Wicked Evo Pro 130mW averages 121.6mW - Should I be dissappointed?

[SpeedVision]

Just received my Wicked Evo Pro 130mW and the supplied spec sheet said the laser averaged 121.6mW. It peaked at 136.9mW, stayed at a touch under 130mW for about 10 seconds and leveled out to a very flat average of just over 120.

I was expecting better (average in the high 130's, low 140's), but don't we all. Is this reasonable for a $180 buck greenie or should I try and get a replacement (as painful as that may be...)?

Curious what some of the veterans think... Thanks!

 

[PhysX]

A replacement might now be worth it purely on the fact of the company you are dealing with. I don't think all of that trouble shipping and waiting would be worth it for just an extra 9mW of power.

 

[Eudaimonium]

If you understood how difficult it is to achieve desired power with DPSS laser systems, you'd be overjoyed your laser is even "on-spec" and incredibly stable for portable unit.

No, you should not be worried. If your laser mode-hopped and dipped below 90 mW and stayed there, you'd be worried.

But this is one good, hell , GREAT on spec nice unit.

 

[RA_pierce]

This laser does not meet the specifications it was sold at.

I would have an issue with it, considering the laser should have an average power of at least 130mW.
Getting a replacement may be arduous. Maybe you can ask for a partial refund.
Currently, they are selling the "E2" series for $49.95 + shipping.
I'd tell them to refund me $130 for a below-spec laser and a ridiculous wait (assuming you ordered it when they were still being sold as the "Evo Pro" months ago). They did not deliver what you paid for when you paid for it. IMO, they should resolve the issue.

Edit: @Eudaimonium: With today's technology there is no excuse. If I can get 120mW out of parts from a $10 DX greenie and a pile of scrap metal, WickedLasers can, at the very least, offer good enough quality control to make sure a customer gets what they paid for. Within a reasonable time frame would be a plus, as well.

 

[SpeedVision]

If you understood how difficult it is to achieve desired power with DPSS laser systems, you'd be overjoyed your laser is even "on-spec" and incredibly stable for portable unit.

No, you should not be worried. If your laser mode-hopped and dipped below 90 mW and stayed there, you'd be worried.

But this is one good, hell , GREAT on spec nice unit.

I hear you! Thanks. That's why I asked. :beer: 2 things jumped out at me -
1. An average below 130mW and 2. The fact that the average was rock solid for 160 seconds.

I guess what it lacks in "jaw dropping power" it more than makes up for it in consistency. I'm starting to feel better already.

Heck, I should be happy I got it... let alone in under 3 weeks...

 

[Eudaimonium]

This laser does not meet the specifications it was sold at.

I would have an issue with it, considering the laser should have an average power of at least 130mW.
Getting a replacement may be arduous. Maybe you can ask for a partial refund.
Currently, they are selling the "E2" series for $49.95 + shipping.
I'd tell them to refund me $130 for a below-spec laser and a ridiculous wait (assuming you ordered it when they were still being sold as the "Evo Pro" months ago). They did not deliver what you paid for when you paid for it. IMO, they should resolve the issue.

Edit: @Eudaimonium: With today's technology there is no excuse. If I can get 120mW out of parts from a $10 DX greenie and a pile of scrap metal, WickedLasers can, at the very least, offer good enough quality control to make sure a customer gets what they paid for. Within a reasonable time frame would be a plus, as well.

That's one way of looking at it.

Another way is that you got something within 10% of declared output and , considering it's Wicked lasers after all, it actually works.
Doing RMA now is could possibly just give OP 2, 3 , maybe 4 months of waiting, endless emails back and forth, frustrations, burning forehead from facepalms and overall scalp-pulling experience.

Also, Wickedlasers's modules, except for Arctic, is CNI stuff and not $10 DX modules, last time I heard, I could be wrong though since I kind of lost track of news at one point back there.

I'd be happy with what I've got and not breathing down somebody's neck because of 8.4 mW less (out of 130mW) than advertised.

