First off, I'm new to these forums and to lasers. I've been researching them after seeing a KipKay video (about 18 hours ago, mind you) that showed a man building a cheap laser from scratch that was powerful enough to light things on fire at close range. I thought that was pretty cool, and went off to look at burning lasers. The 1W Arctic popped up before long.
It's quite the monster of a laser, obviously. I watched all kinds of video of people torching ants, balloons, matches, CD cases, doing engravings on wood, etc. and was impressed, but of course, then there's the inherent danger. It puzzles me how so many people use these lasers on youtube so casually, often with no eye protection, when they can apparently singe your retina upon instantaneous direct contact (even just a pass over). It also makes me wonder why anyone would bother with anything other than the normal and 20% "safety" lenses if this thing "isn't a toy".
I read up on all kinds of safety info, and it just seems to get worse. It seems far too easy for a beam, even a scattered beam, to glance off of a reflective object by accident and damage someone's eye forever. Apparently any laser intensity above 5mW is in considerable danger of doing this, and that's pretty low. A 1W laser is obviously quite a lot stronger than that, but considering that, even when scattered, a laser beam from this thing needs only more than 5mW to cause harm, that sounds like a huge risk. On top of that, apparently blue laser beams are especially effective at ruining your retina, as opposed to other colors. The list of risks with nightmarish concequences seems to grow.
I need someone to set me straight here. I don't know how much of this is exaggeration and what is under-emphasized. Unfortunately, most of what I've read do not cite specific examples or put anything into context.
Basically I need to know a few certain things:
1. Exactly what kind(s) of exposure, and at what length of time and distance does it take to cause permanent or lengthy damage to your eyes when unprotected? Types of exposure may include direct, reflected and dissipated/scattered.
2. Same as #1, but with protected eyes.
3. What kind of protection and/or precautions is/are necessary to make using a 1W, blue colored laser like the Arctic safe, or reasonably safe, when used in a cautious manner by someone with protected eyes (goggles, I mean)? Reasonably safe would mean that as long as someone didn't shine the thing directly at their eye or someone's else's on purpose and wore protective goggles, they would sustain no permanent or long-term damage. Protected eyes would protect against quick pass-overs or an accidental split-second of direct contact to the eye that would be protected against long enough for someone to reflexively close their eye and turn away. Obviously with a laser like this, it's a bad idea to point it at anyone whom you'd care not to hurt. If you don't like this definition of "reasonably safe," please provide your own parameters.
4. What kind of practical or fun uses would a 1W blue colored laser have? Would it be possible to remain safe while doing these things? Would it be more efficient to use a lower strength laser, or one of another color?
I think those questions are about as specific as I can make them. I know they're long winded and look more like the questions on a test, but I want to know as much about these lasers as possible because right now they appear far too dangerous to be used in anything other than the most practical of situations with an abundance of protection.
Also, it might help you to know that I'll probably be using this laser mostly to start fires/ignite things at a distance (not forests!), and to kill insects, but mostly to kill spiders or disrupt spiders and their homes so that I can get rid of something a bit more efficient for the job, either indoors or outdoors. I know this isn't really the most noble or safe use of the thing, but there are some spiders that are too frightening or in places I can't easily get to, or want to get to. The mere sight of them makes me jittery, twitchy, and nervous, and it grows more intense with proximity. As of late, I've been using a small handheld torch and flashing them with a quick blast of heat to quickly kill them or disperse them, but I can now think of more effective methods at that range, such as an air duster can or a vacuum, which is the easiest way in most cases. However, this past year has been the worst for me, and at least one enormous spider has entered my home, and I found probably the biggest spider tent I have ever seen inside my frequently cleaned, supposedly air-tight home. I need a more controlled solution that can work at a larger distance that don't involve open flames that can easily start fires, or copious amounts of soap and water or other cleaning sollutions that can seep into things like outlets or coat surfaces in substances unsafe for a pet to be eating around or licking. At the very least, if it's not safe to use a laser like this for something so petty or unpredictable (like accidentally hitting a window or another reflective surface), I'd like to at least be able to pester spiders into the open or cut webs from a distance to force them to emerge or make it harder for them to move about safely. Webs might not damage that easily, but sufficient heat will sever them and spiders like a nice, clean web, so they'll be forced to repair it at some point. This will be most useful in sheds and other areas where they have me at a disadvantage.
Anyways, sorry for the giant post, I thought it fit to give you as much info as possible. If you'd like to help, please answer any questions in as much detail as you can, or point me to sources that can better aid me. If you want to go the extra mile, please cite sources, or if it's from personal experience, cite how long you've been using lasers, and at what strength(s). As always, your time and effort is greatly appreciated, and I hope any findings made here can help people in the future.
EDIT: I made this thread a while ago, but the site seemed to die for about 20 minutes, so I decided to do a bit more research. It appears Laser Pointer Safety - Independent resource on handheld portable lasers did a pretty thorough review of the laser's safety features and it looks like they've determined that, with the included safety goggles, the laser is reasonably safe to use by a responsible adult. I mean, you'd be crazy not to wear them, really, since they can definitely do extensive eye damage with ease. Apparently the goggles are OD3, which means it can cut the laser beam's power down by 1000x, and since the laser's actual strength is about 720mW, I would think even an accidental graze over the eye would leave it unharmed not that doing that is okay at all. Still, I'd appreciate different viewpoints, especially if they left some not-so-apparent details out. You're free to refer to the review done on their website.
