People haven't quite grasped the stupidity/danger of laser pointers yet, I'm afraid. Check out this page with a variety of '50W' lasers: https://www.laserpointerpro.com/attribute/power_50000mw-lase...
FTFY: I would not trust a 50 W laser.
I wouldn't trust it not to blind me, not to blind someone else, not to make burn marks on my walls, not to catch fire randomly, and not to actually output 50W.
This article [0] is a 'fun' look at the laser regulatory environment. Unfortunately, that environment doesn't seem to have teeth yet.
0: http://www.funraniumlabs.com/2017/08/laser-products-hate/
The danger is reflections, at over a watt even the dot that the pointer produces on the wall can be bright enough to cause permanent blindness unless with goggles.
If I'm remembering correctly, a few of the more idiotic 'laser pointer'/'geneva convention violating blinding device' retailers got sued by Lucasfilms for intentionally looking like lightsabers - so you're not wrong!
> The 50000mW 532nm Green Beam Light Separate Crystal Attacking Head Laser Pointer Pen is a versatile tool designed with a variety of functions. With 50000mW high power, it produces a super bright green beam light full of energy that can be used to light a cigarette, cut the paper even plastic into pieces, shoot the bird, and more. Moreover, advanced separate crystal design makes it more stable and durable during long hours of continuous running. And its attacking head is ultra solid even in the harshest environment. Don't hesitate to get one now!
They're taking a tool and turning it into a ridiculous toy. I can already see someone trying to "light a cigarette" they're holding in their mouth and blinding themselves in the process.
That being said a lot of them do come with goggles.
I'm no vegan, but that sounds like psychopathy to me.
This is about a 5W laser for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVWW-bmKwQ
Good smell test for those claims: what battery can you hold in your hand that can output 50W?
Laptop batteries all day, so to speak...more typically for about an hour of runtime at that power consumption level between recharge. Not quite following your analogy.
Batteries used for drone racing can easily be held in your hand and can put out hundreds of watts.
Most flashlight and laser pointers use 18650 batteries. Something like the Samsung INR18650-20S can put out ~100W from a slightly bigger form factor than AA batteries.
My battery test was wrong, still, there are no 50W laser diodes out there. We’re doing well to get 1/10 of that power output.
These pictures look like the 2w and 2.5w variants on Aliexpress.
There are less-sketchy looking offerings in the 7W range for a similar form factor, though - see [0]. Of course, I'm still not sure if there's such a thing as a 'reputable' site in that segment...
Not anything illegal.
Also, where is a legit source for goggles?
So, 10,000x less power than the lasers on that webpage above.
And if you buy a laser CNC machine, it'll typically have interlocks present to keep you from accidentally blinding yourself. (which is a real possibility - if the material you're cutting has shiny inclusions, the wrong reflection can blind you)
I recommend taking a laser safety training class. At least the ones focusing mostly on show lasers are widely available to the general public, and not expensive. It'll cover the optical dangers at least. Possibly it'll also build some respect for lasers, and maybe make certain things legal for you (important esp. after something goes wrong).
For machining lasers, there's a bunch of extra dangers to you _and_ the machine (e.g. particle exhaust, fumes, certain materials, fire risk (and secondary risk when putting it out!), very high voltages, human errors (I'm serious! and incl. both you and other/untrained people), legal requirements, overheating, electronical failures of the controller or interlock or (very relevant for hobbyists) plain bugs).
On the upside, hobby CNC lasers are often in the order of 100W (appropriate for cutting plastic/wood, engraving glass, and marking metal (with marking spray)), and CO2-based (10μm). A small stone brick will easily work as a beamdump. Basically _any_ thin plastic sheet will easily block secondary beams at this wavelength (so counter-intuitively the laser being invisible is an advantage!). And if the laser is dispersed enough possibly even direct hits, for a very short amount of time (up to seconds). (This is no excuse to save on the goggles.)
Do not trust cheap "complete, in a safe box" CNC lasers bought on the internet. They work, but require _extensive_ rebuilding to be safe.
It's possible and fun to work with lasers as a hobby. But please stay safe! If you can, don't go alone, find a fablab or hackerspace, maybe even build it there.