Wicked Lasers Evolution Pro In-Depth Review

[nikokapo]

Is this thread dying ?

 

[robjdixon]

There are just too many reviews of this model Niko, and people just migrate to the newest one. They seem to have missed mine out though

 

[Elektrotechniker]

Great review niko. This laser looks so cool

 

[cistercian]

I got the 40mw version for my birthday.The threads on my unit are excellent, as is the overall fit and finish.The beam is very tight and output is stable.I think it is epic.I love it.I bought it for 2 reasons1) I purchased a core for a friend and I was amazed at how good it was and 2)I really wanted AA power.I read with horror about wicked lasers reputation AFTER my unit had shipped.Considering how nice my unit is I would consider it a good indication they are turning things around.I hope others post their results to see if it is consistent, but as of now I am very, very happy with mine.

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Somewhere on LPF, I posted my divergence test results for my evo pro. The results look real good. ALSO, My beam comes out straight "as a laser".......... No angle.
Works every time and at full power out of the starting gate.

HMike

 

[nikokapo]

I got the 40mw version for my birthday.The threads on my unit are excellent, as is the overall fit and finish.The beam is very tight and output is stable.I think it is epic.I love it.I bought it for 2 reasons1) I purchased a core for a friend and I was amazed at how good it was and 2)I really wanted AA power.I read with horror about wicked lasers reputation AFTER my unit had shipped.Considering how nice my unit is I would consider it a good indication they are turning things around.I hope others post their results to see if it is consistent, but as of now I am very, very happy with mine.

I'm VERY glad to see they've improved the threads Thanks for reporting!

 

[cistercian]

@nic No problem.I really, really love my unit.It looks better than the pics you took, like they took the criticism to heart.The beam does exit my unit slightly off axis.Since my homebrew 20mw red does this as well I don't consider it a big deal.But I have seen it mentioned by others and I must say mine exhibits this too.I really don't care since in EVERY other respect it is epic.I was painting clouds tonight.My 8mw units have superior beam quality but they did not reach.The 40mw Evo Pro did....the difference was not subtle.God, I love this laser.And the original AA cells are still in it.It is like wicked read my mind when they designed this rig...I hate the lithium batteries because of the high cost, and at the power I wanted AA cells are a good minimum.C cells or D's would be even better, but then the laser gets huge.That might be ok for 250mw but for 40?Nah.

As a side note.The core I ordered last year had the black powder on it I have seen mentioned in some other wicked reviews.I cleaned it and tested it before giving it as a present to a friend.It was a great 5mw laser with a really tight beam...it was hard to pass on!!The Evo Pro I got was spotless.No black stuff and the factory took some ESD plastic and made it into a slip on dust cover for the aperture.It slips on and off so well I store the laser with it covered.An actual hard plastic lens cap would be a nice addition for more worry free pocket travel, but I never pocket mine.I am just really anal when it comes to optics.

The only criticism I could add is that wicked should include some instructions on battery loading and use.That is a fairly serious omission that cannot help noobie types at all.

 

[Deleted member 8382]

Good to hear. I would like to see if they change the button style according to my complains... xD

 

[nikokapo]

As a side note.The core I ordered last year had the black powder on it I have seen mentioned in some other wicked reviews.I cleaned it and tested it before giving it as a present to a friend.It was a great 5mw laser with a really tight beam...it was hard to pass on!!The Evo Pro I got was spotless.No black stuff and the factory took some ESD plastic and made it into a slip on dust cover for the aperture.It slips on and off so well I store the laser with it covered.An actual hard plastic lens cap would be a nice addition for more worry free pocket travel, but I never pocket mine.I am just really anal when it comes to optics.

The only criticism I could add is that wicked should include some instructions on battery loading and use.That is a fairly serious omission that cannot help noobie types at all.

Yeah, they fixed that too. Other members complained about the same thing, glad they worked that out. Too bad they didn't fix the battery insertion instructions, that is such a critical problem which could be easily fixed by adding a simple sticky paper inside the barrel...

 

[bryce007]

Good to hear. I would like to see if they change the button style according to my complains... xD

Yea, it is kinda hard to push, but I guess that could be a good thing also, so it doesn't get bumped on automatically.

Yeah, they fixed that too. Other members complained about the same thing, glad they worked that out. Too bad they didn't fix the battery insertion instructions, that is such a critical problem which could be easily fixed by adding a simple sticky paper inside the barrel...

