- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
- Messages
- 478
- Points
- 28
Hey guys, I just wanted to share my experiences with WL.
I had seen ads for wicked lasers before, but I never had the money to buy any of their products, nor could I justify buying one. But when I started college in September 07, I received a pair of generous government grants for my education. Being a Photonics Engineering student, I now had both the money and justification to play with lasers. So I went back to WL and bought a nexus 95mW. It arrived in the mail and I was very pleased to find that WL had sent me a Fusion 125mW because the Nexus's were out of stock.
But both myself and my parents were concerned about the laser's brightness. I decided it would be worth it to get a pair of safety goggles. I checked eBay first, and found a user named zonestealth that was selling affordable and stylish looking laser safety goggles. I bough a pair of 532nm goggles, and when they arrived, there was no end to my burning, melting, and pointing enjoyment. A few of the guys at school had played with the laser as well, and they decided they wanted one for themselves.
Of course, nobody could afford the $500 for a Fusion, and so when WL started their Christmas sale, we decided to go in and buy a Christmas 4 pack of <5mW Evos, one for me and one for each of three friends. The lasers arrived, and they all worked great. Then, one by one, they stopped working. The first one stopped after about a week, the next one two weeks after that, a third a month later, and then mine died shortly after the 3 month warranty ran out. I asked my friends if they had dropped them or if they got bumped around at all, and three of them had basically the same story: The laser was placed in a drawer, then a few days later when it was taken out, it simply didn't work anymore. The fourth laser died because the button on it simply stopped moving. Completely. It was as if it fused itself to the case, even light taps with a hammer did nothing to loosen it. I shipped the first two lasers back to WL for replacement, and they were sent back again in working order. However, I had to pay import taxes and duties on them when they came back. I remembered that WL said they guarantee their products arrive without taxes, so I inquired about it and apparently that does not apply for replacements. When the third laser died, my friend shipped it back himself, and we are currently waiting on a replacement to arrive. My laser died a few days after the warranty ran out, and I decided that I didn't ever want another WL product, including a replacement for my broken laser.
I found LPF in the time between ordering the Evo's and receiving them. It was then that I went from being a laser noob to a laser enthusiast. 4 out of 5 of the lasers I bought from WL failed in under 4 months. My Fusion still works great, but every time I take it out of the drawer I worry that it might not turn on ever again.
I tolerated the high prices. I tolerated the flashy ads and annoying videos on the homepage. I tolerated the total internet censorship on their forums. I put up with all the crap that WL threw at me and they still let me down. Thats one more person who won't ever buy from WL again.
- Event Horizon
P.S. Don't buy from zonestealth either.
I had seen ads for wicked lasers before, but I never had the money to buy any of their products, nor could I justify buying one. But when I started college in September 07, I received a pair of generous government grants for my education. Being a Photonics Engineering student, I now had both the money and justification to play with lasers. So I went back to WL and bought a nexus 95mW. It arrived in the mail and I was very pleased to find that WL had sent me a Fusion 125mW because the Nexus's were out of stock.
But both myself and my parents were concerned about the laser's brightness. I decided it would be worth it to get a pair of safety goggles. I checked eBay first, and found a user named zonestealth that was selling affordable and stylish looking laser safety goggles. I bough a pair of 532nm goggles, and when they arrived, there was no end to my burning, melting, and pointing enjoyment. A few of the guys at school had played with the laser as well, and they decided they wanted one for themselves.
Of course, nobody could afford the $500 for a Fusion, and so when WL started their Christmas sale, we decided to go in and buy a Christmas 4 pack of <5mW Evos, one for me and one for each of three friends. The lasers arrived, and they all worked great. Then, one by one, they stopped working. The first one stopped after about a week, the next one two weeks after that, a third a month later, and then mine died shortly after the 3 month warranty ran out. I asked my friends if they had dropped them or if they got bumped around at all, and three of them had basically the same story: The laser was placed in a drawer, then a few days later when it was taken out, it simply didn't work anymore. The fourth laser died because the button on it simply stopped moving. Completely. It was as if it fused itself to the case, even light taps with a hammer did nothing to loosen it. I shipped the first two lasers back to WL for replacement, and they were sent back again in working order. However, I had to pay import taxes and duties on them when they came back. I remembered that WL said they guarantee their products arrive without taxes, so I inquired about it and apparently that does not apply for replacements. When the third laser died, my friend shipped it back himself, and we are currently waiting on a replacement to arrive. My laser died a few days after the warranty ran out, and I decided that I didn't ever want another WL product, including a replacement for my broken laser.
I found LPF in the time between ordering the Evo's and receiving them. It was then that I went from being a laser noob to a laser enthusiast. 4 out of 5 of the lasers I bought from WL failed in under 4 months. My Fusion still works great, but every time I take it out of the drawer I worry that it might not turn on ever again.
I tolerated the high prices. I tolerated the flashy ads and annoying videos on the homepage. I tolerated the total internet censorship on their forums. I put up with all the crap that WL threw at me and they still let me down. Thats one more person who won't ever buy from WL again.
- Event Horizon
P.S. Don't buy from zonestealth either.
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