Where have you heard it breaks down? How many complaints? Again, alot of laser issues reside in the technician repairing the system. Your right it's a 1064 unit, very simple system. It's decent, but I've dealt with issues of software changes that may have had an effect on how the user wants to use it. I would make sure that the system is going to function the way you want it. Cynosure will let you do trial runs with systems if they think you may buy. Try it out. If a tech has to come out during that time, you know something may be off with the system.

What if you are a customer? 44y F, fair skin, some sun damage, some pigmentation, some wrinkles. Lots of BS out there. This site is fascinating and would love to hear what you recommend to your mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends, men.

I am from Ontario, Canada.I am looking for someone who can repair Candela laser machines.I am having a very difficult time. If anyone has any input please email me.

Leon,
I apologize for offending you with my quick writing without thinking. You absolutely are right that it is very important to have an educated technician. Someone like yourself with a background knowledge as extensive as yours would be great. I was not trying to take anything away from your profession. I do have to say you don't have to tear other people down to bring yourself up. Your knowledge is much more powerful than that. I did have the pleasure of meeting Integrity Laser. And if you want a knowledgable tech call them. Very good service And Leon I hear you are too.

"revise last sentence."And leon I hear you are a good tech too.

The Smartlipo and new MPX Smartlipo are marvelous products. I have the Smartlipo 10W system and recently upgraded to the 18W version. I have had zero service issues for over a year now.
I recently had my flashbulbs changed and my technician was great to work with. The Cynosure customer service center was extremely helpful and the tech was on site in less the 24 hours. Cynosure has been nothing short of outstanding to work with.
I recently added the MPX with the accelerometer to my office. What a wonderful piece of technology. The accelerometer is an ingenious invention. I have many Cynosure products in my office and have been a loyal Cynosure supporter for the last 4 years.
I must say the service and quality are far superior to any other aesthetic laser company I have dealt with in the past 10 years.
I would not believe what you read or even attempt to use a third party service. Third party services make a lot of wild claims and can’t produce. I have a few older products in my office from other competitors and had the misfortune of being burned by third party service, specifically the one bolstering his name on this site. He uses inferior parts; he is improperly trained, unprofessional and does not understand the latest technology. Third party services give zero warranty on parts, service and the quality of service they provide. I’ll stick with a major company and their properly trained staff, such as Cynosure

Lipodoc,

Would you agree that the addition of 1320 nm to smartlipo (MPX) is admission that Coolipo was probably a better product to begin with? How expensive was your upgrade to 18W?

If nothing else one has to agree Cynosure had an ingenius marketing idea on laser lipolysis, which after all had been around in the rest of the worlld for a number of years. It looks more and more like other laser companies have come up with better laser lipolysis since Smartlipo but Cynosure still has the lion's share of the market.

This kind of marketing ingenuity is the kind Medsurge employed a number of years ago to become a dominant laser dealer for a few years. There are lots of complaints about them elsewhere on this forum. My lesson has been 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware) all over again.

My decision at this point is to stick with US manufactures including Cynosure, which brands quite a few European products, but not any one of them exclusively. Because of my Medsurge mistake in the beginning, I now own lots of lasers including several with different US manufacturers. They are local, they do thier own marketing direct to the consumer and you can't beat a customer coming to you asking for aspecific product.

Cynosure adding the 1320nm to MPX is a very good question. Cynosure has a 1320nm in their Affirm multiplex product line, which I also own; it too is a fabulous product. No real service issues for two years.
My own observation is Cynosure added the 1320nm to dominate the market place in the laser lipolysis world. However the other lipolysis companies want to spin the addition of 1320nm to the MPX, Cynosure’s MPX is simply the better product and they all missed the boat. I had a demo Cooltouch because they beg you to take it for 2-3 months, it doesn’t compare to an MPX. The Cooltouch is similar in results to my 18W, but I prefer my 18W for portability and ease of use overall.
You can have the best of both worlds with the MPX multiplex option; no other company can offer this. No competitor can touch the MPX. I agree the technology has been around for years, But Cynosure has taken it to a new level. They're a very aggressive and smart company. My hats off to them. They know what the market wants and they deliver it fast.
I'm enjoying the partnership with a great company and I'm happy with Cynosure transformation in last 5 years. They're a pleasure to deal with these days.

The 18W upgrade was part of my purchase with the MPX, so the price is diluted from the real option price.

lipodoc,

I have been researching laser lipolysis for some time. I do not think that Cynosure has the corner on the market they have just done a better job with their marketing strategies. Sciton has a 1064 and will be getting the 1319 FDA approval soon. The Sciton also has more power available for both the 1064 and the 1319 than Cynosure.

There are new wavelengths available to include the Palomar 924/975 multiplex type system. If you look at the studies 915 to 925 nm wavelengths have a much better absorption in fat than the 1064 or the 1319. They are also working on a 1210nm which is better for fat absorption and may be able to pass through the skin.

So this is far from decided. At this time, I think the 1064 and 1310/1320 may fall to the side as better wavelengths become available. When you talk to the "experts" not a single one can tell you that one wavelength is better than the other. It is all based upon anecdotal evidence. Right now i would have to give Palomar the benefit of the doubt as they have done the most research looking at different wavelengths for the best treatment. Other companies have just used their wavelengths (i.e. 1064/1320) that they had available. Its the old scenario I have a hammer and everything looks like a nail.

None of the other companies have truly looked at other wavelengths at this time. I do not mean to sound negative toward you as you have had a god experience with your MPX system but the big question is what wavelength or wavelengths are the best. In the long haul it may just come down to user preference and your experience with the laser you own.

Another guy hiding behind a made up name. Lipodoc why don't you say what practice you work for, and provide some sort of paperwork for all to see that you even had a visit from me to your office to do work. You can't, plain and simple, because I was never there. For all we know you could be another Cynosure employee posing as someone else just to tow the company line. I am in contact with every single one of my past customers at some time or other for advice, parts or service. I actually call my customers to see how things are going, shocking isn't it. If your claims are true that my parts are subpar and my services are terrible, why is it that I maintane around 100 different lasers for various clients from all over the U.S., and they continue to express great appreciation for what I do, and I have yet to lose one still in business. They actually have something to base their opinions on, such as bad service from Cynosure, and various other 3rd party companies. I am nothing but honest with all my customers as to what I can and can't do for them. It's only common sense and good business to do so. Obviously some parts have to come from Cynosure and some come from other vendors, but if these parts were bad wouldn't laser owners have ended the possibitliy of 3rd party repair service putting them in their lasers after being burned the first or second time we tried to use them and the laser failed to work??? You must not understand how business works, because I've been servicing only specific lasers for several years, and my business is growing leaps and bounds and I have yet to look back on my paperwork and find ONE single customer who hasn't continued to utilize my services after I've come to repair their laser.