EDIT 2: Thanks for the help guys, you've answered my questions well and I think I have a much better understanding on these things. Not to mention, you guys might have saved me from recklessly using a laser and shooting an eye out.
It's quite the monster of a laser, obviously. I watched all kinds of video of people torching ants, balloons, matches, CD cases, doing engravings on wood, etc. and was impressed, but of course, then there's the inherent danger. It puzzles me how so many people use these lasers on youtube so casually, often with no eye protection, when they can apparently singe your retina upon instantaneous direct contact (even just a pass over). It also makes me wonder why anyone would bother with anything other than the normal and 20% "safety" lenses if this thing "isn't a toy".
I read up on all kinds of safety info, and it just seems to get worse. It seems far too easy for a beam, even a scattered beam, to glance off of a reflective object by accident and damage someone's eye forever. Apparently any laser intensity above 5mW is in considerable danger of doing this, and that's pretty low. A 1W laser is obviously quite a lot stronger than that, but considering that, even when scattered, a laser beam from this thing needs only more than 5mW to cause harm, that sounds like a huge risk. On top of that, apparently blue laser beams are especially effective at ruining your retina, as opposed to other colors. The list of risks with nightmarish concequences seems to grow.
I need someone to set me straight here. I don't know how much of this is exaggeration and what is under-emphasized. Unfortunately, most of what I've read do not cite specific examples or put anything into context.
Basically I need to know a few certain things:
1. Exactly what kind(s) of exposure, and at what length of time and distance does it take to cause permanent or lengthy damage to your eyes when unprotected? Types of exposure may include direct, reflected and dissipated/scattered.
2. Same as #1, but with protected eyes.
3. What kind of protection and/or precautions is/are necessary to make using a 1W, blue colored laser like the Arctic safe, or reasonably safe, when used in a cautious manner by someone with protected eyes (goggles, I mean)? Reasonably safe would mean that as long as someone didn't shine the thing directly at their eye or someone's else's on purpose and wore protective goggles, they would sustain no permanent or long-term damage. Protected eyes would protect against quick pass-overs or an accidental split-second of direct contact to the eye that would be protected against long enough for someone to reflexively close their eye and turn away. Obviously with a laser like this, it's a bad idea to point it at anyone whom you'd care not to hurt. If you don't like this definition of "reasonably safe," please provide your own parameters.
4. What kind of practical or fun uses would a 1W blue colored laser have? Would it be possible to remain safe while doing these things? Would it be more efficient to use a lower strength laser, or one of another color?
I think those questions are about as specific as I can make them. I know they're long winded and look more like the questions on a test, but I want to know as much about these lasers as possible because right now they appear far too dangerous to be used in anything other than the most practical of situations with an abundance of protection.
Also, it might help you to know that I'll probably be using this laser mostly to start fires/ignite things at a distance (not forests!), and to kill insects, but mostly to kill spiders or disrupt spiders and their homes so that I can get rid of something a bit more efficient for the job, either indoors or outdoors. I know this isn't really the most noble or safe use of the thing, but there are some spiders that are too frightening or in places I can't easily get to, or want to get to. The mere sight of them makes me jittery, twitchy, and nervous, and it grows more intense with proximity. As of late, I've been using a small handheld torch and flashing them with a quick blast of heat to quickly kill them or disperse them, but I can now think of more effective methods at that range, such as an air duster can or a vacuum, which is the easiest way in most cases. However, this past year has been the worst for me, and at least one enormous spider has entered my home, and I found probably the biggest spider tent I have ever seen inside my frequently cleaned, supposedly air-tight home. I need a more controlled solution that can work at a larger distance that don't involve open flames that can easily start fires, or copious amounts of soap and water or other cleaning sollutions that can seep into things like outlets or coat surfaces in substances unsafe for a pet to be eating around or licking. At the very least, if it's not safe to use a laser like this for something so petty or unpredictable (like accidentally hitting a window or another reflective surface), I'd like to at least be able to pester spiders into the open or cut webs from a distance to force them to emerge or make it harder for them to move about safely. Webs might not damage that easily, but sufficient heat will sever them and spiders like a nice, clean web, so they'll be forced to repair it at some point. This will be most useful in sheds and other areas where they have me at a disadvantage.
Anyways, sorry for the giant post, I thought it fit to give you as much info as possible. If you'd like to help, please answer any questions in as much detail as you can, or point me to sources that can better aid me. If you want to go the extra mile, please cite sources, or if it's from personal experience, cite how long you've been using lasers, and at what strength(s). As always, your time and effort is greatly appreciated, and I hope any findings made here can help people in the future.
EDIT: I made this thread a while ago, but the site seemed to die for about 20 minutes, so I decided to do a bit more research. It appears Laser Pointer Safety - Independent resource on handheld portable lasers did a pretty thorough review of the laser's safety features and it looks like they've determined that, with the included safety goggles, the laser is reasonably safe to use by a responsible adult. I mean, you'd be crazy not to wear them, really, since they can definitely do extensive eye damage with ease. Apparently the goggles are OD3, which means it can cut the laser beam's power down by 1000x, and since the laser's actual strength is about 720mW, I would think even an accidental graze over the eye would leave it unharmed not that doing that is okay at all. Still, I'd appreciate different viewpoints, especially if they left some not-so-apparent details out. You're free to refer to the review done on their website.
EDIT 2: Thanks for the help guys, you've answered my questions well and I think I have a much better understanding on these things. Not to mention, you guys might have saved me from recklessly using a laser and shooting an eye out.
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