With todays technology, they can't even get you proper 1W laser, as declared 1W, with diodes that are capable of 2W output in right conditions. And it's not 8.6 mW less, it's 300mW less.

 

[SpeedVision]

Currently, they are selling the "E2" series for $49.95 + shipping.
I'd tell them to refund me $130 for a below-spec laser and a ridiculous wait (assuming you ordered it when they were still being sold as the "Evo Pro" months ago). They did not deliver what you paid for when you paid for it. IMO, they should resolve the issue.

Edit: @Eudaimonium: With today's technology there is no excuse. If I can get 120mW out of parts from a $10 DX greenie and a pile of scrap metal, WickedLasers can, at the very least, offer good enough quality control to make sure a customer gets what they paid for. Within a reasonable time frame would be a plus, as well.

Well, that thickens the plot a bit...

The website says "E2 Evolution Fusion", but the receipt say's that and Evo Pro 130 at the same time. Here's the page:

Green Laser Pointer from Wicked Lasers - Evolution Pro Series

Hard to tell what I got... Model number says EVO53201

Edit - Here's a cut/paste from my receipt

evo_pro
E2 Evolution Fusion
Options:
Evolution Pro Series Model : 130mW

I'm not trying to quibble over 8.4mW, but, based on some of the other averages I've seen (100mW averaging 115mW, etc) I was counting on an average in the high 130's, low 140's. I guess I'm content, just not ecstatic that's all. Definitely not worth the risk of never seeing it or my $$$ again. Live and learn, I guess..

 

[RA_pierce]

That's one way of looking at it.

Another way is that you got something within 10% of declared output and , considering it's Wicked lasers after all, it actually works.
Doing RMA now is could possibly just give OP 2, 3 , maybe 4 months of waiting, endless emails back and forth, frustrations, burning forehead from facepalms and overall scalp-pulling experience.

Also, Wickedlasers's modules, except for Arctic, is CNI stuff and not $10 DX modules, last time I heard, I could be wrong though since I kind of lost track of news at one point back there.

I'd be happy with what I've got and not breathing down somebody's neck because of 8.4 mW less (out of 130mW) than advertised.

With todays technology, they can't even get you proper 1W laser, as declared 1W, with diodes that are capable of 2W output in right conditions. And it's not 8.6 mW less, it's 300mW less.

Yes, they do use CNI's components (last I checked, not sure about their current models) but the point I'm trying to make is that they aren't even constructing the lasers themselves (aside from the Arctic) so it shouldn't be hard to SORT the lasers properly.

I'm not suggesting an RMA because that will likely be more problematic, but rather to at least make Wicked aware of the situation (not that they care) and maybe fix it with a partial refund. Sure it may be only 8.4mW but those 8.4milliWatts make the difference between what was advertised and what was delivered. Personally I think the principle matters.
Just making a suggestion.

WickedLasers rule #1: Never buy from WickedLasers.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Yes, they do use CNI's components (last I checked, not sure about their current models) but the point I'm trying to make is that they aren't even constructing the lasers themselves (aside from the Arctic) so it shouldn't be hard to SORT the lasers properly.

I'm not suggesting an RMA because that will likely be more problematic, but rather to at least make Wicked aware of the situation (not that they care) and maybe fix it with a partial refund. Sure it may be only 8.4mW but those 8.4milliWatts make the difference between what was advertised and what was delivered. Personally I think the principle matters.
Just making a suggestion.

WickedLasers rule #1: Never buy from WickedLasers.

They don't? :S Kind of changes things.

But I disagree with your principles. Imagine you selling a green 200mW laser and it turns out 190mW and customer wants repair and partial refund.

I mean seriously, if it were 100mW out of 130mW , I'd complain too. Because it's the principle of the thing.

But for 8 mW? That kind of goes beyong principle and it's pure hatred of WL speaking out of you. [That was apsolutely not agresive or personal, I just don't know how to word it nicely ]

I'd be more than happy with such stable, and on spec unit (10% tolerance for DPSS units is kind of accepted standard for declaring it On-spec) from any seller, and especially WL.

