True. There is a significant difference in degradation with distance between lights like the Maxabeam and any LEP light. They measured their 12 Mcd value by focusing the beam as tight as it goes and then measuring the candlepower right at the light. Even on the tightest beam it will quickly spread with distance. You could be blinded with it set for a tight beam and sticking your eye right at the light. But shine it on people 50' away and the intensity has dropped way off, even with a tight (for it) beam divergence.
LEP lights have
very low angles of beam spread. The distance is not as big of a factor when you have a beam that diverges at 1.8°. A small distance may diverge the Maxabeam to a safe intensity, but the same is not true for an LEP. LEP lights brighter than the W30 can cause eye damage at great distance. It really starts to act like a laser's coherent beam, distance no longer provides safety.
BMW offers a single LEP high-beam headlight option, but it is heavily interlocked to only shine when the car senses their is no opposing traffic.
This is beginning to wander as threads do.
The question was would the W50 be offered to the public, and if not, why? I have pointed out that the beam intensity (even at distance) has become dangerous. They and two other makers of higher intensity LEP lights I know require a letter on department letterhead requesting the purchase (just like is required for the top level OC/CS teargas purchases). And they do this because the lights can rather easily blind someone and they don't want the lawsuits. No laws against it, just lawyers.
And, yes, this is the plan for these brighter LEPs, for LE sales from the three makers I know of.
Could you get one if you really wanted it? Yes. But I once purchased a 5 Watt blue laser, complete with safety glasses. I tried it out a few times, saw how far it would reach out. But I realized just how bad an idea of flashing it around outdoors was; it now sits in its case. I think you'd find the same lack of usefulness with a really bright LEP light. You really want to shine anything around in public that can blind people?
BTW, also a W40.
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