The fact is, lipodoc, that I have NEVER implied that I work on the newest Cynosure technology, such as the smartlipo, nor have I attempted to work on one. I've only had 2 requests to do so, not what I call a lucritive laser to repair, or getting training to repair right now. I do know that I just recently had a new cusomer very unhappy with Cynosure, invite me to his office to inspect his Elite and he was pissed at the fact that the upgrade for the smartlipo to the 18w version was a $45000.00 upgrade. Don't act like it's no big deal to upgrade that thing, it is to many who bought the smartlipo only to find out that Cynsure jumped the gun on releasing the product only to find ouit that they sold an inferior product, hence offering the higher watt upgrade. The technology of the Smartlipo isn't rocket science. I've serviced hospital lasers that were 10 plus years old that could do the same thing. Many who know what they buy know it's just another solid state yag laser that's doing what yags have been made to do for years, using it for lipo is just another type of tissue to treat.

The fact is that I would never have done work for you lipodoc because I don't work on the smartlipo, never have. If your making claims that I serviced some other product line, or older product from another vendor other than Cynosure, would be a flat out lie. I only work on other OEM lasers for customers out east who were loyal to me after my work at GE, who forgot about them after my departure with the company, I've been servicing these hospitals lasers for around 8 years now. Since GE I have never fixed any other companies lasers other than 2 customers, one with a broken chill tip on a diode laser, and another who's staff broke the water fitting, whom I made it clear that after leaving the office would not guarantee any calibration or other extremely important things involved with the safety and use of the laser because I wouldn't attempt to do so due to lack of training on their specific laser.. The truth is, I don't work on any laser unless I've been trained on and can provide full service on. Not to say that some parts aren't exclusive to Cynosure, which you just buy from them, but on the lasers I work on very few parts can't be had by THE actual vendor selling to them or from another making the same thing.

Again, my customer base speaks for itself. I need not say anymore to defend myself against people who hide behind made up names, making claims they can't back up.

Anyone cosidering the smartlipo should do some reading. Many published articles coming out from the medical field are questioning whether the laser lipo is a gimmick and if it even gives any different results than standard lipo procedures. You have to ask yourself why if it defintely is different would doctors and various persons in the practice question it and not embrace it. It definitely was a great marketing idea to bump lipo procedures. If you think this is too far fetched, ask people about their Cynosure celulite laser, the Tri-Active.

Lipodoc, I bet I know more about the practice you run, and the clinical side of what you do for your patients, especially with lasers, than anything you know about the technical side of lasers and repairing them, or how and what all the laser wavelength differ and work to treat.
Lasers have Flashlamps, cameras have flashbulbs.

If anyone questions what I say, ask yourself why If I was out fixing lasers I had no ability or training to fix, would I come on a public forum for all to see and lay it out that I am not the end all be all laser guy. I only repair specific Cynosure models and a handfull of customers that I accept on a case by case situation, and that's it!!!! This is all I offer and business is booming. I will be adding other lasers, but only if I get the proper OEM training and can offer only the best service I can. I am not doing laser service for a quick buck. I enjoy working for myself and what I do so much that I would be a fool to think that I could continue to do what I do If I was out screwing over everyone.

Thank You

does anyone know any personal who would like to take over payments on my Cynosure Affirm. It is the multiplex, affirm handpiece and XPL. The machine works like a dream but I cann't afford the lease. My lease is $1,698 not including maintenance. Also doesn anyone know where I can purchase the laser hand pieces. Cynosure wants alot of money for them.

Please let me know.

Cindy, what hand pieces are you looking for?

Photonic Services,LLC has been involved in the repair & maintenebce of medical lasers since 1982. We are former Lumenis & Cynosure service engineers.
The Elite, Cynergy, Affirm and SmartLipo lasers are our specialty. We are world-wide and make great attempts to be a cost effective resource for the doctor/spa/laser owner. In many cases we can respond in 24 hours for your service needs.

Last message typo:"maintenance"

Additionally: We can upgrade your 12 watt SmartLipo to 18 watts for half of what Cynosure charges

Scary thing about the laser service/repair business is there are alot of people claiming they can do it, and most won't turn down a job, even if they arent' trained or familiar with the equipment. Theres alot of things you can learn when dealing with this field, unfortunately it might cost you alot of money finding out who is for real and who isn't. During internet searches or Cynosure repair I've come accross websites for businesses who seem like legit businesses and come off as having a TEAM of service people ready and waiting to help you, only to find out that it's one or two guys tops. I've found many technicians claiming to have training, only to find out that they are self taught, got ahold of a manual or someone else trained them, who knows just enought to make them dangerous. Alot of these so called Cynosure professionals claim to sell parts, only to find out that they aren't to spec. You think your saving alot of money because they're cheap, only to find out that, something like handpiece lenses or windows are burning up at an alarming rate, which causes stress on the laser. Some of Cynosures ex employees are out there trying to repair systems as well, myself included, except many are poorly trained, have poor work ethic, don't have established parts vendors, and are in it for a quick buck, with no interest in a future or the laser customer. I was just in to service an Elite that was previously serviced by Cynosure current employees to find that the laser energy was reflecting off of the shutter mirror into the metal bracket of the internal energy detector, and not the detector itself. This caused the laser to require it to produce 100j / cm2 for it to read 40 j / cm2. It destroyed the fiber putting that much energy into it, as well as overworking the power supply and the laser altogether. This isn't the first and only critical problem that I have found caring for customers laser which had previously been serviced by experienced technicians. Sometimes it's a matter of hiring cheaper labor vs experienced ones, and providing proper training. Wtih all the options out there some even with a background with Cynosure or other companies. It's not easy to decide, and sometimes it becomes a costly lesson to find out who's who. Sometimes it becomes a matter of how much cheaper one guy is than the other, which is really a bad idea. There are enough people out there desperate for a buck that they'll undercut anyone just to get the job, and then they leave you with sub par work.
Most technicians fix only the problem at hand and as soon as they see the laser is running again they bill you and leave. I used to service many of these same techinicians lasers when tehy were working for Cynousre, so I know the condition of the lasers and quality of work, same with many of the so called businesses/technicians claiming to support these lasers with almost no knowledge or experience to do so. When I service a laser I point out everything I do ,and everything that wasn't done before, that should have been done.

