agree with you wholeheartedly. That's the irresponsible part.
What i think is particularly interesting is that people are responding to the reports of how dangerous this laser is by going out and buying it.
It's a fascinating ad campaign.

 

[jbtm]

The Spyder look a lot like a Star Wars Lightsaber and the
marketing imagery seems to be pushing that line too.
Or is it just me?

:lasergun:

Well to me I didnt thought of it because I never cared at all for starwars. I actually know a lot of people who never seen it or hated it actually But more on topic...As far as I see it, its just a host with metal ridges for heatsinking...And made to look more fancy instead of a dull round host. So for me it doesn't look like a toy at all...It just looks like a well designed host with heatsinks. My reasons for buying it is because first, It looks cool. I wanted a good designed host besides a kit, and because I always wanted a wicked laser. In the past I was going to get one of theirs, but asked my self, Why waste the money when I can get cheaper made one? Rayfoss..But the price of this laser, makes it a good "My first wicked laser" buy

 

[cmak]

I don't think it's crap. And, postings by Dave and Jayrob don't set the basis for what is useful and what is useless (no disrespect intended).

Dave

+1 for standing up for yourself and not submitting to the "all-powerful, all-mighty rule of the vets!". Without a doubt, our beloved forum has some of the best veterans out there, and I'm sure we'd all agree that they are what make this forum the greatness that it is. Nonetheless, all men* were created equal, and thus should be (to a certain extent) treated as such.

There's nothing wrong with selling high power lasers, but packaging it as a toy? What's that all about?

Feel free to share any reasoning behind your thought. It is in no way packaged as a "toy", and is most certainly not modeled after a light saber (or any other fictional weapon for that matter). It's funny how if you search Google, you can instantly find tens (if not more) blog posts from various famed/reputable as well as smaller ones, literally describing thing as a "light saber replica". There are now without-a-doubt hundreds, if not thousands of people actually believing that this thing is actually supposed to be a Star Wars Light Saber replica.

Idiocy is contagious...

-Chris


*with the exception of the numbnutted retard-monkeys who shine lasers at aircraft

 

[Moebius]

Looks like a toy to me.
How can you possibly say that it isn't modeled after a light saber?

I got the arctic because it looks like a light saber and will make me feel like Luke Skywalker when I'm swinging it around

 

[jbtm]

I'd have to agree. After looking at many images of light sabers, I have not yet to find how the WL arctic even relates.
http://www.techwebpress.com/unique-gadget/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/lightsaber-4up_newer.jpg

I see no replica. I see no similarity at all. the WL arctic spyder III pro series is just simply a design that stands out to be different. How it even looks like a light saber is beyond me. Because they photoshoped a blue beam? Because its blue?

From what I'm seeing, theirs no relation. It's just because Gizmodo said it was a light saber. Then it spreaded like wildfire all because someone said light saber.
Green Laser Pointer from Wicked Lasers - Spyder III Pro
Magically the green isn't a light saber... Odd

Moebius: What, A cylinder with a wider-cylinder end cant be a toy? Just because it has a design thats out of the ordinary doesn't mean its a toy

This isnt something that can be solved. People view things differently. My friend who loves starwars, saw this and said "How the hell do people relate this to a light saber?" As my brother, who doesnt watch star wars, related it to a saber. Different views. My friend happens to be in engineering, so go figure why he didnt think it was.
--Just my feelings

 

[Moebius]

I was beginning to see what you we're talking about.
And then i looked at the picture again.

 

[IntraWinding]

I was beginning to see what you we're talking about.
And then i looked at the picture again.

Yes, that's what I mean.

 

[Asherz]

I just wanted to say that I believe Intel is very irresponsible for producing the continuously more powerful computer chips that they are. They are making it too easy for hackers to harness the power, and I think those chips should cost thousands of dollars so that everyone's information is safe. Once they cost thousands of dollars, only us rich, responsible, smart people will be able to compute in a law-abiding manner, and I will finally feel safe again out there on the dangerous net.

Incorrect, hacking on any dangerous level which would effect a person would require a lot of experience, and even then I doubt it would actually cause any physical harm to anyone.

Lasers require you too have $200, a working hand and the ability to press a button, from there you can take out planes, blind people and hurt people and remain faceless and from a distance.

Your comparison is completely useless and incomparable.

 

[HIMNL9]

Sorry, just a personal opinion, but i think the point is not if the laser is irresponsible .....

Is a desk knife "irresponsible", if i use it for stab your hand on the desk, or is me ? ..... are ammonia and clorine "irresponsibles" if i mix them and send some peoples in hospital for ammonium chlorue gas poisoning, or is me ? ..... is my power wall plug "irresponsible" if i play in it with a metal wire and get shocked, or is me ? ..... is my bicycle "irresponsible" if i go around on it without look where i go and send you in hospital, or is me ? ..... and so on .....

