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Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

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Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#161

How dangerous is it to watch a solar eclipse without proper dark glasses? I recall a Feynman story where he watched the first nuclear bomb test without eye protection, just through the window of a truck. Under the theory that normal glass filters most UV light.

Well, Feynman was one of the most brilliant scientists in history, but he was also quite insane. (As one of his students, I say this with a great deal of love and respect for him!) To answer your question, though, we need to distinguish between a partial eclipse and a total eclipse. You had best use eye protection for a partial eclipse, or even better, use a pinhole projector as I described elsewhere in this thread.…

> But a total eclipse is perfectly safe to view with the naked eye, and even with binoculars!

But one must be careful. As soon as the moon stops blocking the sun, there are sun rays concentrated in a tiny point. Like looking at the point of a powerful laser, it doesn't feel as powerful as it actually is. Esp. regarding invisible wavelengths.

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have the exact opposite situation. I got 9 pairs of plastic framed glasses on Amazon. They seem really legit. Only thing I can see through them is the sun unless I hold a light source directly up to the lenses. Amazon gave me a refund and told me not to use them. I'm going to try to research some more research on Monday like getting a hold of the company that gave them the ISO rating. This is apparently the source…

Is it really worth your eyes and the extra money to take a risk on the glasses that you're still not giving up on them and planning on researching them? Why not just buy one that you know is reputable?

At this stage of game they will be hard to get, many of the "legit" suppliers have 100+ minimum orders right now.

The Eclipse is 1 week away after all

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#163
post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh, when I was a kid I remember our "eclipse viewing equipment" was a piece of glass blackened over a gas hob or a lighter. If someone's dad had access to welding equipment then welder's mask worked just as well. I don't mean to say that people shouldn't take safety seriously - just saying that it's interesting how we used homemade solution to this and don't have any (obvious) sight problems.

Welder's mask (specifically a number 14 filter) is one of the recommended ways to safely watch an eclipse :)

Shade 14 is key, as common welding Masks are only Shade 5 and still cause eye damage if used

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It looks like a lot of crazy people are going to trust their eyesight to a cheap piece of plastic from some company they've never heard of. Hope for the best.

No they are trusting Amazon.

*They are not understanding how Amazon resellers works

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#165
post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been pretty pleased with my MacBook air, for big ticket items like iPod/iPhone/Macbook do you think there's significant risk of counterfeit?

You're more likely to get a brick or clay than you are an actual counterfeit.

Funny you got donwoted the exact last time amazon inventory practices were under scrutiny here at hn there was plenty stories of people getting empty boxes and ipad cardboard cutouts

edit: dug out that discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13924546

but there are plenty similar.

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#166

Is there anything particularly dangerous about viewing the sun directly? When I was dumb and young I'd look at the sun for seconds at a time without any problems developing so far. Is the danger that an eclipse encourages you to stare at the sun without encountering any pain?

My grandmother (at age 70) had a crescent-shaped burn on the back of her eye (edit: ie. retina) from viewing a partial eclipse as a child. She couldn't "see" the burn, likely because her brain adjusted to it.

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#167
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon is de-facto a monopoly. The "invisible hand" does not apply here.

No, Amazon is not a monopoly, they are a very large and influential player. You can still buy eclipse glasses (and practically all other products) from other vendors, both physical and online. It may not be as smooth, cheap, fast or convenient as Amazon, but that's pretty damn far from the bar for a monopoly. There was never any guarantee that the invisible hand would fix badness overnight, merely that it will nudge…

Not anymore, you can't. Just about every supplier on the Internet is sold out at this point.

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never buy any Apple product from Amazon. I've been burned several times. Didn't realize it until I had already bought several products.

I've been pretty pleased with my MacBook air, for big ticket items like iPod/iPhone/Macbook do you think there's significant risk of counterfeit?

Just tried to sell 2 ipod nano's on Amazon today, I had to get approval to sell Apple branded items with an invoice or an authorisation from Apple that I'm a reseller.

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#169
post #30

I ordered the top-rated eclipse glasses on Amazon a few months ago and they were counterfeit. If you put them on during daytime you can see indirect sunlight and even my kitchen light. They were shipped from China despite having "Made in the USA" markings and all the proper ISO certification fine print. I haven't received any communication from Amazon, so people who haven't heard from them should not assume their gla…

It seems incredibly careless of them to tell people if they did not get an email they're OK. There's no way the impact from refunding everyone that bought any such product outweighs the coming lawsuits. I feel bad for people about to be injured. But hopefully this will screw Amazon hard and make them change their ways.

Amazon is already selling large quantities of food, food-supplements, and OTC medications.

I'm wondering how these practices have been able to go on without any reports of poisoning.

Re: Amazon recalls eclipse glasses

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have the exact opposite situation. I got 9 pairs of plastic framed glasses on Amazon. They seem really legit. Only thing I can see through them is the sun unless I hold a light source directly up to the lenses. Amazon gave me a refund and told me not to use them. I'm going to try to research some more research on Monday like getting a hold of the company that gave them the ISO rating. This is apparently the source…

Is it really worth your eyes and the extra money to take a risk on the glasses that you're still not giving up on them and planning on researching them? Why not just buy one that you know is reputable?

Where would you suggest one could get one?
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