Though, that's just me.

 

[RA_pierce]

They don't? :S Kind of changes things.

But I disagree with your principles. Imagine you selling a green 200mW laser and it turns out 190mW and customer wants repair and partial refund.

I mean seriously, if it were 100mW out of 130mW , I'd complain too. Because it's the principle of the thing.

But for 8 mW? That kind of goes beyong principle and it's pure hatred of WL speaking out of you. [That was apsolutely not agresive or personal, I just don't know how to word it nicely ]

I'd be more than happy with such stable, and on spec unit (10% tolerance for DPSS units is kind of accepted standard for declaring it On-spec) from any seller, and especially WL.

Though, that's just me.

I completely understand.
It's not that I hate Wicked, but their business practices make them intolerable to me. The thing that bothers me most is that they are now selling the same laser at $50. I would be bothered if I ordered something for $180 and by the time I received it it was sold for $50.
Wicked has issues and that is undeniable. Any business that operates the way they do should sink, IMO. Again, just my opinion.

Also, I would never sell a 190mW green as a 200mW green. I would put it on the meter and advertise it as the closest round number below the average. At least that's what I do with my sales.

 

[Assainator75]

Heh, when I got my Evo Pro just as the Arctics were shipping way back, no one was expecting any bit of quality in their lasers since things were way too rushed. Mine averaged at ~133mW (according to WL's graph). My laser also lacked a noticeable "peak" in output and only stopped at around 135mW.
At the time, all of this was a bit disappointing since I too expected it to be more overspec (ex. 150mW).

The stability? It was Dead-on 133mW ± 2mW for the 175 seconds recorded on the WL graph. Yep - it was sweet and I almost thought that the graph was faked until I actually used the laser.
For my evo pro:
4 minutes constant on time + near full batteries = No modehopping, no noticeable change in brightness, warm laser

I'd say that it was worth my time even though mine too was not overspec. I was still overjoyed to actually see the laser function with such stable output.
Btw, it's nice to see that you've finally received your evo pro. Sounds like you got a nice stable one too . I too would not be too disappointed over 8mW since it doesn't make a huge difference in visibility/burning.

I think you'll find that it's a great pen laser.



A little off topic:
As for the $50 + $18 shipping Evo Pros ($68), their site still says it's "max power: 100mW" and "min power: 50mW".
Has any one actually Metered the newer and cheaper E2 Evo Pros?
When I looked at the max/min power, I had the thought that min power corresponds to a 50mW greenie, and the max power corresponds to the red and violet versions of the laser. Why? because 100mW is easily achieved with cheap red/violet diodes and CNI DPSS greens would be costlier, so WL might have wrote "max/min" just for this marketing purpose? Idk. :thinking:

I don't have evidence of that, but I wouldn't think True CNI stable 100mW greenies would sell for $50.

 

[SpeedVision]

Also, I would never sell a 190mW green as a 200mW green. I would put it on the meter and advertise it as the closest round number below the average. At least that's what I do with my sales.

I think you hit the nail on the head. If I ordered the 100mW (their next step down) version and it came in at an average of 121.6, I would be a happy camper.

If the 130mW version I purchased came in at 131.6 I would be very well satisfied.

On principal alone, an underspec average me fell like I was taken.

Perception = reality. So, I now have a wicked laser and they still have a "wicked" reputation. I'll give them a chance to make it right and we'll see what happens. No, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. oke:

 

[Eudaimonium]

I completely understand.
It's not that I hate Wicked, but their business practices make them intolerable to me. The thing that bothers me most is that they are now selling the same laser at $50. I would be bothered if I ordered something for $180 and by the time I received it it was sold for $50.
Wicked has issues and that is undeniable. Any business that operates the way they do should sink, IMO. Again, just my opinion.

Also, I would never sell a 190mW green as a 200mW green. I would put it on the meter and advertise it as the closest round number below the average. At least that's what I do with my sales.

Yes, but it's not what they do, now is it?

But it could be worse too. I'm happy with what I have.

