These Laser Pointers Are Too Wicked
Earlier this week, I began running an ad purchased by a company that sells 15 to 300 milliwatt laser pointers with some pretty grandiose claims:Used by the US Army! Slash, Cut Tape, Pop Balloons, Ignite Matches, Light Cigarettes, Sizzle Plastic, and Start Fires. Powered by a Sony diode.
Another blogger who runs their ads bought a laser and calls them insanely powerful:
Most laser pointers commercially available today top out at 5mW. The "Extreme Nexus" model that was sent to me rates at 95mW (they got some 300mW models, by the way). And let me tell you something, that's a difference that's really hard to miss. The laser is green, and is plainly visible without smoke, fog or dust, especially in dimmer settings. Not only that, but it actually burns. Yeah, the kind of burning that you can feel on your skin. And yes, it does light matches, it burns through dark plastic things and pretty much looks like a freaking light saber that extends for miles and miles into the sky.
I pulled the ad this morning after finding out more about the capabilities of these lasers, which I wrongly believed were comparable to toys, and their legal status for sale in the U.S.
A laser pointers guide published by the Food and Drug Administration states that pointers above 5 milliwatts only can be sold in the U.S. for commercial uses such as land surveying. They cannot be sold as amusement or pointing devices and are subject to seizure when imported into the country:
Irresponsible use of more powerful laser pointers poses a significant risk of injury to the people exposed. Persons who misuse or irresponsibly use lasers are open to personal liability and prosecution.
The company, which is based in China, has been warned by the FDA to follow product warning and compliance laws.
Though it does not appear illegal to run the ads, I don't accept ads for products that could get their American customers in legal trouble. I've rejected ads for absinthe and Cuban cigars on the same grounds.
Comments
That may be the best product endorsement I've ever read. I want one really bad now.
You'll shoot your eye out.
You da man, rcade! Protecting your flock, like a shepard Pope. that's why we like you so much.
You'll shoot your eye out.
But it will be cauterized, and not require immediate medical attention. You can't ask for much more than that.
Protecting your flock, like a shepard Pope.
Aw, that's just to make up for the five old ladies he pushed down the stairs today. I've met Rogers, and he can best be described as a cross between Predator and Kevin Spacey's character in Seven.
I went to buy a laser to try out as a cat toy. I bought one of the ones you often see hanging in the grocery store now at the checkout lanes. It's 5mW.
Later I found out even that level can cause eye damage. The mechanism is that the laser can burn the eye even in the fraction of a second before your reflexes close your eye, so even relatively weak-seeming lasers can be very dangerous; a moment's carelessness or an unexpected reflection can cause serious damage.
We've since tossed that cheap garbage and purchased a nice 1mW laser pointer. The cats still love it, it's comfortably below the recommended upper limit, and I'm not so constantly nervous that I'm going to blind the cat. (Or also possible, that a guest might blind the cat since they aren't aware it could be an issue.)
Following that policy, maybe you shouldn't run any ads for the democratic party, either, Rogers.
Just messing with you...couldn't resist!
Thank God you aren't taking their money to advertise their products anymore Rogers! Much better that you are advertising them for free in your blog since I never click on ad links.
I'm now off to go and buy one of those suckers as a cat torturing/igniting device.
lol them lazers are cool wish i had one its amazing how one little light can get so hot that it burns a hole throught the wall
Lasers over 5mW can be sold to anybody. I Purchased a 150mW Laser a year ago. The company that sold it to me registered my name and my laser with the FDA and it has the required 2 safeties and power switch. www.laserglow.com is such a place where anybody can legaly buy a high power laser.
You might be amazed at how many people are stupid (or stoned) enough to point laser pointers at aircraft, which is a federal crime (USA Lasers ACT 2005), punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
About damage to the retina of the human or animal eye caused by exposure to a beam of more than 5 milliwatts:
In 1975, I went on a vision quest to honor my Native American heritage. After three days of fasting, I climbed to the top of an oak tree, and stared directly at the sun for about 20 minutes. After that, my vision wasn't so good for about 3 days.
My retinas seemed to heal themselves, but for about a year after that, if I looked at a telephone pole, it did not appear as a continuous line, but as a zigzag of two parts. I got worried enough to go to an eye-doctor, but told him that I had been observing a solar eclipse through my telescope, but forgot to use the sun-filter (he bought it, I think).
Anyway, he told me that I still had 20/20 vision, with slight astigmatism, which is what I had before my quest, so I didn't worry about it.
The only thing that really changed is that after that I was told that I had Rasputin's eyes.
