HackerTube.dev

Dangerous tattoo remover from eBay is a MILLION watt laser

styropyro · 12.3M views · 2019-12-12 · 19:06

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

Styropyro tests an eBay laser tattoo removal device and finds it is a roughly million-watt pulsed laser, powerful enough to ignite air in the beam. He had bought it hoping to salvage an Nd:YAG laser cavity.

On Hacker News

HN mostly cites it as an example of the absurdly powerful lasers sold cheaply online, and a nod to the channel's DIY laser builds.

Recommended by 1 HN people across 1 months · HN mentions 2020–2022

Topics

Electronics & circuit designEveryday physics & science demos
Search by tags
lasersnd:yagtattoo removalelectronicslaser safety

What people said

adamsmith143 · 2022-09 · Recommendation

You've obviously never heard of styropyro who builds insanely strong lasers with basically salvaged junk electronics. [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗
ben_w · 2020-02 · Criticism

More worryingly, it’s possible to buy pre-built laser etchers online that don’t come with safety glass: [LINK] And Q-switched pulse lasers for hair removal (i.e. to be aimed at your face) whose included safety goggles are more than a little suspicious: [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗
darken · 2020-02 · Reference

Tattoo removal tends to use ~1MW pulsed lasers (yes, megawatt). The pulse is extremely short (nanoseconds), but at that power/instant-brightness it's enough to fry sensitive imaging electronics. Can also do fun things like blast holes through CDs. I'd learned about the topic the other day here ("plays" with a cheap tattoo removal kit off the web): [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by styropyro, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks
  • SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
  • Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources