Chemist Styropyro has built a handheld laser device rated at 250 watts, making it roughly 50,000 times more powerful

YouTuber and chemist Styropyro has built a handheld laser device rated at 250 watts, making it roughly 50,000 times more powerful than typical commercial laser pointers and far exceeding the US legal limit of 5 milliwatts for handheld lasers.

Using scavenged industrial components like high-power blue laser diodes combined into a single beam, Styropyro showed the laser’s ability to burn through various objects, all while taking safety precautions such as wearing protective goggles.

Although operating in a legal gray area due to the device’s extreme power, Styropyro continues to push the boundaries of DIY laser technology.