There are really too much things that are considered so common that none think about them, can be "irresponsibly used", but are not irresponsible themselves ..... all this dust lifted around lasers from media and newspapers and bad internet sites, is just a practical demonstration about how much ignorance is needed for do these works

IMHO, the gov agencies, media and news peoples, and so on, more than simply ban anything of that what they don't know or understand, just cause of their ignorance, may do much better works instructing and educating peoples about things to do and to not do, with all these things (and not just lasers) ..... lasers, as any other potential item, are not irresponsible, PEOPLES can be.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

I wish it were a plain-looking host, not some light saber. Star Wars fans will be going nuts over these things and will just see the warnings as fences they have to hurdle to get their $200 light saber.

Most people who are buying this because it's an amazing laser actually know that it's a laser. Those who don't know much about lasers besides the fact that it throws a colored dot wherever you point it, they are the ones that will be dumb with it. Oversimplified, but that's what it boils down to. And I can easily see how this 1W laser can "tip the scales" as one poster worded it.

Imagine, if you will, that you just got paid for bagging groceries for 2 weeks. $237 in the bank, w00t! Go to Wicked Lasers and look at their 1W laser, WOW! that looks awesome! but kind of dangerous... maybe I'll get a lower power laser. Hmm, do I want 0.005W of blu-ray? or 0.020W of green? Maybe I'll get a 0.075W red... But I want to get my moneys worth. I work for forever and all I get is $240, I will buy the most powerful laser I can! All the girls at my school will love it!

Well, it only takes a few idiots to bring us all down. I will say, though, that WL isn't obligated to teach every customer everything there is to know about laser safety. At least they are making the information easily available.

I'm planning on building mine.

 

[electron]

@ HIMNL9 So true what you wrote and too bad the story that WL themselves has put out about this Laser being a Jedi Light Saber & a weapon; it's not and if/when it gets banned they have no one to blame but themselves for putting out such stupid bad press.

Quote:
"Apparently the laser is so high powered that shining it on fleshy parts will cause them to burst into flames"
End quote:

That is TOTAL BS & WL HYPE, it can NOT and does NOT do that.

Chinese Marketing at it's worst, and what is even worst than that is the media that print such stupid scare stories to alarm the public. Go ahead and show us skin BURSTING into flames, dam idiots!

 

[Ash]

@ ...
WL themselves has put out about this Laser being a Jedi Light Saber
Quote:
"Apparently the laser is so high powered that shining it on fleshy parts will cause them to burst into flames"
End quote:

That is TOTAL BS & WL HYPE, it can NOT and does NOT do that.

I wasn't sure that Wicked marketed it as a light-saber. I really thought that was started by Gizmodo.
And, it sure doesn't help that the "light saber" idea is further fueled by stupid articles like this one:
Real light sabre can set skin on fire - It's about time | TechEye

 

[oic0]

$200 is enough to stop most idiots if you think about it.
"Oh it makes a purty blue dot!" how many people do you know willing to drop $200 to make a blue lightup dot? Even the lightsaber part, most people will not buy it even for that. They can get the flash battery handle that the origional light sabers were made from for much cheaper and I'm sure most if not all know by now that a laser is NOT a lightsaber.

The one thing that will sell a lot though is that inflated warning about setting flesh on fire. The media keeps parroting that crap. That lie will draw a lot of people in with dreams of it being the first real deadly laser "gun".

 

[Exerd]

$200 is enough to stop most idiots if you think about it.
"Oh it makes a purty blue dot!" how many people do you know willing to drop $200 to make a blue lightup dot? Even the lightsaber part, most people will not buy it even for that. They can get the flash battery handle that the origional light sabers were made from for much cheaper and I'm sure most if not all know by now that a laser is NOT a lightsaber.

The one thing that will sell a lot though is that inflated warning about setting flesh on fire. The media keeps parroting that crap. That lie will draw a lot of people in with dreams of it being the first real deadly laser "gun".

Lasers have grown over the years to become more popular amongst everyone as greens with their pretty visible beams became cheap. As a result, more kiddies also have them now, and are hooked in with the spread of any laser-related news they can find by clicking on a Youtube video.

A lot of those younger teens nowadays can barely spell basic words, let alone comprehend scientific facts. Have you been around the net long enough to see the things they post?

I don't like to call younger kids idiots, but a lot of the problems with lasers I believe would be attributed to younger people. I know we have idiots in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, too. But, I think if there were strict age limitations to getting your hands on a laser, it would be a big first defense against these ending up in the wrong hands.

I don't see any other method having more of an impact, really.

 

[rathat]

A single match if used carelessly can destroy an entire forest or building. Should we make matches cost $100 per match book to keep them away from idiots?

What about fireworks? If used irresponsibly they can start fires, maim and kill. Society has no real practical need for them other than entertainment. Should we simply ban all fireworks?

Magnifying glasses?

Baseball bats?

Alcohol?

Big scary knives?

Where does it end?

Don't ban something just because idiots and malicious people can abuse it. The key is to educate and then heavily punish the people who do abuse things.

They are more likely to be abused, someone can stab and kill someone with a pencil, but I can bring one and use it in school. It's just how things are used.