This how it should be. A solid connection from the battery to your host. Some hosts are painted or annodized so you need to attach your wire, tinfoil, coin ect to an untreated part of the laser. My host here is untreated stainless so anywhere from the battery to the host works.
I know I reversed the batteries on one of my diode lasers way back and it did exactly what you said. First turned on flashed very dim then completely died. The way you described it was so similar I had to throw it out there as a possibility
It's quite possible. Though if you are getting green light out you may still be fine. I'm thinking the tailcap might be busted so I'd like to try and rule that out before we suggest sending it back.
I turned it on for a split second and realized what I did. So I turned them the right way and when I hit the switch the laser flickered very very dimly on then slowly died. I would try to click it on again and it did the same. After trying it about four times it wouldn't turn on at all anymore. Just nothing.
Yeah I asked if they did but the op writer wasn't sure. Probably a few post ago. I was pretty sure hakzaw1 told me this a while back. Couldn't remember exactly. OK scratch that theory.