Yes, you are 100% correct, my wording is sloppy and can cause danger to people operating this gear. If you can see the beam it probably is already too late! You should never get into a position where this is a possibility.
Edit: I've updated the article with a hopefully better text and a reference to your comment, if you could review it and indicate if I should make further modifications I'd be very grateful.
Please can you add a big bold warning right at the top of your article? As it is, the safety details are buried way too deep for casual readers who might be skim-reading by the time they get to it. Even a "heads up: this stuff can injure or blind you permanently if you don't follow safety procedures!" in the first paragraph would help.
Hey Charles, yes, I will do that. In fact as more and more feedback rolled in I realized that I should really lead the whole thing with a safety section, I will do some rewriting tonight.
A maker space I used to be a part of had a warning on our laser that said “DO NOT LOOK AT THE LASER BEAM WITH THE REMAINING EYE!” I feel like this should be the first sentence here.
Edit: I've updated the article with a hopefully better text and a reference to your comment, if you could review it and indicate if I should make further modifications I'd be very grateful.