I have a degree as a laser technician, with over 12 years of laser technician experience. The last 4 years of service has been on Cynosure lasers almost exclusively, I don't want to know a little about every system. I want to provide the very best service on specific systems, and have done so succesfully. A service person can pick and choose customers for referalls from any service they provided, and for any piece of equipment they serviced. My references come exclusively from repairing Cynosure lasers only. I can give references from one of the largest if not the largest spa in America to a small practive in a small midwest town. I don't expect anyone to believe or trust my service, but only to give me the chance to earn it and not just provide service on a piece of equipment, but to build a relationship, where we can support the growth and interests of each others businesses
Thank You
Leon L.
INDEPENDENCE LASERS
608-287-4750

Leon;

Thank you so much for repairing our 12mm and 15mm handpieces, at half the price that Cynosure had charged me in the past. I was very pleased with your rapid turn-around time, and the quality of your repair. I was also pleased that it was easy to get a hold of you to discuss our situation. Thank-you.

I am nearing the end of my first warranty year - and Cynosure is pressuring me to enroll in a Service Contract. I have the Apogee Elite. Their price is $10-12,000 per year for the service contract. Is this worth getting? My repairs thus far have been one laser fiberoptic cable and 5 handpieces! And the warranty did not cover the handpieces.

Thank-you in advance for your reply.

Julie McCallen MD

[this post has been edited to correct a name. Jeff]

Whoever told you the SmartLipo has problems with breaking down...does NOT know what they are talking about. 1064 is very reliable...regardless of who makes it. I have had my SLipo for 2 years and chose not to get warranty the 2nd year. I saved myself 6k...since I never had a problem.

I live in eastern Canada, and Iam looking for a good and reliable tech to service my Elite. I appreciate anyone's help.

Doctor Cynthia
Would you email me the specs on your laser. I know about the Apogee b/c we have worked with it for the past 10 years with great results. But I think I have worn out the machine. I will hopefully know after I talk with Leon. my email address is betsylud@sbcglobal.net.
Thank you

Dr. Cynthia
Please contact me about that Elite. I would like a bit more info and maybe we could help one another and get that sold.

As most know buying a used laser is a huge investment with alot of risk. If your buying a used laser be sure to have a qualified technician look over the machine before purchasing. In many cases your better off either buying from a private seller or a technician such as myself. I have sold systems as well as help sell equipment for customers and have zero problems with those systems to date.

What most aren't aware of is that many used laser sales companies do not employ qualifiied technicians to do a truly qualified job inspecting a system before selling. All of these companies give some type of warranty because a system like the elite is reliable enough that even if it's not working the best it can it will run long enough before failing to get the reseller by and the warranty is up. Then when you call them for support your stuck with them telling you they don't employ technicians for repair service and the refer you to whoever will take the job. Once the sale is done they wash there hands of the situation. When buying from myself it's in my very best interest to make sure the system represents the type of technician I am, which means my reputation is on the line. I provide the same service for customers looking to buy from private parties. I work on the buyer, the seller and my own behalf to assure one thing and that is that when I inspect and service a laser that it remains working as close to new condition as possible. Again my reputation is at stake with every service I do. In many circumstances the seller will either pay or share in paying to have their laser checked.

Be aware also that many used laser sales companies also do not carry in stock the lasers they sell and have little to no history of the equipment they sell. They take a picture of a leasing company wharehouse full of equipment and when it comes time to sell one they dig one out that fits the price your willing to pay and the one that makes them the most profit.
The lasers I sell, I have serviced and I have spent enough time operating to know how the system performs. Usually I can attain a service history as well, whcih tells me what type of service troubles a system has faced and what may need service in the near future.
Some will hire Cynosure to inspect the laser, whcih in my experience means very little because it's not in there best interest to have someone buy a used laser over a new one from them. Not only that, I know from experience that Cynosures technicians get paid no matter what type of job they do. I've not come accross one that spent enough time cleaning and evaluating a laser taking the best interest of the customer to heart in doing so. They fix the problem at hand and head for home as soon as the paperwork is signed.

Be wise with your hard earned money.

Thank You
Leon L.
INDEPENDENCE LASERS
608-287-4750

My former partner and I have owned and operated over one million dollars worth of this brand of equipment over the past seven years and I can verify that what Leon is saying here is the absolute truth. Service agreements, warranties, spare parts availability and qualified service technicians for the various laser companies can be extremely difficult issues and a great deal of money (and often lost time from operation) is at stake.

I can also state that Leon's work and diligence have been excellent. He is highly experienced and he is a straight shooter.

If you don't think that hiring someone such as myself is important, or buying a laser from just anyone is a good idea. Remember if it's too good to be true, it is. If your at all concerned about buying a laser be sure to have a qualified technician inspect it. Ask for references as if you were hiring them as your own employee. Don't assume the manufacturer is going to do right by you, especially when your asking them to inspect a laser before you buy it. You should ask yourself where there interest lie. Chances are that if your willing to save alot on buying used, your probably going to hire someone like myself to save money when you need service. The manufacturer knows this and they'll take your money for sure, but do you really think they want to help someone who didn't buy a new laser from them? I guess if they know they can get a contract out of you for $10k a year. Don't always assume the manufacturer hires and trains well either. Many companies hire people with no laser degree or backround at all. If you don't think that's not important, ask yourself would you trust your lamborghini or ferrari at Ernies auto. You can train a monkey to swap out parts, but you can't train a monkey how to align a laser if they don't understand laser theory or have any laser schooling, and that's not enough if you don't know how the manufacturer accesses the service mode of a laser or knows how the laser should operate and under what pirameters. I'm not saying you can't get lucky and find great deals from some of these sales companies, but it's the highest risk your taking when your listenting to a salesperson and not your gut. I know it's hard to pass up a good deal, but good deals don't always end up good deals. I would recommend reading some of the various horror stories on the internet about some of these resale companies. The biggest offender Med1online sold alot of lasers and it took alot of time for them to go bankrupt from there shady dealings. I am going to have a few unhappy customers of resales companies post on here. Remember most of these sales people will saying whatever it takes to sell you and even with a short warranty the odds are on their side, and in many cases so is the law because it cost you a fortune to pursue them legaly and the law isn't always about who's right.
If you bought a used laser and didn't have a qualified, certifed tech with specific training on your system it might be time. You could be causing long tem damage to your laser.
My interests lie in my customers. Without them, I'm nothing. Can you say the same for a laser sales company who doesn't have anyone to service your laser after the laser is sold. Sure they can refer Cynosure or some stranger who may know nothing about your particular laser. Once the laser is sold, there done with you. They know that if your buying a cheap used laser from them, chances are your not buying another anytime soon and on to the next customer.

If you have a Cynosure laser, and some others for sale, I will help you sell it. If you are looking for a laser to buy, I will help you find a good reliable one to buy. One I can put my name on, and return to do basic maintenance and supply consumable parts to you for. If you have used Cynosure and Candella lasers, or broken units I may also be interested in buying these. If your laser lease is up on these lasers, call me I may be interested in buying out the lease.

Just don't be foolish with your money.

