- Joined
- Nov 27, 2008
- Messages
- 863
- Points
- 18
I just felt it was neccessary to recap my experiences with Rayfoss and their green modules now that a few months have passed and real-world information and experience come into play.
I originally purchased 2 of the 150mW modules back in July, and the shipping was speedy (as most Rayfoss reviews will substantiate) and the communication was very good throughout the transaction. The modules tested at 118mW and 104mW, both with average beam characteristics, etc however the 118mW died within the first 2 minutes or so of use (actually melted a part of the driver board adjacent to the switch)... So it was shipped back to Rayfoss for an RMA, and Faona gave me a small partial refund due to the modules being nowhere near spec.
I finally recieved a replacement after a month or so of "back and forth" with Faona, who claimed to have never recieved the RMA'd module, and another few weeks to wait for the stock to arrive as well as the 2 weeks to actually get here ... and of course, in the interim, the 104mW module died too, but there's NO way I'm going through that whole mess again so I guess I'm just out a module... Needless to say, even though I've been up and down the road with modules, lasers, etc and know that sometimes things just don't work out like you want them to, I was bummed.
Until about an hour ago, when I finally got around to putting the replacement into a nice Ehgemus host, tightened everything down, etc etc and hit the button only to see the absolute WORST TEM01 I've ever seen - 2 individual dots almost 1" apart at 12ft ! Just for fun (and because even though the beam(s) are crap I always try to be thorough) I pulled out the trusty Laserbee LPM, and watched a 55mW peak settle (plummet?) to 28mW after less than 30 seconds... NOW, I'm pretty pissed.
Bottom line, I took some time to really read through the reviews and experiences with Rayfoss, and I urge anyone considering their products to do the same - it appears to be a roughly 50/50 of success stories and failures, RMA's, etc, While I will definitely say nothing but good things regarding their customer service and the willingness to work with customers regarding problem resolution, I will also say that all in all, to me at least, the modules are definitely to be avoided.
I will keep the thread updated on my progress here, I am planning on Emailing Faona with a final request to allow me to return both modules for replacement one last time providing I can be guaranteed a minimum output of 100mW stable out of each of the replacements, OR I will be requesting a full refund of the money I have spent.
And here I thought today was going to be a GOOD day, oh well at least I still have my 400mW+ BDR to play with ...
I originally purchased 2 of the 150mW modules back in July, and the shipping was speedy (as most Rayfoss reviews will substantiate) and the communication was very good throughout the transaction. The modules tested at 118mW and 104mW, both with average beam characteristics, etc however the 118mW died within the first 2 minutes or so of use (actually melted a part of the driver board adjacent to the switch)... So it was shipped back to Rayfoss for an RMA, and Faona gave me a small partial refund due to the modules being nowhere near spec.
I finally recieved a replacement after a month or so of "back and forth" with Faona, who claimed to have never recieved the RMA'd module, and another few weeks to wait for the stock to arrive as well as the 2 weeks to actually get here ... and of course, in the interim, the 104mW module died too, but there's NO way I'm going through that whole mess again so I guess I'm just out a module... Needless to say, even though I've been up and down the road with modules, lasers, etc and know that sometimes things just don't work out like you want them to, I was bummed.
Until about an hour ago, when I finally got around to putting the replacement into a nice Ehgemus host, tightened everything down, etc etc and hit the button only to see the absolute WORST TEM01 I've ever seen - 2 individual dots almost 1" apart at 12ft ! Just for fun (and because even though the beam(s) are crap I always try to be thorough) I pulled out the trusty Laserbee LPM, and watched a 55mW peak settle (plummet?) to 28mW after less than 30 seconds... NOW, I'm pretty pissed.
Bottom line, I took some time to really read through the reviews and experiences with Rayfoss, and I urge anyone considering their products to do the same - it appears to be a roughly 50/50 of success stories and failures, RMA's, etc, While I will definitely say nothing but good things regarding their customer service and the willingness to work with customers regarding problem resolution, I will also say that all in all, to me at least, the modules are definitely to be avoided.
I will keep the thread updated on my progress here, I am planning on Emailing Faona with a final request to allow me to return both modules for replacement one last time providing I can be guaranteed a minimum output of 100mW stable out of each of the replacements, OR I will be requesting a full refund of the money I have spent.
And here I thought today was going to be a GOOD day, oh well at least I still have my 400mW+ BDR to play with ...
