Wicked Lasers Haters Club ?

[SenKat_Stonetek]

Not HATTERS...although I think they sell ballcaps !

Okay - here is an open invite from me - someone who always hammers for PROOF, etc for claims...
But here is your chance just to reply to this thread - tell me what you think...I am curious !

You don't even have to post if you don't want to - you can simply vote.

If you post - keep the flaming to a minimum - there will no flame backs because of what you post by ME - and hopefully others will see this as an attempt to actually grab some good data on the legendary WL haters... I just want to see what some of you answer !

Perhaps...with everyone's permission - I could edit the obvious BS out of the comments, and send it WL as a shopping list of things to look at to improve ?

My FUN part of the laser hobby has been to help folks out - individuals, or compaines, whomever needs help...simply because that is me. Maybe if we keep the criticism constructive, then we can actually help to mend some of the bad issues that may exist.

If you have bought you WL product second hand (whether the first owner said it was new or not) make sure to add that info in your post....it actually DOES matter

Thanks - and folks, play nice...I know I am asking a lot of some of you - but there are enough choices in the poll to make this work - leave the nasties in the other threads you wish to pollute with that stuff, and be CONSTRUCTIVE here.

*****FICTIONAL POST*****
I voted NO
I bought a WL core direct from WL - and I was not able to mod it to 500mw with a paper clip and Dentyne-chewing gum.
I think WL should make it so the Core can be modded to 500mw !

****END FICTIONAL POST****

Yeah, THAT was silly - but you see my point, I hope ?

 

[Murudai]

The only thing I don't like about WL is the combination of their high prices and their advertising. Anything that lures people in to spend lots of money without telling the whole truth doesn't get my favour. Though I will admit that it is pure genius. Even if I don't approve.


But I actually do like the products Case in point, things I bought off Wicked Lasers:

- WL Fusion 125mW
- Lens cap set for Fusion
- Dragon Case
- WL CORE 5mW
- Sonar Case
- Sport Elite Goggles for red
- Lasershades for green

And I don't regret any of those purchases. Only maybe the Fusion, after finding that there is similarly powered lasers for cheaper. But it is still a beautiful laser, very good quality and it's favorite, I can't wait for my power meter to arrive so I can test it

And the CORE. Best damn 5mW greenie on the market! It's so bright, and so well built. Anyone looking for a green laser for pointing and presentations should seriously consider the CORE

 

[MarioMaster]

Like: products, effort put into webdesign

Dislike: forum, prices, underpowered units (if you buy something as expensive as a spyder it should at least PEAK into spec)

 

[SenKat_Stonetek]

Okay - nice post...can you state how you think they can fix whatever you don't like ? And keep in mind, this is supposed to be based on your experiences, folks...not jim-bob's down the creek from you

Like I stated - I am curious to see reasons, and hear what you think they should do to fix the issues you may have outlined in your post...

 

[Murudai]

The way I see WL at the moment is they sell quality products, but they restrict your view of the wider laser market. You go on to their site and you think 'Wow, these products are great. Since it seems no one else sells such good products, I'll take these' (That is actually what I thought when I first went on to the site!).

And by doing that technique they can bump up the prices and people will still pay. It's an interesting marketing technique that I have no doubt works a charm. The only problem is though it leaves a sour taste when you find out there are other companies out there that sell quality products too. And for cheaper!


Instead of trying to block out other laser companies, like they do on the forums, they should embrace the competition. At the moment they just ignore the competition and try to limit your view of lasers to just their products.

Rather than doing something like 'Our lasers are great, you won't get any better anywhere else!' they should say 'Our lasers are great, they are better than the ones you can buy off NOVA or Dragon Lasers and this is why...'.

If they are truly confident in their products and their prices, they shouldn't mind if people know about the competition. Because if they truly are the best, people will always come to them anyway, even after viewing all the competition.


So in summary:
Rather than limiting the perspective of people, they should open it up to the entire range of lasers out there to buy. Then they should adjust their prices so they can openly compete with these companies, rather than just being successful when their marketing blocks these other companies out.

 

[SenKat_Stonetek]

Nicely put, M.

 

[MarioMaster]

looks like Murudai already covered everything I wanted to say

 

[pseudonomen137]

I hate them because I have nothing better to do in my life than sit around on a laser forum and complain about a company because all the other kids are doing it these day. It makes me feel better about myself.