Leon Liebl
Independent Lasers
608-287-4750

One more thing I failed to mention about buying a used laser. Be very careful and cautious when a sales company is advertising very low laser pulses. I've come accross quite a few Apogee Elite lasers 2005 and 2006 and newer with claims of less than 100,000 laser pulses for both 1064 and 755. Although this isn't completely impossible to find an older laser like that, it is extremely rare. I just recentlly did work on a gentlemans Elite that was an 05 model and he was the third person to buy it, and that was 6 months ago. When I went to take a look at it the laser pulses, which are different than the pulses on the lamps was showing 50,000 give or take on each wavelength. That would mean that since 2005, which makes that laser approximately 6 years old that each owner had bought the laser used it maybe a half a dozen tiems and then sold it and then the next guy did the same and so on. The only way that your laser pulses could be that good is if both laser pump chambers were replaced, which was never done on this laser and it was sold as a almost new laser. This isn't the first laser I've come accross which was highly suspicious. I've come accross at least a dozen.
What these salses companies and the persons whom they have working and hire to inspect the lasers for sale have found out how to zero the laser pulses and then add pulses to it up to as low a count as thwy want and then sell it as a barely used laser. This is why it's important to do your homework on used lalsers. all the lasers I sell come from past customers or I've researched the lasers history to find who worked on it and what had been done, as well as laser pulses.
What is happeneing is essentially like turning back a car odometer. It's illegal and if you suspect this may be what happened to you, one thing you can do is contact Cynosure with your serial number and ask for a record on your laser, such as laser pulses, how many lamp changes were done, or if your either pump chamber had been replaced. They may or may not help, but they should.

I am so grateful that I found this information. Leon, I wish I knew of you sooner. I will be calling.

Before I do, I feel it imperative that I tell you my experience. I have been working in the spa industry for about 20 years, I have been a tech and I hold many certifications and licensing in two states, I held corporate positions with both equipment and skin care companies, and for the last five years I was an owner of a laser center and spa. I purchased a cynosure apogee elite brand new from cynosure in Oct. 2005. Like you all said they promise you the world when it comes to support before you purchase, however, they have truly been disappointing. I absolutely do not recommend them. The first year, I needed to repace hand pieces and the fiber optic, not too bad right, only about $3,500 in maintanence, but really...if the laser was brand new, why, how, could it be possible to already have to invest in repairs? The second year, I had to pay for two maintanence calls, about $7000 in repairs. As many of you said, they were over priced and some what unprofessional. They would only take care of the issue that was called about, which was fine, I guess, but all I asked from them before they left was to check the laser over and tell me what might need replacing next so that I could start saving...each time they said all was fine. I had no reason to doubt them, until on the first visit of my third year, when I called for service and it took someone almost three weeks to come out. They told me that if I purchased a warranty ($12K) I wouldn't have to wait for repair anymore. So I entertained that thought while he pulled off the shell of the unit and we found a bundle of semi wet paper towels stored in the unit towards the bottom. They had been there for 6 months since the last repair guy! A bundle of wet paper towels! Why? I asked and he played like it was normal. I can not imagine why that would be normal. I paid him $3300, but I felt like that was worth finding the paper towels, who knows if a fire would start or something worse. Then, about two months later something else went and he needed to come again, we waited two weeks, ( paid another $3300), so he really pushed the warranty this time, saying it would really save me money. He was trying to do me a favor by getting a payment plan established for me, 4 months of $2500 payments. The warranty payments would be more than the laser lease payments. By the way, this all happened in 2008, while the economy began taking a toll as well. Then, two weeks after that visit, the laser went down again! We waited again, but this time he told me that he replaced something on one side but not the other, he didn't really take responsibility but we only had to wait a week for repair that time.

Everything seemed to be fine for about 4 months, then the cooling unit went down. I called for repair on Monday and was told someone would be there by Friday. We waited but no one showed up. Then they said they would be there by Monday, but no one showed up. Then when I called to complain they said that I owed them money, and that they could not schedule repair until I was paid up. I thought well, maybe I missed a payment so I asked them to send me the invoice, and what they sent me was an ongoing invoice from 2005. So I called and asked why they sent the entire history, they then told me that I owed for the entire history!!! Obviously this was absolutely not the case, but they were rude and disrespectful, just terrible customer service and would not believe me. I told them that I could prove all the payments if I had to but how could they not have my payment history.

I was a main technician and the business owner in the middle of busy season and I was refused service until I proved all the payments since 2005. But the worst part was that no one would return my calls or emails to discuss the situation once I did have the proof. They said that they were very busy and I was not a priority, since my laser still worked and told me that I could just laser clients without the cooling unit. Unbelievable!

I was without laser hair removal business for 4 weeks and lost a lot of business. In fact, I lost a total of 10 weeks of laser business in 2008 waiting on Cynosure to repair my laser. I finally ordered the part from another company for my cooling unit, they were fantastic, they over nighted the part that I needed and walked me through the repair. I paid only a quarter of the price Cynosure quoted. I just wish I didn't wait 4 weeks to call another company. By the way, while we were removing the old part from the cooling unit, yet again we found an oddity. This time we found a part on top of the main part taped with electrical tape. At this point I KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cynosure was a shady company. We never had the cooling unit repaired, so that part that was taped with electrical tape came from cynosure. They must have sold me a used cooling unit. I paid $135K in 2005 for new equipment, but they sent me an obviously repaired, used cooling unit, and frankly, I feel that the laser must have been used as well, it couldn't even make it one full year without repair. If a company charges $135K for equipment, you would think that the equipment would last at least 3 years without needing major repairs.

For those of you who are curious and wonder just how much I used the laser, I owned a small 3 room spa on the 4th floor of a medical building, We were open only 5 days a week, and the laser was only 1/3 of our business. The laser operated on average about 6 hours a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I would say that we would be considered average on the usage scale.

I am talking in past tense because I closed my business a few months ago. Most might say the economy has taken its toll on many small businesses, however, in my case, I believe that had I not lost 10 full weeks of laser business and not gone through that horrid experience with cynosure, my business might have had a different outcome. From experience I know that distributers and manufacturers are suppose to do what they can to help their client, for it benefits them as well. The CEO of Cynosure should be ashamed. They actually make a decent laser and combined the technology with a great cooling unit, this combination is better than most for hair removal. I can only assume because they know that, they act this way. They must have forgotten were they started from. I would rather work with less of a laser (less expensive as well) and have a higher quality customer service. If I were to do it all over again, I would purchase a yag 1064 seperate laser from a company with a reputable customer service and try to negotiate a warranty, and purchase a smart cool cooling unit from Zimmer directly.

I am not saying that my experience with cynosure caused me to close my business, but it was one small factor in my decision process. I know that I may sound a little bitter, but really how could I not?

