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Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by TheCraiggers on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @09:11PM (#19987364)
This... has got to be the stupidest thing I've seen online in quite some time. At the very least, something like that should come with a free pair of goggles. And of course they basically look like lightsabers / toys.
Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by tedivm on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @11:34PM (#19988167)
There are legitimate uses for these, and for a second I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt- and then I read their descriptions.

> The 50000mW 532nm Green Beam Light Separate Crystal Attacking Head Laser Pointer Pen is a versatile tool designed with a variety of functions. With 50000mW high power, it produces a super bright green beam light full of energy that can be used to light a cigarette, cut the paper even plastic into pieces, shoot the bird, and more. Moreover, advanced separate crystal design makes it more stable and durable during long hours of continuous running. And its attacking head is ultra solid even in the harshest environment. Don't hesitate to get one now!

They're taking a tool and turning it into a ridiculous toy. I can already see someone trying to "light a cigarette" they're holding in their mouth and blinding themselves in the process.

That being said a lot of them do come with goggles.

Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by Mirioron on Thursday May 23, 2019 @03:41AM (#19989432)
A 50W laser would blind you even from reflections. That's not something you should play around with even with laser goggles.

This is about a 5W laser for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVWW-bmKwQ

Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by carlmr on Thursday May 23, 2019 @02:33AM (#19989072)
>shoot the bird

I'm no vegan, but that sounds like psychopathy to me.

Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by DuskStar on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @10:12PM (#19987689)
> And of course they basically look like lightsabers / toys.

If I'm remembering correctly, a few of the more idiotic 'laser pointer'/'geneva convention violating blinding device' retailers got sued by Lucasfilms for intentionally looking like lightsabers - so you're not wrong!

Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by Moru on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @09:17PM (#19987408)
I would not trust a pair of free goggles to protect my eyes from a 50 W laser.
Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by DuskStar on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @09:24PM (#19987450)
> I would not trust a pair of free goggles to protect my eyes from a 50 W laser.

FTFY: I would not trust a 50 W laser.

I wouldn't trust it not to blind me, not to blind someone else, not to make burn marks on my walls, not to catch fire randomly, and not to actually output 50W.

This article [0] is a 'fun' look at the laser regulatory environment. Unfortunately, that environment doesn't seem to have teeth yet.

0: http://www.funraniumlabs.com/2017/08/laser-products-hate/

Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by amluto on Wednesday May 22, 2019 @09:40PM (#19987538)
I was once helping troubleshoot a UV laser in a lab. It was an IR Nd:YAG pulsed laser with two frequency doublers, and I think the rated output was something like 1 J. The measured UV output was essentially nil. We took off the second doubler and fired the laser at the side of a desktop computer we didn’t care about while wearing serious goggles. There was a little snap and the paint got replaced with a shiny metal spot. :) You do not want a laser like that anywhere near your eyes.
Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by hobs on Thursday May 23, 2019 @12:06AM (#19988344)
1 joule seems small, until you consider its of LIGHT.
Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by zaarn on Thursday May 23, 2019 @02:51AM (#19989175)
The point of the goggles isn't to protect you from a 50W laser. Or even 1W laser (most googles will quickly melt).

The danger is reflections, at over a watt even the dot that the pointer produces on the wall can be bright enough to cause permanent blindness unless with goggles.

Re:WestJet pilot’s eyes struck by laser on flight from Newfo... by kmate on Friday May 24, 2019 @06:17AM (#20000068)
Those free pair of goggles are the biggest lie of the whole package. They cost ~$1 and are often not able to protect your eye. Youtuber styropyro did a roundup on this(sorry for no link) While I don't believe the 50W of these, green is the most dangerous, as it almost always has some IR noise in it, and your goggles, even if best most likely can't protect from green and IR at the same time.