'Pro-Rider' Safety Glasses do an impressive job of quenching 445...
Hey Kats -
So, had a small show back in Nov, where we had to do a 'scanned effect' down the face and body of a performer. :eek: DETOUR: This was a strictly-controlled, highly-rehearsed, tested-eye-safe effect, for a closed-set Corp-theater event - no 'general public', *not* some 'Krazy German Disco' where we shot Conan and his guests in the eyes / face.. O_okaay?? :p
...Now, point was, the Client-team insisted on not using 'typical', clunky / lab-looking laser-goggles, since this was supposed to be simming a 'futuristic-lab scene', so, it had to "look slick..".. but, of course, we-insisted, that, even-if the performer, well-informed / rehearsed, and either closing-eyes and/or 'looking-down', as the scanned-line effect swept him, and with eye-area contact: prolly all-of 0.25 sec. or less - *had* to have laser-attenuating eye-ware.. So, how to achieve 'high-tech / fashionable-look + safety', was the challenge...
Scoured all the usual resources, places we've bought ours (..which, Client rejected the style-of, all..), Kentek, etc, looked at 'mirrored' / neutral-density filtered lenses, etc, etc... then, 'just for kicks' / alternate-thinking, searched for 'UV-protection safety-glasses', and came up with these, off an eBay seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Rider-IR...-/330525386665 ...
..now, while, yes, they are "ANSI Z87.1-compliant" as safety glasses, that's NOT the same as *true* laser-safety glasses... still, thought I'd just see 'how they did', attenuating a few hundred mW of 532, scanned, from 50-60', etc - which - exclusively for the purposes / under the circumstances of our controlled-environment effect - did just fine, about OD 5 @ 532... BUT - and this is really what this 'review' is more-about... at *least* OD 7-8 @ 445! They attenuate I'd say about 95%+ of it...
..I italic'd "I'd say", because this is *strictly a visual-assessment* - these have NOT - I repeat, NOT been 'officially'-tested with known / accepted-practices / measured for actual attenuation / transmission @ 445... but I can say this - I shot them with a solid 2W of 445, at close-range, ~4", and - yes, it began to knarl / melt the plastic after a couple-secs - but it effectively stopped the beam, cold - enough to-where, I'd feel comfortable 'endorsing them', certainly vs nothing, and... waaay-better than some of the cockamamie-ideas posted on 'youtube' and such - like using 'par-can gels', OMG-stupid!!! :rolleyes:
So, once I get the time - or, perhaps someone with the time - and who can methodically-test these, for actual, measured attenuation / transmission-specs @ 445, for powers up-to, say, 4-5 Watts of Blue, since we are-seeing some DIYers *using* that much power, in-here.. (..who'd'v thunk, eh? :) and, perhaps plotted on a graph, etc / posted for all to see.. THEN, we can perhaps make a better / more 'official' recommendation - or not - of these as "445-safety glasses"... I hereby reserve the right to 'revise my statements / findings', above, once officially / properly-tested... :p
..but, like I said, I feel fine reporting them to ya'll - initially - as being quite-impressively quenching at 445... :cool: ..at least 'better than nothing', for those that cannot afford, right-now, true Broadband-low laser safety-glasses...'only' $385. a pop... :rolleyes:
OK, let the darts-fly... :)
j