I think that it is important for you to know that I am very happy with my new career and I do not regret my decision. I am writing this just to share my cynosure experience and I sincerely hope that no one else goes through anything like this. If nothing else, perhaps you could negotiate a longer warranty if you do purchase a cynosure laser.

I would also keep in touch with Leon. He sounds extremely knowledgeable and legitimate. He would not put his name or business on the line, I'm sure of that.

Best of Luck!

DD
I hope to hear from you soon.
Curious what happened to that laser.

I find now that times must be tough for Cynosure as they are trying to compete with the drop in prices on the used market by offering so called " demo" elites for $65k or less. Then I find out that there 3 years old, which is technically not a demo at all. It's used, and if you know anything about the type of jarring and abuse travels can be on a piece of equipment like a laser, you know what I mean. You also have to figure that if a laser is being used by many many different spa offices, and Dr.s who don't own it, most people don't take good care of things they don't own or aren't paying for. It's unbelievable but I meet many laser owners who either themselves or the hired help don't every learn what to do and not do with this equipment to assure it stays in good shape. Many use it until it is dead in the water. I would also be concerned with buying a demo from any company claiming to have loaned out the laser for 1 or more years only having 50k or even 300k pulses on the laser.

I had a dr. in Washington DC who faced collections because of Cynosure, no not even a call from Cynosure furst to find out or discuss what was going on, but they hired a collections company. turns out that every dye kit she bought in the last 4 years never got paid for. She filled out the credit card approval form like everyone has to and it turns out that years later Cynosure never charged her, and then decided to check the books and put that all on her, plus a $5k late charge.

Another guy just called me because Cynosure sent the tech out several times to fix his Photogenica Vstar and after several visits failed and concluded it was beyond repair. So he purchased a friends to use and now Cynosure came at him with bill for the parts and service for the laser they couldn't fix. Typically any smart company would have just removed there parts and left with no charge. Which is the right thing to do.

There is another gentlemen from Maine who I did work for that has a story as well. I'll let him explain.

Thanks
Leon

This comment has been removed as a business solicitation. Individuals may use the classified section of Medical Spa MD to post personal items for sale. Businesses wishing to post on Medspa MD must apply to become a Partner through the link above.

Unsure about Cynosure

Several months ago we decided to investigate adding fat removal/reduction procedures at our practice. We attended training sessions, at our expense, and reviewed state law. It became apparent that adding these procedures would be an expensive and lengthy process because of all the new equipment we would need to purchase and because of the many MB rules and regulations. We also started researching what equipment we would purchase: Laserlipo, Smartlipo, Vaserlipo, etc.

As you all know, taking time out of your office to travel for training can be very expensive: loss of income, airline tickets, hotel rooms plus the cost of the training itself. So, we decided to purchase a used machine to "train" in our office at any convenient time. Then, when we felt comfortable with our abilities we would buy a new machine and keep the used one as a back up in case of a problem or breakdown of the new machine.

We searched online and found a used Smartlipo (made by Cynosure), with low mileage, for an extremely low price. I was amazed at how cheap the used Smartlipo machine was. We bought the used Smartlipo and we have been using it in our office on friends and family members and we hired a trainer to come to our office 2 times.

We were almost ready to purchase a new Smartlipo from Cynosure and we wanted to purchase some marketing material. Last week I called Cynosure's main office, 978-256-4200, talked to Lori (who was very nice) and explained the situation. She said I would have to talk to Chris Aaronson, the Regional Sales Representative, at 800-886-2966 x 440, to purchase marketing material.

On 5/29/2009, I spoke to Mr. Aaronson by phone and explained the situation: we purchased a used Smartlipo to use for training, we intended to purchase a new Smartlipo in the next few weeks (we are currently in the paperwork phase with our bank to secure a line of credit for the machine rather that a lease), we intended to have 2 Smartlipo machines, one for backup, and I wanted to purchase marketing material to be ready to fully promote the new procedures. Please note that I wanted to pay for the material and pay to promote their equipment. We have never asked nor received anything free from Cynosure.

I was shocked by Mr. Aaronson's response. He said, because I bought a used machine instead of a new one, he would not, in any way, help or support me and that was Cynosure's policy. And, no, I could not buy marketing material. I reminded him that i was in the process to buy a new machine and he said he heard that story all the time. He also wanted to know why I would want 2 machines.

Now I know why my used Smartlipo was so cheap. Imagine a new car dealer who refused to service or support their used vehicles. Beware buying a new piece of Cynosure equipment because it will be difficult to sell if you need to upgrade. You will owe more than what the equipment is worth.

But there is good news. After a little searching I found I can buy the marketing material elsewhere (cheaper), I can get the machine serviced locally by an independent service tech (cheaper) and I can by a newer, but used Smartlipo for about half the price of a new machine. It was nice almost doing business with Cynosure.

Perhaps Mr. Aaronson and Michael Davin, the CEO, can explain to Cynosure's shareholders why the stock price has gone from about $26 a share a year ago to about $7 a share today.

Just be careful with whomever your using as that 3rd party repair guy. I've found even the trained Cynosure guys out there are terrible, some have no schooling or theory on how a laser even works. The other 3rd party guys are even worse because they may possiss a service manual without having proper hands on and training which is very important..

Leon
Independent Laser
Cynosure laser, IPL repair, sales etc.

Leon,

Thanks for the good advice. I

Leon you are a clown. If your trying to get work do it. Do trash your former company to look good.

Rob

First of all WHAT????

Second of all, I know who you are and where you do service and for whom, past and present, which could have something to do with why your defending your employer, and are insulted that I have little respect for the type of techinician they employ.