I'm having trouble picking a battery configuration that I like. Regular AA's don't last very long, Energizer lithiums are too expensive, Lithium-ion rechargeable have low capacity and need a spacer. And NiMH batteries are only 1.2V. Which battery configuration do you guys prefer?

 

[ProjMan]

Does anyone actually have a reference or citation for this FDA exemption rule that styroawesome is talking about?

The FDA is accepting lasers which meet IEC standards as legally acceptable. IEC rules are less stringent than their CFR counterparts. Earlier CDRH guidance indicates that shutters and emission indicators are not required for Class 2 and 3a devices under certain circumstances.

Laser Products - Conformance with IEC 60825-1 and IEC 60601-2-22; (Laser Notice No. 50)

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Medica...onandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/UCM095303.pdf

 

[nikokapo]

Yea, it is kinda hard to push, but I guess that could be a good thing also, so it doesn't get bumped on automatically.



I'm having trouble picking a battery configuration that I like. Regular AA's don't last very long, Energizer lithiums are too expensive, Lithium-ion rechargeable have low capacity and need a spacer. And NiMH batteries are only 1.2V. Which battery configuration do you guys prefer?

CR123a's do the trick. But of course for best capacity you should go with a single 18650.

I don't know about you all, but I'm still using the very same batteries that I used on the video and the laser still works at max power.

 

[bryce007]

CR123a's do the trick. But of course for best capacity you should go with a single 18650.

I don't know about you all, but I'm still using the very same batteries that I used on the video and the laser still works at max power.

I was talking about for the Evo pro, so the 18650 and 16340 won't fit. Yea, I didn't get much run time out of my first set of AA's. Maybe I'll try another pair, or some energizer lithiums.

 

[cistercian]

I get rayovac alkaline AA for 1 dollar for 4 cells on sale at the local grocery.The on sale price recently went up to 1.25.So 50ish cents for a set.The energizer lithiums rock hard, I use them in emergency LED flashlights and my amateur radio handheld.But the price is too high for laser fun.Read some reviews on AA alkalines and you too will buy what is on fire sale!!!
I hope this helps.I can sum up what I have learned thusly:there are some very off brand cells that suck.Where I live, I have never even seen them.Paying top dollar for energizer/duracell is a waste of money unless they are on clearance.Only buy cells on sale, and look at when they were manufactured.
Buy fresh ONLY.Don't leave them in the unit for long periods of time either.ALL cells are capable of leaking, with the incipient damage.
Use ordinary alkalines.They work, and they are cheap.If for some reason you need huge runtime, nothing beats the lithiums.(of course, your bank account will hate you).Good luck!

 

[cistercian]

Yea, it is kinda hard to push, but I guess that could be a good thing also, so it doesn't get bumped on automatically.







I note the button on my unit is not feather touch, it takes a deliberate press to activate.(trust me my Casix are sinister light touch to turn on!!!)Button pressure is so subjective I hesitated to mention it before.

 

[RA_pierce]

NiMH rechargeables should be fine.
These should have drivers that actually work (unlike cheap DX lasers) so even though the voltage is <1.5V it should still work.
The same is true for the CNI pens. I got equal performance from Alkalines as I did from NiMH, but the latter lasts longer.
Sanyo Eneloop batteries get good reviews and they are available at Costco ans some electronics stores.

I get rayovac alkaline AA for 1 dollar for 4 cells on sale at the local grocery.The on sale price recently went up to 1.25.So 50ish cents for a set.The energizer lithiums rock hard, I use them in emergency LED flashlights and my amateur radio handheld.But the price is too high for laser fun.Read some reviews on AA alkalines and you too will buy what is on fire sale!!!
I hope this helps.I can sum up what I have learned thusly:there are some very off brand cells that suck.Where I live, I have never even seen them.Paying top dollar for energizer/duracell is a waste of money unless they are on clearance.Only buy cells on sale, and look at when they were manufactured.
Buy fresh ONLY.Don't leave them in the unit for long periods of time either.ALL cells are capable of leaking, with the incipient damage.
Use ordinary alkalines.They work, and they are cheap.If for some reason you need huge runtime, nothing beats the lithiums.(of course, your bank account will hate you).Good luck!