Have the laws changed?

[wkinne]

I see Wickedlasers @ http://www.wickedlasers.com/arctic sell a 1.2 watt hand held laser, which they say is class 4 (see their "100% legal guaranteed" button) I thought you needed a variance to buy one? Or do we only need it to use them in a pubic showing?

tia
Wayne

 

[Pangolin]

Sadly, the only uses of lasers that are regulated are:
1. Medical
2. Some Industrial
3. Laser Light Shows

When does number 3 come into play? When you're playing Pink Floyd Music of course...

But seriously, you should check out Laser Pointer Safety dot com web site, as it has an abundance of information about laser pointers, their uses, and regulations. http://www.laserpointersafety.com/

Best regards,

William Benner

 

[lasrgreg]

all about intent

the intended use of the product sometimes determines the requirements and even compliance issues.

A "general purpose laser" not intended for any specific application, can be sold to anyone, and is considered compliant if the product has the appropriate features for its class. So a Class 4 laser would have to have key switch, emission indicator, emission delay, remote interlock connector, etc, along with adequate user instructions.

But the same exact product, if it is described as a "laser pointer" or as a "laser lightshow device" would not be compliant, as laser pointers are limited to 5 mW power, and laser lightshow devices above 5 mW require a variance (both for the manufacturer and the end user).

Hope this creates more confusion...