If you read all of this thread, you'll see that I'm not stating anything different than what everyone else on here is stating, THE TRUTH!! I never said that my ex employer was terrible all the way around. They do build an excellent laser, the Elite. Not all of the guys working for them are crappy technicians, just that alot of them are underqualified and underpaid I might add. I also have been in this business a long time and understand the mentality of many who do this line of work, and when your working for the company with low pay and little incentive to do a good, or better job, most don't care about anything other than the paycheck at the end of the week. Face it, that's the way many employees are. Now when your invested in your own company and can only succeed if your offering something more to customers than everyone else is, or everyone else is claiming to offer, you tend to care alot more about what happens to your customers after you sell them a laser, or service them. No matter how big I get, or how many customers fill my work week, I, uinlike most companies, still care, and still realize that under no circumstance is it acceptable to lose even one customer for any reason.
If I built my business off of nothing more than negative comments on some obscure website, I wouldn't survive very long. If all it took was posting and saying negative things abouit a company to aquire customers, then there would be alot more people out there doing what I do. The fact of the matter is that I sell myself through word of mouth from others, and good customer relations, and the only reason to say anything about anyone else in my line of work, is to warn people of how easy it is to fall pray to all the lying cheating conmen in this business. Believe me, I am thinking of starting a web page of my own where people, who identify themselves honestly can come on and state facts about all the do it yourself repair guys, and companies, who are out there selling bad parts and claiming to be able to service these expensive pieces of equipment, and believe me there are alot of them.
Not all my competiton is bad. If I need someone to help me out with customers I can honestly give them the name of another laser tech/business that is the only other guy I know that is qualified to work on Cynousure lasers, and I would be glad to give that business name to anyone that calls to ask me. If you don't buy parts or service from me, I'd be happy to see you go to him instead of the rest of the conmen out there.
I guess in a way I do say negative things about how others conduct business, not for the reason you state, but in order to make people aware of what they should look for when dealing with this industry. I don't ever want to be clumped in, or associated with the likes of those companies or technicians. Those who operate by lying and selling parts or service to those who have put their trust and pay there hard earned money, to later find out that they were scammed, deserve to know who those people are in order to make a decision as whether to give there business to those people. The other people to be aware of are those who offer lasers for sale and promise the world, and like a true salesman, will say, and sometimes do anything to make a sale. They sell a laser that they purchased from god knows who, sight unseen, don't even take the time to have it shipped to them to inspect, or service it for the sale, and they ship it from the person they bought it from to the naive person who bought it, and then they later can't figure out why it needs service right away or they're having problems with it. The buyer themselves would never buy a car sight unseen, but for some reason they buy a far more espensive laser that way from someone who doesn't even inspect it themselves before selling it.

Heres a helpfull laser note. If your handpieces have new lenses or windows that you purchased from a 3rd party and after putting them in your handpiece, during a long procedure the handpiece gets very warm or even hot, DISCONTINUE USING THEM!!! Your using parts that are not wavelength speciific, or are just cheap coated glass. These optics not only burn 5 times faster, in the long run costing you more to replace, but they also block the energy coming out of the handpiece, whcih makes the laser have to drive the high voltage power supply harder and at higher voltages, causing overheating and premature expiration of the power supply. You also run the risk of burning up your handpiece lens, which in turn could burn up your very expensive fiber. You might think your saving a few bucks, but in the long run your causing unnecesary strain on your laser and parts. Theres one company in particular, with a website selling these extremely cheap windows and handpiece lens rebuilt kits. Every customer I have ever had that has stated there lenses/windows burn up fast or the handpiece gets hot, I've always asked who they buy there windows from and give them the name of the company I suspect, and have never guessed wrong. If you think that by calling them to resolve the issue is going to get you the right parts, your wrong, it's all they have and they'll send you the exact same thing again. I had a customer do just that, and the last time I was there he stated he couldn't hold the hanpiece when doing a back treatment, again I knew he was still using that companies parts. Sure enough he was, he said he sent the others back and was told he must have been sent the wrong ones, well he was, and they sent him more of the same. I also had the pleasure of following up behiind this company at a 40 plus spa corporation and can say that not only are the parts no good, but that spa got billed out on lasers that still weren't working properly after this company did supposed service.

Leon L.
Independent Laser
Cynosure Laser/Ipl handpiece repair
sales, and parts
608-287-4750
IndependentLaser.com (coming soon)

Anybody who can provide repair services for Multiplex Affirm and Cynergy in the San Francisco Bay area? Please call 510-289-1697

Cynosure Elite Apogee....in need of repair! Does anyone know someone in AZ!

Heres a few things to think about when buying used lasers, no matter what your buying. I have stressed many important issues concerning the very high profit laser resale industry and it just isn't sinking in when the almight dollar is taken into consideration, meaning, the honest sales/service companies, and there are very few, cannot compete with a strictly sales company who is running what amounts to a high profit equipment rollover company. When I get calls from new buyers in this market, the one red flag that seems to be overlooked is the one that should be going up when a company is promising super cheap high quality, low shot count lasers. I know there are very few super low shot 3 year and older lasers out there for sale, yet I get calls all the time about someone looking for a service guy to inspect some too good to be true super low use system. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT IS!!!!!! When the company also is selling 3, 3 year old lasers, all are just umbelievably low use, for a mere $65,000. How can you even be upset when later on your constantly broke down. They tell you that the reason that they are selling so cheap is because they have too many lasers and need to clear them out, (pretty much lies). Oh but they offer you a warranty or extended warranty for a full year. What good is it if the laser is broken and your losing revenue, or if the company is being sued or is heading for bankuptcy? Many are and most don't even know it. Oh but they sold me a laser before and when it broke too often they replaced it with a new one. That to me should be of grave concern. Your not getting a new laser your getting a replacement for the junk you bought, to get you to the end of the warranty, and then what???? This is what they do.

I've also discovered that in this extremely dishonest industry, that there are alot of sellers who have been sued, shut down by the banks, and pretty much had to close due to the overwhelming fact that their bad reputation finally did them in. Well if you think that these bad guys are no longer in business, YOUR WRONG!! The same crooks who worked for the companies that were screwing over their customers are now operating under different business names claiming to not be affiliated with their previous employers. Do you think that you can trust them? Somehow I don't believe that if you worked in sales of lasers for a company that was screwing over the customer, that they were completely uninvolved with any wrong doing. I believe many of these same people are working seperate, in disguise of the fact that they are functioning as the same company. Many of these people are operating out of the same State/area. You can find these cheap lasers and the crooks selling them on ebay and other places for $20k or $17k, with the same explanation. They came from a huge inventory, or spa that is selling off alot of the equipment. In which case, how well would a huge spa have done keeping their equipment in good condition as the business is spiraling in the toilet. NONE!! They all run the business and the equipment right into the ground, doing patch work repairs just to get by.

Keep this in mind when being cheap, and going for the best deal you can find, despite common sense. When this happens, sure some of us who are running an honest company may get work repairing this stuff when it fails, it's still not enough to sustain a profitable business. So when the good guys no longer can compete with the quick profit guys, and are forced out, and then all that's left are strictly sales companies and a bunch of subpar service companies, there will no longer be good used equipment or people to repair them. This great product will fall to the wayside to only be replaced with something else, and your back trying to find who makes that something else that will be as good as that cynosure Elite you once had, and then the cycle starts all over again. The market has alot of good lasers, the get rich quick guys have huge funds and schemes to get your money and squeeze out the good guys and so on, etc, etc, etc......

I am glad to help all who need help with these lasers, but he more junk that's out there, the fewer and fewer guarantees can be made on keeping them running, even with new, quality parts. It's becoming a huge risk for myself to put power supplies in an elite that no one knows what the true shot count is. I give warranties and provide new power supplies, but if a laser has possibly millions and millions of pulses, I can't guarantee that the pump chamber won't eventually burn it up, or itself, or both. Theres alot of stress on this stuff when that happens.