PS:

 

[motorider826]

I bought a core and its a great laser! Its really bright and i have not had any problems with it. Well i didn't buy it from WL, i bought it from their North American dealer, laserpointer.com, to avoid the crazy high shipping prices. So in my experiences the Core and dragon case are great and pretty darn fairly priced.

 

[MarioMaster]

it's pretty hard to make a crappy 5mW laser

 

[pseudonomen137]

it's pretty hard to make a crappy 5mW laser

DealExtreme would take issue with that comment, they're pretty good at making crappy... anything, hehe (I'm just sour because of my latest defect-ridden order that arrived from them)

 

[FrothyChimp]

I cannot say that WL should change anything about how they market. Is it what I would do? No, because I feel the need to be involved with my customers and make sure that what they get is what they need (but my company's business model is significantly different as is the clientele). But from a business perspective WL has mastered the art of separating money from eager people.

No company in their right mind would put a competitor name on their website (at least where it can be directly viewed). Why let a potential customer know who the players are? Pull the wool over your customer's eyes and pick their pocket. They are the masters.

I am reminded of the cliché: Buyer beware.

It is not the responsibility of any company to do your due diligence especially with the search capabilities available on the web. If you press that purchase button then you have subscribed to whatever they have told you and the responsibility for what you get is yours, and yours alone to bear. Things would go so much better in this world if people understood the concept of personal responsibility. Instead most of the time you hear, "It's not my fault."

 

[Razako]

I don't mind what they do with their forum as much as I hate their prices. It's their forum and they can do what they want with it. If you don't like the LC forums you are free to leave at any time. I do agree that the punishments are a bit harsh at LC. If you mention rival companies on the DX forums the mods will delete the names from your post, but they won't ban you.

Their prices are completely ridiculous. Just look at the sonar II..... $2000 for a 60mw pulsed blu-ray : I recently bought an 80mw CW DIY blu-ray from someone for $150 shipped. The original Sonar is even more ridiculous. 15mw pulsed blu-ray for $1500+.......Amazing!

The pulsar is basically crap in a nice case. A $250 red laser that doesn't even have a driver=ripoff. I bought mine back when I was a laser noob and I have always been disappointed with its weak performance. Now that I have 2 power meters and both of them are saying that my pulsar is 20-30mw underpowered I can safely say that I was ripped off. I don't believe the "it was damaged in shipping excuse" This is a red diode laser and it doesn't have any crystals or optics to get knocked out of place. It seems like WL simply labeled a 105-110mw pulsar as a P125. An honest company like laserglow/opto would label it as a P100 and the buyer would then be happy with an overspec laser.

The spyder II BX? Where do I even start
Tem 03, 6mm beam diameter(WTF LOL), inconsistent output and a $1,699 price tag. I pity da fool who buys a spyder II bx instead of a spartan BP from dragonlasers or a blue RPL 30.

All of their green pointers are actually decent and I wouldn't mind recommending them if they simply had better QC and lowered the price on all of their pointers by around 25%.

 

[lazerguy]

I don't like them because they are crazily overpriced, and they are still tricking newbies with that, they think "well, if they have high price, they must be the best!"
I also hate the censurship on LC. Well, it may be their forum, but they don't mind banning even a member with a high post count if that person will say even an almost completely harmless thing , like "The pulsar is a little overpriced." Don't ban someone for that, take it as positive criticism instead!
I didn't join LC because of this, and I am glad that I found this kinda liberal place, where you can talk freely about most things.
But they have a good side: their customer service was at least for me very good when I was going to RMA my pulsar.

If WL could improve their badly damaged reputation by sending out good, quality units, lowering their prices, and stop their harsh censurment on LC, they could be a great company. I mean, they have a good website, and I think that they will soon realise that they can't go on like this. If one person will have a bad experience with them, it will become a chain reaction: he tells his pals that they suck, and so on. So I hope someone from WL will be reading this, and taking it as constructive criticism.

But as they are now, I definitley don't like them at all.

 

[VW]

If a company can go as far as making me sceptical about their products, in my eyes it's all down hill from there...

 

[bobobob121]

i simply hate their under-spec products combined with WAY over the top prices. Their forum completely blows my mind; as last time a checked, a forum is a place where you can speak your mind.