Hello. I am an active member at Wicked lasers.com When you are to buy one of these pwoerful puppies. You really will get what you pay for. Best 300 dollars ive spent!
use my Promo Code to get 3753 to get 5% off your order !! SAVE MONEY !! save 20-30 dollars ! with this saved money, buy batteries( E2 Litiums are recomended)
Jeremy you couldnt be more wrong, I have stared directly down the barrel of a fully-charged 5mW laser for about 200 seconds , all I got was an after image that lasted about 10 minutes , stop bieng so paranoid
This still means that your eye might be permanently damaged. If a part of your eye sends "strange" information to your brain, the brain eventually tries to adapt. However, the damage is still there and will appear occasionaly, similar to what "Stop Red Eye" pointed out.
a classmate of mine got a laser He reckons its good but he's always full of #$&@ He keeps bragging so i should by a more powerful laser and shut him up hahahaha
Ok for one your the f_ckin person who is going to take all our civil liberties and freedoms arent you im so pissed im not evan spelliing stuff right!! First your piece of shit ass will take away the lasers, then the guns and eventually all things fun (try to take fire away asshole) I sincerely hope you never re-produce or inspire any REAL AMERICAN who know responsibility!!! jerk fuck!!!!
A 300mw green sounds fun. to bad its 2,000 ill settle for the 100mw at 150.00
hey i got one wen i was 12!!!! (and yes i had 2 buy it with the money i earned[it took a bout half a year but it was worth it}) its the best thing ive evr gotten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its sooo mch fun!!!! it is amazing it looks like its touchin the starts wen u shine it up!!!!! if you live on a island or up in an apartment building try shiining it on something like WAYYYY far away!!! you can even c it on clouds!!!!
I have been playing with one of these for over a year, 125mw. Yes it is powerful, but once you are over 200 feet away, looking directly at it it appears simply as a very bright dot. It is too small at any distance to do any real damage even head-on.
Worse case: close range and flashed in your eye, it's unlikely that damage will ever be noticable: for example, we all have that "blind spot" which we can only notice with a special experiment.
The only know issue for pilots is that pilot who was flying over Las Vegas and was hit accidently by a 5 or 10 watt industrial laser. He lost his vision for 2 days then he was normal again. This is MANY MANY times even the most powerful battery laser. Unless you are looking at these at close range, the risk is manageable.
The sun is more dangerous, and even more so is focusing the sun's light on a piece of paper because there are MANY MORE wavelengths involved. So do we ban magnifying glasses?
Bottom line: get one, have fun, and be careful! Seriously, cars kill more people every year than anything other than cigarette, would you stop driving or for that matter walking in the street?
I have a 300mW Spyder, and it is so powerful, it hearts my eyes to look at the beam! :p
this thing is like its been taken out of a freakin sci-fi movie
wicked is ok but if you want high power laser pointers, try www.dragonlasers.com I've got one of their 125mW models and it can light a cigarrette albeit slowly. This mother is most likely over powered.
would like to know if you have or know of any lasers that project a
horizontal line at least a foot long at a distance of four feet to
ground. I need a portable laser that is compact like a laser pointer
that can be mounted ant left on for an hour at a time.
thank you kindly.
sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet lasers!
People have the wrights. to buy What ever they want. if some loser buy a high power laser that his fault. thought and point it at airplains then he need to be lock up. iam not going to sit here and have big brother, tell me what and when i can have somthing. or tell me how to live. that crap going to stop. we the people run the country not the fda or ris or fbi that why it called the good o USA
but when people start telling others what they can have.and not have now there big problems.it a bunch of heeping crape i got a 1000mw lasers pointer and it burn but i now how to use it AND IT NOT A TOY it a i wont say
those are soooo cool i cut right through a verry thick rope it was sweet
I need help. My sister is saying two men who live above her are shooting her with lasers. She says they have broken all the mirrors in her house. That the lasers have broken wind shields. she says they have burnt marks in their windowsills, on their clothing, and it leaves marks on their bodies. She has complained and basically was civilly committed for observation. The police now think she is crazy and have told her not to call them. I don;t know what to believe. She is not psychotic and never been like this before. I am a therapist myself and don't know what to believe. Could these things be true and how do I get information to prove it if it is? Thank you for any help or sending me in the right direction on this issue.
Dawn
I need help. My sister is saying two men who live above her are shooting her with lasers. She says they have broken all the mirrors in her house. That the lasers have broken wind shields. she says they have burnt marks in their windowsills, on their clothing, and it leaves marks on their bodies. She has complained and basically was civilly committed for observation. The police now think she is crazy and have told her not to call them. I don;t know what to believe. She is not psychotic and never been like this before. I am a therapist myself and don't know what to believe. Could these things be true and how do I get information to prove it if it is? Thank you for any help or sending me in the right direction on this issue.
Dawn
After reading about this in PC Magazine, I went to the web site and purchased a laser, goggles and lenses. I ordered it a few weeks before my daughter's birthday. She did not like it, and I have attempted to return it.
They have refused and stated they have a strict 7 day return policy. These can only be purchased thru the Internet and are subject to the uncertainty of delivery. Be very careful. They also shipped with an unusual label. Maybe to make sure they never have to honor their already very short 7 day return.
