Your opinions on lasers?

[Wilkes 1875]

I'm fairly new to airsoft and already, I can see the mixed feelings about having laser attachments.

I couldn't find a poll relating to this so thought Id start one, as I'm curious about what the majority of people think.

I can appreciate that people can get annoyed at people shining it at your face, but on the whole I'm sure they are used responsibly?

Don't forget to leave reasons below

[RedHawk]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

Red ones are usually fine at most sites as long as you're not pointing them at people purely to blind them. Green and IR lasers are usually banned as their wavelength means the eye takes longer to detect it and thus blink. In that time it took your eye to detect the light, your eye can be damaged. That's usually the reason given for why green lasers are banned.

[FireKnife]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I went for another view.

As with all things they are fine so long as the person using it is not a moron and shines it directly at peoples sensitive areas like eyes.

Beyond that so long as they are within what the sites deem legal limits all is well. Just make sure people don't abuse them.

'FireKnife'

[sigee]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I like them BUT and its a big but,its so easy to buy a powerful one these days and people could so easily be blinded.
I have a 100Mw green one that I keep at home and a 5Mw red one for airsoft.

Si

[hapi]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

As above, as long as the user use's correctly and not as means to dazzle. Even some red lasers are not eye safe but are less harmful than green or IR, not sure about the newer blue/purple laser that are about. I've had small lasers on pistols and PEQ's on rifles and found them useful but freely admit its mostly for looks.

[No1_sonuk]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

Red ones are usually fine at most sites as long as you're not pointing them at people purely to blind them. Green and IR lasers are usually banned as their wavelength means the eye takes longer to detect it and thus blink. In that time it took your eye to detect the light, your eye can be damaged. That's usually the reason given for why green lasers are banned.

No point in IR laser unless you're using NVGs.
You won't see it otherwise, and won't blink.

WRT Green lasers: The problem isn't speed of blink response. It's that the human eye's light detection peaks in the region of green (this is why NVG output is usually green). What that means is that a green laser (or any light source) looks brighter, even though it may have the same, or lower measured power as a red one. That makes the eye more susceptible to damage from a green laser than red.
Going back to blink response: I'd have thought that, given the above, it'd be faster for green than red.

[a_flea]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I'm tired of people (especially marshals) believing the myth that red lasers are safe, and green lasers are dangerous, if you've got some scroat using ANY laser as an offensive weapon then they need to be kicked off the site, even class 1 lasers can be dangerous.

I have been targeted through my glasses by some kid with a red laser before, made my eyes ache and couldn't see properly for about 10 minutes, he tried it on a few times with different people and marshals refused to get involved; "is it red?", "yeah", "don't worry then, it's fine".

Lasers are all well and good, but people need to be careful and sites need to enforce better safety- ie warn/boot/ban.

Poll-wise: I choose Other!

[javaoverride]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I Don't use them but i would encourage others to use them, because as soon as they turn it on it give away there position

[Vex]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I dont mind people using them as long as they are only for aiming purposes, not to dazzle and people consciously avoid the face area.

[seansamurai1]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I'm tired of people (especially marshals) believing the myth that red lasers are safe, and green lasers are dangerous, if you've got some scroat using ANY laser as an offensive weapon then they need to be kicked off the site, even class 1 lasers can be dangerous.

I have been targeted through my glasses by some kid with a red laser before, made my eyes ache and couldn't see properly for about 10 minutes, he tried it on a few times with different people and marshals refused to get involved; "is it red?", "yeah", "don't worry then, it's fine".

Lasers are all well and good, but people need to be careful and sites need to enforce better safety- ie warn/boot/ban.

Poll-wise: I choose Other!

I remember an incident similar at our regular site. Only it was added in a second brief to not shine it in people's eyes, that was also one of the kids from a team that later wasn't welcomed back to the site due to non hit taking.
Damn shame they managed to get featured in Ai.

[Hawk]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

Good argument, I'll probably cover it on one of my videos this week. I voted for other, why you may ask? I like them IF USED PROPERLY! I don't use them as a sight system is sufficient for me, but as a secondary sighting system yes it does work (look through sight, get target, use laser to confirm sight line, pull trigger. That's what it is meant to be done). What really winds me up is players using them as a primary sight system (should NEVER be done), keeping them on all the time and the last dazzling other players. The way I see it, if you want to use a laser go for it. But only if you can use one properly. Also it makes my job of shooting you so much easer!

[Ajhayter]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

Laser on a pistol I like, makes targeting much quicker.

Main weapon? That's what your sights are for!

[Andrew March]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

They are all dangerous and should not be allowed during games. They look nice as gucci and I own a few but when I go to a game the batteries come out.

[FireKnife]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

(look through sight, get target, use laser to confirm sight line, pull trigger. That's what it is meant to be done)

Well a gun mounted laser is meant to be used as a quicker system than even a red-dot, relying on that 'if the laser is on it then I will hit it' assuming that laser is correctly sited to the range you are firing (height under bore and all that jazz).

Saying that many just stick it on and use it instead of sights, some have even used it to try and 'blind fire', claiming that if the laser is on the target surely that is fine.

But like all things, in the real world it has its uses, some people think they look 'a bit cool' and stick them on their gun either rarely using them or using them as needed. Then you get the rest that see a way to abuse them and off they go.

'FireKnife'

- - - Updated - - -

(look through sight, get target, use laser to confirm sight line, pull trigger. That's what it is meant to be done)

Well a gun mounted laser is meant to be used as a quicker system than even a red-dot, relying on that 'if the laser is on it then I will hit it' assuming that laser is correctly sited to the range you are firing (height under bore and all that jazz).

Saying that many just stick it on and use it instead of sights, some have even used it to try and 'blind fire', claiming that if the laser is on the target surely that is fine.

But like all things, in the real world it has its uses, some people think they look 'a bit cool' and stick them on their gun either rarely using them or using them as needed. Then you get the rest that see a way to abuse them and off they go.

'FireKnife'

[No1_sonuk]

Re: Your opinions on lasers?

I did see a very good use for them in one youtube video:

Someone makes a "laser tripwire" trigger for Claymore-type devices that uses a standard red laser.