my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a company

[ixfd64]

Company: Wicked Lasers
Price range: $9.99 - $1,699.99 + shipping (w/ optional extended warranty)

The most popular thing isn't necessarily the best.

It's obvious that Shanghai-based Wicked Lasers is the most popular distributor of portable high-powered lasers. A Google search for "Wicked Lasers" reveals that other companies, such NOVAlasers, LaserGlow, and Optotronics, are nowhere as popular. Sadly, just because something is the most popular doesn't make it the best.

I first learned about high-powered portable lasers when I found about Wicked Lasers in 2006. Laser "pointers" that can pop balloons and ignite matches? There's little doubt that having one of those lasers would be every geek’s dream. The videos on the Wicked Lasers website did not lie, and users on the Wicked Lasers forum (now known as Laser Community) often talked about the company’s fast shipping and excellent customer support. Wicked Lasers' entry-level products often performed better than they were advertised. For example, many users reported that their "Classic" lasers emitted over 40 mW, even though they were designed to output 15 mW. I have an "Advanced" model (designed to output 35 mW) that outputs up to 75 mW! Wicked Lasers also does something that few other laser companies do. Every few months, Wicked hosts a contest where users can win free lasers! Now that’s wicked!

Unfortunately, Wicked Lasers is far from perfect. Despite all the praise, forum members have often complained about underpowered lasers, especially those over 100 mW. It was not uncommon to see users asking for RMA instructions. This concern became so great that Wicked pulled the 150 mW version of the "Pulsar" laser. Wicked Lasers' products also suffer from cosmetic issues. In 2007, I was lucky enough to get two lasers for free. I had received a "Core" laser pointer from an official promotion and won an "Advanced" laser in a contest on another website. However, when I received my "Advanced" laser, it already had signs of abrasion. In addition, the silver paint on my two cases had already started wearing off despite very little handling. Cosmetic problems have no effect on the performance of a laser, but they will definitely affect potential buyers' impressions. However, these problems are only the tip of the iceberg.

In December 2006, the Wicked Lasers forum was renamed to "Laser Community" and Steve Liu, the CEO of Wicked Lasers, promised an "unbiased" laser forum. However, in July 2007, Steve made the controversial decision to disallow discussion of other companies and their products, claiming that "spammers" from other companies were using the forum to their advantage.

Before you ask, the grandfather clause doesn't apply here. Users were told to remove signatures that mentioned other companies, and many pre-existing posts about non-Wicked products were deleted. True, Wicked Lasers has the right to make this policy since it owns the forum (the online game RuneScape has a similar rule on the forums that prohibits users from discussing other online games), but very few companies use this practice because it is often seen as very narrow-minded. This isn't everything. After some investigation, I discovered that respected companies like LaserGlow have also been accused of spamming the forum. Moreover, many representatives from other companies had been banned from Laser Community, even though they never violated any rules. Unbiased? Nothing could be further from the truth. To make matters worse, posts containing criticism of Wicked's products often "mysteriously" disappear without a trace, similar to what happens to those who oppose the government in totalitarian countries. In implementing these measures, Wicked is implying that those who do not conform to its interests deserve to be lined up against a wall and shot.

Previously, I had great respect for Wicked Lasers due to its openness and community involvement. In light of recent discoveries, I no longer see Wicked as an honorable company. Wicked Lasers used to "wicked" as in "wickedly awesome." Nowadays, it is "wicked" in a totally different way, like the Wicked Queen from Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It has simply become one of those companies that care more about the size of its pocketbook than that of its community.

If you really want a high-powered laser, buy one from NOVAlasers instead.

- Danny Chia


Final verdict: 40% / Tolerable
Highs: Frequent contests; fast shipping; good customer support; entry-level products are good deals
Lows: High prices; quality issues; questionable marketing tactics; narrow-minded company policies
Bottom line: If you decide to buy from Wicked Lasers, avoid anything over $200. Better yet, stay far, far away from them.

 

[Chief-Eamonn]

Re: my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a compa

very fair.. almost too fair for this place ;D were is this being posted?

 

[Morepower]

Re: my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a compa

very fair.. almost too fair for this place  ;D were is this being posted?

This place seems pretty fair to me. If you sell crap or rip people off, however, you will get what you deserve. It's really just that simple.

As far as the review goes I think it is pretty good. Though you could add that WL works their own hype by making false/fraudulent accounts and posting about how wonderful they are, not to mention how FANTASTIC they think their Spyder II PX's are. Which wouldn't pull the top off a rice pudding if you ask me.

Other than that I vote too lenient, though if there had have been a choice between too lenient and fair I would have chosen that.

 

[me_too_lazy]

Re: my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a compa

pretty much sums up wicked lasers

 

[Tallaxo]

Re: my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a compa

Pretty fair summing up and very well written.

Think about this for a second though. You describe the vanishing of posts and the banning of people likeable to a totalitarian regime. Now if this were a RL regime, what do you think would really happen to those people being forced to be censored, or simply be banned to disappear??

Yep, you guessed it, arrested in the middle of the night, taken away to who knows where, never to be seen again, because you want to stand up for the truth.

Stevie and his fan Bois in an effort to protect his pink empire has truly gone insane.

Robert Mugabe anyone???

 

[nes_ds]

Re: my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a compa

Though I didn't get a chance to read the whole thing (I'm in a hurry ) it sound like a perfect description of WL.

 

[photongeek]

Re: my (hopefully) neutral review of WL as a compa

The only Wicked items I own are my CORE which I like very much and one pair of LaserShades for red lasers. I can state that I too have had the silver paint on the box easily rub off. Now that is really not a problem at all considering that we're really interested in laser performance. But, it is a flaw and QC should take carer of it. The other cosmetic problem that DID pi** me off was the black paint on the end cap peeled off not long after I bought it. I just removed all of the cap paint and now have a brass ended CORE.
What they have to correct though is the flat rate shipping. $18.00 for a pair of shades that weight about an ounce??? Come on guys. You can do better than that.