My personal view is that there is a deep flaw with this forum, in that there is no area free from commercial sales contributions, wanted or otherwise. Even this thread had been purloined, perhaps with the best intent, as advertising and promotion for a particular bike shop.
The reason I spend more time contributing on ES, rather than here (apart from the obvious fact that ES is many times larger as an ebike forum, meaning far more interesting discussions) is because ES has a very rigid policy on only allowing commercial content in one specific area of the forum. Discussions there don't get derailed by dealers getting a bit of free advertising, if they tried it they'd get warned then banned on a second offence.
As a final point, getting back to the thread topic, I should add that these laser lights do not contain a laser pointer at all. They don't project a focussed, parallel, beam of light, in fact they do the opposite, in that the optics are designed to project a wide angle fan of light downwards at the road either side of the bike.
If they did contain beam collimating optics, such that they could project a near-parallel focussed beam like a laser pointer, then I'd be the first to suggest that they might not be safe or sensible. To compare them to a laser pointer, however, seems to be scaremongering, given the clear difference in the way these lights have been designed.
I'm personally looking forward to when Jerry has received his and is able to give us his thoughts. I have doubts as to whether the lines they project on to the road will be particularly visible in practice, but if they are, and if they tend to make motorists give a bike a bit more room when overtaking, then they would seem to be a good idea, one that should be encouraged and developed, rather than likened to the sort of thing a miscreant might misuse. If they do work, but aren't yet approved to a suitable standard for use within the EU, then perhaps the manufacturers should be encouraged to try and seek approval.
The reason I spend more time contributing on ES, rather than here (apart from the obvious fact that ES is many times larger as an ebike forum, meaning far more interesting discussions) is because ES has a very rigid policy on only allowing commercial content in one specific area of the forum. Discussions there don't get derailed by dealers getting a bit of free advertising, if they tried it they'd get warned then banned on a second offence.
As a final point, getting back to the thread topic, I should add that these laser lights do not contain a laser pointer at all. They don't project a focussed, parallel, beam of light, in fact they do the opposite, in that the optics are designed to project a wide angle fan of light downwards at the road either side of the bike.
If they did contain beam collimating optics, such that they could project a near-parallel focussed beam like a laser pointer, then I'd be the first to suggest that they might not be safe or sensible. To compare them to a laser pointer, however, seems to be scaremongering, given the clear difference in the way these lights have been designed.
I'm personally looking forward to when Jerry has received his and is able to give us his thoughts. I have doubts as to whether the lines they project on to the road will be particularly visible in practice, but if they are, and if they tend to make motorists give a bike a bit more room when overtaking, then they would seem to be a good idea, one that should be encouraged and developed, rather than likened to the sort of thing a miscreant might misuse. If they do work, but aren't yet approved to a suitable standard for use within the EU, then perhaps the manufacturers should be encouraged to try and seek approval.