Just wanted to make you aware of this issue.
Jeez, lighten up. no ones just gonna buy these because they want to burn stuff. Any lasers from this site that pose any serious threat are the spyders, and they are over $1000! And, they now provide safety equipment for free with their lasers!
Whataver. i just want a laser. forget this.
I just received my 15mw greenie from Wicked Lasers to replace my 5mw green which I had "tweeked" up to about 30mw. The old one was from Jaspar. Anyway I'm sure I'll be modding my new one in a few months or so. F.Y.I. to anyone who doesn't know... point a laser at a plane, federal offense, point one at another person and a cop sees you doing it, felony. And anyone who might want to try it, point one at a cop, most likely they will turn and start shooting at the direction the laser is coming from (not recommended).
bupnya247
STOP RED EYE:
"You might be amazed at how many people are stupid (or stoned) enough to point laser pointers at aircraft, which is a federal crime (USA Lasers ACT 2005), punishable by up to 5 years in prison."
Actually the toy is great for being stoned while playing it with your cat. Esp. a neurotic female cat like mine that chatter talks to the red dot when I taunt her.
Laser pointers and burning capabilities are not even something to worry about. Sure, i mean if you wanted to you could cause some real damage but it is increadibly hard to do. I have a 150mw green laser myself and it only burns and pops balloons if im like 8 feet away at farthest. My point is all the people saying lasers are dangerous, and unsafe are stupid; the only way i could actually really cause someone physical pain with a laser is if i were to tie them down, pour gasoline on them, and shine the laser at them until they finally caught fire. If i really wanted to harm someone, i could just use a gun or a knife instead of a hand held laser pointer.
I just received 150pcs green laser pointer 50mw from Tianqi Technology Co.,Ltd(www.buil-dup.com), and found the the quality is better than I bought from other suppliers. And the light is more stronger.
The laser pointers from wickedlasers are good,but their price is too high.
I don't care about the laws and I know that I won't ever point it at A. cop or a plain. I just Want to burn things and see how good it is. I'm going to petsmart to buy one as a cat toy and twek it.
The FDA defines laser pointers as lasers used when viewing the dot, beam or laser light is the main purpose. FDA restricts these to below 5 mW. Note that the size or battery-operation of the laser is not a factor.
In practice this means that if Wicked Laser or whomever advertises a laser for pointing purposes or looking at the beam, it must be below 5 mW. But if the laser is advertised for burning or other non-visual-display purposes, it can be of any power -- even if it battery-powered and easily handheld. This is why Wicked and others can continue to sell these.
Very, very few people have gotten eye injuries due to the beam from a laser pointer below 5 mW. This power is essentially safe. However, it still is prudent never to aim towards someone's eye or head.
There IS a big problem with idiots who aim handheld lasers at aircraft. The light from a 5 mW laser can distract a pilot at a distance of 2 miles. Closer in, it is bright enough to cause glare from about 250 to 1200 feet, so the pilot can't see past the light. At very close range, 0 to 250 feet, the light causes temporary flashblindness (leaves an afterimage for many seconds). That's just for a 5 mW laser. More powerful lasers cause these "visual interference" effects at a much longer distance.
As of April 2009, pilots are reporting about 3 laser "hits" per day (!) in the US. Authorities in the US and elsewhere are cracking down. People are getting arrested and going to trial. Some have gone to jail. In New South Wales, they even banned laser pointer possession. If the US situation does not improve, a US ban is possible.
The website www.laserpointersafety.com has much more information on why it is not smart to aim at planes. It also has info on other aspects of safe laser pointer use.
Here are some great, cheap laser pointer websites:
www.o-like.com
stonetek.org
Personally I believe lasers and most other products should be available for anyone to buy. To prevent idiots from using the lasers irresponsibly there should be safety instructions and glasses included. Anyone who uses lasers irresponsibly should be punished.
well the spyder 2 BX apparently isnt for sale to US residents. I wonder what would happen if i bought it with a US address...willthey not accept my order or send me an email saying sorry for your conveniance..but..etc..
the best way to make a product famous is by banning it lol.. reverse psychology!
now we all want one!
and you made that website even more famous.
The stupid FDA is in control of how powerful the laser has to be. It is time to as the news congress to get rid of FDA and hope for a stronger laser. Like one in Resident evil beehive blue power to cut body parts like a hot knife through butter. Us it for hunting or defense.Thank you
So is it possible for some to get say a 150mW laser without it being taken away in the shipping process?
Worry about something that can cause real harm. It is some kind of conspiracy, this desire to keep lasers out of our hands. For instance, would you rather shoot an attacker with a bullet or blind them temporarily with a laser? It could be a great non-lethal defense option, but it is being kept from us. Why? Ask the questions!
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