LaserMax life span?

[nevadajohn]

I have a laserMax mounted in my G30.Some gun "experts" told me they are only good for a couple of hundered rounds.Does anyone know about this?

[Ben S.]

The LaserMax claim is they have tested them to 22,000 rounds. I don't know about that, but I have lots more than couple of hundred through my G36 with a LaserMax. Are you sure the "experts" are not talking about how often you might go through a battery?

[startsparKing]

Bttt

[Chase7]

Originally posted by nevadajohn
I have a laserMax mounted in my G30.Some gun "experts" told me they are only good for a couple of hundered rounds.Does anyone know about this? If they only lasted a couple hundred rds it would hardly be worth $20 let alone $300. I did hear the battery life is not the greatest with them ..but thats to be expected from such small batteries. :alien:

[kjsmith1164]

The 20 man Police Dept I work for has had LaserMax units in our G17s for a long time, I'm thinking over 10 years now. We have sent back three or four over the years, mostly because of a broken lens. quick fix. I know of only one out of 20 that went bad last year, the laser just quit working. Repairs weren't worth the cost when comparing a new unit.

We replace our batteries every year just prior to night qualification. The biggest problem with batteries will be the first year after installing it because everybody has to play with it. I've also seen poor quality holsters that allowed the laser to stay on while in the holster thus wearing out the battery. This doesn't happen with Safariland Duty holsters.

The battery caps are plastic and we always stock up on them. They have a tendency to crack every now and then. We also keep extra springs around. Last year one of our Det's had feeding problems with his G19 which I traced to a week recoil spring on the laser max.

Overall for civilian use I think you would get your money out of them. Our Dept shoots a minimum of 200 rounds per year in training and qualification. My personal G17 with the lasermax has seen thousands upon thousands of rounds well over 10,000 prolly closer to 20,000. I may have replaced one or two battery caps over the years, and it's still going.

[pack-indy]

No problem with mine...more than couple hundred rounds and ticking.

[RayB]

That's why they have a 3-year OEM warranty... :upeyes:

I put about 2500-rounds on my G21, with a LaserMax in place, using various ammos, and in all that, it turned itself on once.

We put 1500+ rounds through Judy's G19, with a LaserMax in place, without a hiccup.

Both guns have a POI about 1/4" above the dot, to the back of our indoor range.

Often as not, we now practice sans laser--except for dry fire exercises--so as not to needlessly add wear & tear, or dirty them up.

I took a friend shooting last Thursday (an accomplished shooter with shotguns & rifles), and demonstrated the LaserMax on the G19. Using a two hand grip, with hands resting on the stall's ledge, without sighting down the barrel, I sent the first round of the day 1/4" above dead-center on the bull's-eye. He was impressed, and actually said, "Wow!" :shocked:

To be objective and fair, one of the two LaserMax units ordered was defective, projecting a glowering amoeba instead of a pulsing dot. A no hassle exchange was made immediately, and the second unit works flawlessly. While a 50% defect rate does not bode well with me, the ease of exchange, 3-year warranty, and impressive performance would prompt me to buy a third unit (though I may hold my breath when I first turn it on).

Research on the product shows good reviews by LEOS: http://www.commtechreview.net/firearms/lasermax.htm

Research on the manufacturer shows them to be a major player in the semiconductor laser industry--the gun sight is just one of their products: http://www.oemlasers.com/

I like the Crimson Trace product--but not on the Glock pistol.

Recent sales of refurbished Crimson Trace grips at places like MidwayUSA, indicate that this product too, has had its defects, returns, and dissatisfied customers.

For what it's worth, I agree with most of the comments on the real-world applications of laser sights.

I happen to like the pulsing beam, as it's easy to pick up in a complex background, because the pulsing attracts peripheral vision.

I've yet to replace batteries...

--Ray

[1337-G]

My girlfriend has had one for over 7 years on a SIG 226. Nothing to change but springs (after 5,000 rounds in that gun) and batteries once or twice a year.

Don't have one on the G23.

[45acp2go]

I have put around 2000+ rounds through my Glock 30 with Lasermax and they still work just as well as round 1.

I have to admit I have the New Crimson Trace G series laser grips for my Glock 27 & 23 and I do like them better.

Several reasons:

I like the ability to turn laser off and on easier with activation button.The Lasermax is a good laser system but it is too difficult to turn the laser on & off when you need to.

Even though the lasers have the same rated output the pulsing laser on the Lasermax does not show up as well in brighter light.