I bought some solar eclipse glasses from Amazon a month ago or so, and on Saturday I got this message:
They also refunded my money.
By now it’s too late to look for new glasses. I opened the package and the glasses are super dark, I can’t see through them in normal conditions, and they do have the CE logo on them.
I’ve seen some people speculate that Amazon is just being overly cautious and also that it doesn’t say they are not safe - they just didn’t get confirmation that they are from an approved manufacturer (they are made in China).
So just in a purely hypothetical IMHO situation - if you had these glasses would you use them? Or would you just glance out the window at the slightly darker afternoon and catch the rest of the action on TV?
Here’s a website describing how to tell if your glasses are counterfeit. It sounds like if you can see almost any light source besides the sun through them, they’re fake.
Do you know anyone who has definitely valid glasses? Maybe borrow theirs, and see if yours behave the same.
Well, the problem is that since they aren’t from an approved manufacturer, and you presumably don’t have access to an optics lab, you have no idea if they are safe until you have a permanent ring burned into your retinas.
I hope the OP doesn’t mind if I piggyback off this thread rather than start a whole new one for myself, but I’m driving like 10 hours south to get a better view of the eclipse, and I was under the impression I could just pick up some glasses once I got down there. Is that a foolish assumption? The language “By now it’s too late to look for new glasses” worries me. Have I shot myself in the foot, or can I just walk into a Duane Reade or something and find them there? I’ll be in the Raleigh area, in NC.
You’re going to have a really hard time. I live in Indianapolis - about a 4 hour drive to the path of totality. Everyone’s sold out here. I imagine supply might be a little higher the closer you get, but I wouldn’t count on - demand is going to be even higher.
And also, the likelihood of non-approved glasses rises the longer and longer you wait.
Okay, thanks. I’ll head out today and see if B&H has some. I live in NYC so hopefully it won’t be a problem, but I’m glad I didn’t wait until the 21st!
I bought some welding goggles. I can look at the sun with them. Maybe I will wear the cheap dark tinted safety glasses over them. Or take turns with my Wife wearing two pairs of welding goggles.
Of course, we can buy a six pack of the cheap dark safety glasses and sell them to people we don’t like.
I’ve seen multiple sources say that welding goggles/helmets with a shade number of 14 or higher are required in order to adequately protect your eyes. If your goggles aren’t that strong, you’ll want to supplement them.
My auto-dark welding helmet only goes up to shade 13, but I did the math and figured if I combine them with category 2 sunglasses (transmittance 18-45%), then I end up with shade 14.
I live in southern Oregon, about an hour and a half south of totality.
Here most of the eye doctors in town are giving out eclipse glasses for free or for dirt cheap. My doc will give a pair to his patients for free, anyone else I think he’s charging like $1.50. Most places around here had them for $3 or $4, so I’m guessing he’s selling them at cost.
I got the same email and am visiting mom right in the path of totality.
So I went the welding route and ordered a couple helmets and shade 14 glass. So of course the helmets shipped and the vender of the shade 14 glass sent an out of stock email. Aargh.
I’m trying to find standard shade 14 welding lens, 2" x 4 1/4". I’ll beat the bushes tomorrow locally but doubt I will find them. I’m hoping welding supply places well out of the path might have some in stack they could ship.
I bought the 11 helmet for $36.00 at Home Despot. The filter comes out so that one need not look like Darth Vader. With that and goggles or safety glasses we sill be ok.
oops.