When and if you call to have me inspect someone elses lasers for sale, unlike my lasers, and my customers lasers that I sell, I can only inspect and determine that the laser is working to specifications, or close, which there is a big difference between working like new and working to spec. I can check laser pulses and try and determine If I think that the laser has been changed to reflect less pulses than it has, but I can't know for sure. The only way that you can is call cynosure of get a history of service from the seller, which will be close to impossible for most. Cynosure may be able to tell you what the pulses were, but that is only helpfull depending on how long ago they serviced it to make a comparison. If a 4 year old laser had a million pulses on it 2 years ago and now it's showing the same or barely over that, the only way this possible is if someone messed with the shot counter or a new pump chamber was installed, for which I would ask for proof of service of such an item. If the seller did the work themselves you can almost guarantee they either didn't put one in or they put a used one from another laser in it.

I know right now that while typing this, there will be many, out there who are signing a sales agreement for bad equipment, thinking, it won't happen to them. I also know that many won't even find this to read it, and many will discredit what I've said because I only have financial motives for saying what I've said, which I'll agree is partially, true. I'm trying to stay in business like the next guy, just doing it honestly.

Leon L.
IndependentLaser.com
608-287-4750

Every day I find out something new and usually absolutely frustrating. I called a medical equipment seller in Minnesota on behalf of a prospective laser buyer. He was interested in buying a laser and was going thru his options, including one of mine, when he came accross a seller on ebay. I called this seller who was advertising a 2007 Elite with YAG: Lamp: 131,108, Pulse:121,327; Alexandrite: Lamp: 11,901, Pulse: 11,070. This is a newer laser, but a 2 year old laser with this low of shots should be a red flag. Well I called to investigate. When I asked for some sort of paperwork to verify the shot count, the seller stated that wasn't possible, even though this laser was a 1 owner laser before they buy. Maybe they didn't ask the owner for the info, but should have. I asked who services these units and was told there were alot of very qualified people they hire. Well if your on this site you know that finding a good technician is difficult. Even doing a search on the net will tell you there aren't many of us out there and out of the ones out there, not many who know what they are doing. I asked for names of people who would be doing my service after their whopping 30 day warranty expired and they skirted the question, not once but multiple times. He told me someone who had been let go from Cynosure was doing service for them as well. I asked if they were certified by Cynosure and he said no. How is that possible? Every employee, if trained has certification. When I asked what about those hard to get parts like power supplies and pump chambers, and again I was given a not very assuring answer. I asked if the owner would have to pay 3rd party prices because no vendors have these parts and I was told, Yes!!! This should be a concern to all, a power supply 3rd party pricing is 3 times what Cynosure charges it's customers. Power supplies are about $10k plus and pump chambers are $18k plus. I was then told "we have people who redo pump chambers for lasers", that sounds good, except for the fact that no one advertises or has ever been found by myself or dozens of parts vendors out there that I know of. I asked why they don't advertise because of the demand for these parts and was told that, "these guys are too busy and can't handle the work they have." That's like saying that you can't use more business or money and are passing up profit. What company does this? Wouldn't you expand to accomodate. Though they didn't specify they did the Cynosure pump chamber, either, when asked directly. These lasers don't just burn up pump chambers left and right, and if serviced properly, should be long lasting. If this vendor is real and are that busy, then what kind of junk lasers are these sellers selling, and how qualified are the people working on them.

Another huge concern I had was when he stated that, "we have lasers out there with almost 2 million pulses on them never being serviced the whole time. HOLY SH..! is all I have to say. He stated that, "the manufacturer only tells it's customers to do lamp changes and things to make money, and that's all!!!" This is absolutely proof that these guys no jack SH.., about lasers. If this is the mindset of the seller, where did it come from? The service people they hire. If this is what they honestly believe, whoever buys a laser from these guys and then has service done by one of their so called qualified techs, your in trouble. If you run your laser past the recommended shot count of the lamps, what happens is the laser power supply has to ramp up more and more over the overall life of the lamps, which in turn pushing it to work hotter and closer to the max output of it's capabilities. Will it run? Sure, but what do you think your doing to the power supply? It's like driving your car at full speed, all the time. Unless you have a ferrari, what would happen? BOOM!! Cynosure has noted in their laser warranty and service coverage that if the customer exceeds the shot count, that the warranty is null and void. Not so they can make more money, but so they aren't loosing money. They found that they were replacing power supplies far too often in lasers that were being used past the recommended usage. It was costing them money on that end. The little bit of money you think your saving or making off of several thousand more pulses on lamps will be nullified by the thousands you'll pay for a power supply. The issue of handpieces lasting even a million pulses without rework, is also a red flag. Just because the laser is working, doesn't mean it's working efficiently. If your handpieces have pitted lenses in it, don't just look at the window, that means that energy is being absorbed by the damage to the lenses, which should cause excessive heat in the handpiece. As it absorbs energy, less reaches the calport, which means again the power supply has to provide more voltage to the laser in order for it to make up for the loss, which also is causing excessive heat and wear to the pump chambers as well. If you don't know this, the pump chambers have o-rings in it that seal up water flow tubes. Excessive expanding and contracting causes the seals to break down and once this happens, it will leak and destroy the reflective coating and then must be replaced.

Beware who you buy from.
A salesperson will tell you anything to make a sale. Just because they sell lasers doesn't make them any different than a used car salesman, and in many cases it's worse.

Thanks
Leon Liebl
IndependentLaser.com
608-287-4750

I have a 2007 smartlipo without any cannulas or fiber cables or any or the accoutrements needed. Does any one know where I can get these other than Cynosure?
I also have a Cynosure Cynergy with an error code E34-Low delivered dye energy. Can you help me to fix it?
Please call 516 692 5153 or Email me. I am in Nassau County, Long Island, NY

My e mail is Suedonym12@aol.com.

Sue

Alright, it's time for me to post here.

Leon L. did some work for me, and expected to see a post from me, but I just haven't done it.

Why haven't I posted?
Two reasons:
• Superstition - If I say the machine is working great, I'll jinx myself.
• Lousy business - I'd hoped to get a good number of post-repair miles on the thing before posting, but it just hasn't happened yet.

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Executive Summary:
Leon L. is an obsessive compulsive, demon-driven small businessman, who won't quit until the job is done perfectly,
...and all that stuff he says is right on the money.

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I've got an Apogee Elite (755 / 1064) that I bought from Cynosure a few years ago.
Due to the fact that I'm a lousy businessman, and the accursed economy, my machine is truly one of those models that has sat more than it has worked. That means I'm flushing money down the toilet every month, but with current prices, I could sell the unit tomorrow, and still owe one lung to the bank, so I keep it. At least my wife and her hairdresser look good.

