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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Personal Laser Shakeout Ahead?

Joined
Nov 10, 2006
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155
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Being around for close to a half-century, I've seen a lot of products come and go over the years.

I have noticed a pattern that repeats itself across all product types. Someone comes up with a product, and that product becomes popular. Then, others see what's going on and they jump on the bandwagon, and pretty soon seemingly everybody and their brother is selling the product in question. The competition heats up, and then...

Shakeout!

Those who jumped in with both feet to make a quick buck, and did not properly R&D and specify the product, didn't do market research and test their products in the real world, cut corners on specs, and in general react to rather than anticipate problems, eventually find themselves kicked to the curb as word gets around that their product is not up to the task. The product falls out of favor, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, and the company folds up.

Those who took the time to do things right, to properly R&D the product, research the market to make sure the product is what is desired by the end user, pay attention to keeping failure rates low, make the product easy to use, comply with applicable standards, strive to inprove and update their product, and provide good customer service and support, tend to incrementally gain market share seemingly without effort, because the word "on the street" is that their product is the one to use and the company can be relied upon.

The product that proves itself in the merciless, uncaring and largely ignorant consumer market, is the one that survives.

Eventually a few "legacy" companies end up with the lion's share of the market, with a scattering of smaller ones vying for the scraps or filling niches the big ones don't, or won't.

I think that with the advent of relatively inexpensive personal and bench lasers in the class IIIb range and their rather sudden popularity, a shakeout is or will soon be happening which will determine the companies that will be around ten or twenty years from now, and those who will only be memories.
 





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SenKat

Guest
VERY well said ! I could not agree with you more ! Let's hope that it comes true - and we see much more quality products, stricter QA practices, and lots of easily affordable products out there ! A laser for every home ! (uhm...at LEAST one !) :cool:
 

tatman

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Joined
Jan 10, 2007
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i just hadda laugh about the day 100mw is considered low power... it's the same day u get 100mw...now it's low power...want more!!!
 
K

kingzilla

Guest
SenKat said:
VERY well said !  I could not agree with you more !  Let's hope that it comes true - and we see much more quality products, stricter QA practices, and lots of easily affordable products out there !  A laser for every home ! (uhm...at LEAST one !) :cool:





Hmmm, I should really be an eye doctor, there will be unlimited patients if that comes true.
 
T

timelord

Guest
I'd have a torture chamber for for those sub humans in society that don't behave :mad: And burn them with my lasers especially sex offenders ;D ;D
 
K

kingzilla

Guest
Timelord said:
I'd have a torture chamber for for those sub humans in society that don't behave  :mad: And burn them with my lasers especially sex offenders  ;D ;D


Man, I'd hate to see what you would do if someone got all lasers banned by blinding someone. That persopn would end up in some crazy laser torture device. :p ;D
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
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i believe the shakeout will give us pen size lasers with the power curve equal to the spyders and hercs. they will build small powerfull lasers and find the answer for the need of large heat sinks.
 
K

kingzilla

Guest
randall158 said:
i believe the shakeout will give us pen size lasers with the power curve equal to the spyders and hercs. they will build small powerfull lasers and find the answer for the need of large heat sinks.


I think will get more colors without needing a DPSS. Just a straight diode. Then they won't need as much heat sink anyway. Just hope they keep the wavelenths. I really like the 473nm color. Is there a 473nm that is not DPSS?
 
S

SenKat

Guest
Not yet - I THOUGHT there was - but I was 100% wrong ! (I realllllly hate saying that ! Heh !)

One of the major reasons that 532 hasn't gone to R&D for a straight diode, is the specialty market involved. There is no "useful" need for that wavelength - other than for hobbyists, astronomers, etc...the only reason Blu-ray was even developed is because of the desire for greater optical storage capacity - thus blu-ray was born ! Green is no good at storing media - blu-ray is much more effective. So - we may be stuck with a limited TYPE of laser i n the future, but that does not mean that somebody will not discover a better way to build them, and more reliable, and less fragile.
 
Joined
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Messages
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Argon ion lasers have a line at 476nm, but it is one of the weaker ones and would be best obtained by use of an intracavity tuning prism if you want just that one line.

I am beginning to see consensuses (is "consensi" a word? ;D) ) on personal and "low-end" lab lasers - that is, people are starting to gravitate to certain models and manufacturers, and word is becoming more common on which lasers are good and which ones to stay away from. The IR filter issue is beginning to have an effect on Ebay laser sellers; the lasers without filters are getting bad reputations and not catching the best bids, neither are lasers sold by sellers that cannot answer questions intelligently.

I am also seeing people on laser forums becoming more knowlegeable and less tolerant of lasers that are out of spec or perform poorly. The forums spread the word like no other media can. As this process continues it should exert pressure on the manufacturers to improve their products.
 




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