Now, buying a laser for $180 and after you purchased it, it comes down to $50, is not exactly right, but then again, can we really expect 130mW + overspec unit for $50?

Also, one more note from me and I'm out - difference between 126 mW and 133 mW [that guy's laser, above a bit] is simply NOT visible to the eye, even while having lasers exactly one next to another, let alone individual lasers one month of time apart.

So, he can keep the laser he has now and be happy, or send it back and go all over the forementioned stuff [waiting, frustration] to get (to the naked eye at least) the exact same thing!

And about the price drop, people were buying 200mW 405nm bluray laser for $2100 before. Issuing refunds because somebody purchased the stuff before the price drop is not something (by my opinion anyhow) seller would be obligated to do. If they never dropped the price, or if he never found out about price drop, everything would be exeptionally well, as it should be.

Just that price drop happens soon after purchase is a stroke of bad luck, but I honestly don't think they should refund him for price difference (although it would be exeptionally cool from them if they did - it would show that they CARE for business).

I think you hit the nail on the head. If I ordered the 100mW (their next step down) version and it came in at an average of 121.6, I would be a happy camper.

If the 130mW version I purchased came in at 131.6 I would be very well satisfied.

On principal alone, an underspec average me fell like I was taken.

Perception = reality. So, I now have a wicked laser and they still have a "wicked" reputation. I'll give them a chance to make it right and we'll see what happens. No, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. oke:

Please also take those power graphs and "measurements" with, as you American people nicely say it - with a pinch of salt.

Even of those measurements are not randomly generated or just "canned" print-outs, every Laser Power meter has it's tolerance and it is overall not perfect. If LPM were to be a little out of calibration [given that they have actually measured it] and it showed you 135mW stable, everybody would be happy and you'd be saved hours of frustration and possibly hair.

I am not in any way saying they should lie about it (on the contrary!), I'm just saying that you two [you and Ra_pierce] enforce your principles a little too much. I am a man of my principles too.
But this is just asking for bad luck. You got a very nice unit I envy you for.

After all, nobody claims RMA to DealExtreme's $50 laser which is 50% of claimed output and as stable as a rockslide when it comes to power and TEM.

 

[Prototype]

A little off topic:
As for the $50 + $18 shipping Evo Pros ($68), their site still says it's "max power: 100mW" and "min power: 50mW".
Has any one actually Metered the newer and cheaper E2 Evo Pros?
When I looked at the max/min power, I had the thought that min power corresponds to a 50mW greenie, and the max power corresponds to the red and violet versions of the laser. Why? because 100mW is easily achieved with cheap red/violet diodes and CNI DPSS greens would be costlier, so WL might have wrote "max/min" just for this marketing purpose? Idk. :thinking:

It is simple, it's to cover their ass. Check the page for the Arctic, it says Max: 1000mW Min: 500mW. This way, say you buy an Arctic and it's only 501mW, you can't complain because it's right there in black and white that you payed for a laser that achieves an optical output power of at least 500mW and no more than 1000mW at 445nm (+/-10nm). Same with their others, you're going to get at least 50mW or at least 100mW (depending on the models) but it could be anywhere between 50-100mW or 100-200mW.

 

[Eudaimonium]

It is simple, it's to cover their ass. Check the page for the Arctic, it says Max: 1000mW Min: 500mW. This way, say you buy an Arctic and it's only 501mW, you can't complain because it's right there in black and white that you payed for a laser that achieves an optical output power of at least 500mW and no more than 1000mW at 445nm (+/-10nm). Same with their others, you're going to get at least 50mW or at least 100mW (depending on the models) but it could be anywhere between 50-100mW or 100-200mW.

Actually that describes ALL lasers in E2 host. Not green one, but all available powers.

And yes, it's incredibly stupid:
"Lasers here are minimum 50 and max 100mW, each color is it's own particular power but we won't tell you which color is which declared power".

I mean, :wtf:?

 

[Prototype]

Right, that's what I meant, I should've said that. That post turned out a lot longer than I thought it was going to be.