As I said, I used this machine lightly for a couple of years, well past the expiration of the original warranty.
One day, I got an error message, so I called Cynosure for repair.
The tech who came (after a couple of week's wait) was very pleasant, but I could see confusion in his face when he took the cover off. He played with the machine for several hours, clearly becoming more and more frustrated, and more and more lost, as time passed. Finally, he pronounced it unfixable without a $1,000 part that he didn't have with him, and left it completely inoperable, whereas it had been somewhat operable when he arrived.
I searched the net, found this site, and called Leon L., with whom I had a long conversation, which made clear what the problem was.
Leon came over to our place, spent about eight hours on the machine (without lunch), fixed it, and got it adjusted as perfectly as I can imagine it could be. He looked over the whole machine, found a few other minor faults which he also repaired, and charged us a reasonable price (less than Cynosure, especially since we didn't need that new part), and we've [knocking on wood] had no trouble since.

There are a tremendous number of details I could go into regarding this experience, but I'll spare the readers, and simply say that my experience confirmed the information in posts by Leon and others above, which show that Cynosure hires poorly trained techs, who may do more harm than good to your machine, and that they will try to sell you unnecessary parts and service contracts.

I was very impressed with Leon's knowledge and his patience in completing a very subtle and painstaking job.

I would recommend him without reservation.

I prefer to remain unidentifiable to internet bots, and so avoid using specific information about myself in listserv posts, but Leon has my contact info, and I would be glad to speak personally with anyone who is considering hiring his services, and to show them my shop if they're in the neighbourhood.

Thanks, Leon!

- A doc who's disgusted with the beauty business

I have 3/4 of a million dollars in cynosure lasers. Here is the bottom line.
Don't go near this company! My level of regret cannot even be expressed. Put simply, I have had to purchase lasers to replace the cynosure ones in my practice. 1. The Affirm simply does not do what they claim. I will not even sell Affirm treatments anymore because I simply can't take patient's money for an ineffective treatment. Plus the number of refunds I have had to issue do to no results is rediculous. Understand, that this is NOT an issue of operator error or undertreating...as verified by cycnosure themselves. 2. The service offered by cynosure is non-existant and the trainers are, in my opinion, incompetent. Period! The Elite, when it works, does a decent job but you can get equal or better technology from companies with proven track records for standing behind their equipment and who have excellent reputations for customer service and training. Once you have been sold, or in my case I feel scammed, you are on your own. I taking legal action and will comment more once my lawyer advises me further. For now I would sincerely encourage anyone considering doing business with this company to do your homework!...and when you think you have reviewed all the facts do some more digging! Don't speak with the people the sales rep wants to put you in touch with, instead call clinics that have the technology and tell the physician or owner you are considering buying and would appreciate their thoughts on the company and technology. No physician or business owner should have to go through what I have.

Unhappy owner,

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with your Cynosure lasers. Cynosure service is truly falling apart. If you need someone to service your lasers please contact myself or Leon. We are two ex-Cynosure technicians, I know that we can take care of your lasers and get them back to running order. We will provide you with the service and support that you expect from the manufacture.

Dee Greene
Integrity Laser Inc.
Service@IntegrityLaserInc.com

Unhappy owner

The affirm issue seems to be an overwhelmingly repeated sentiment from all who have spoken to me with their concerns. As far as the Elite laser, that I can't deny is an excellent laser, but due to poor manufacturer relations and incompetence, many owners are feeling as though they are left with little to no support. Another problem with lasers in general is the fact that almost all laser owners will tell you no matter who you buy from, that almost all if not all laser manufacturers lack in their customer support and do not take care of their customers after the sale, but instead eye up easy profit off of steady repair, most avoidable if the laser was checked and proper preventive maintenance was done during regular needed service.

If you need service on the elite, hiring a proven technician will provide long lasting, trouble free laser operation, I guarantee that to all my customers.

Thank You

IndependentLaser.com
Leon L.
608-287-4750
Laser Sales, purchasing, repair, parts, and Ipl handpiece service.

Leon, can you please call me -262-787-5400. Would like info of service. thanks.

if anyone here needs my help, please read and call my number. I try to look at this website often, but for the quickest help, you must call me. Posting your info alone, will only open the door for alot of unwanted unqualified technicians calling to try to convince you to hire them.

Thank You

I am going to limit alot of the info I know about these lasers as well as helpful hints and info, because other companies are stealing it and using it to try and convince unknowing laser users that they are for real and really know these systems.

I deal in laser sales, specifically Cynosure. Realize that price should be the last deciding factor when purchasing lasers and I can give you a whole lot of contacts that will verify that used laser sales is risky. What good is saving a few thousand dollars if after the warranty expires you start realizing a whole lot is wrong and your laser needs handpieces rebuilt and other issues which aren't covered under warranty. I refurbish my lasers and rebuild and replace parts and offer my lasers in almost new conditon. Other sales will not and you won't know it, because you won't know what to look for or at to inspect many of these things.

If you decide to buy from someone else, yes I can inspect the laser, but no one, and I mean no one will know for certain if the shot counter hasn't been reset and if so how many pulses the laser truly has. If you've made a mistake and bought a laser and have realized it's got many problems or may have issues i will do my best to resolve the problem.

Thank You
Independentlaser.com
Cynosure laser repair, sales, parts, and Ipl repair.
608-287-4750

Leon,

You need to come clean on how you were fired due to stealing company service inventory and then using it to run your own business on the side. Alot of ethics there!! PS you were never a very good tech either and were only certified on 2 machines due to your inability as a tech. Also, you haven't been certified on any of the recent equipment either. CAVEAT EMPATOR

Dear Bob West;

Do you really think that matters to the doctors and business owners that have been basically scammed by Cynosure??

We were told we were buying the best from the best. Clearly not the case.

I don't know you and I have never met Leon, but I have met 3 of Cynosure's repair technicians, and every word above written about them and Cynosure as a company is unfortunately true. I say "unfortunately", because I am sure we would all have rathered it not be the case. It was nice thinking (and feeling) we were buying the best from the best, as we were cutting that $100,000.00 PLUS check out to Cynosure.

There is a clear lack of integrity. Have you even read the thread?

Do you know trainers on cynasure apogee elite?

By far the best Laser on the market is EpiCare LPX by the founder of Alexandrite tech Light Age by far

Spa owner

I know a trainer for you. They wrote the clinicals for Cynosure before they also had a falling out. Cynosure actually utilized this company to train as well as they provided with the sale of their lasers all the clinicals for their lasers. If you would like that info please email me.

As far as Bob West's comments. I tell everyone that I had a falling out with Cynosure which led to them letting me go, which happened while I was led by them to believe I was picking up a laser in Chicago and while I was told they knew nothing of a laser pick up at the location I was led I was met on a rode in the vicinity of that business by two of lasers so called regional managers and pulled to the side of the road to tell me that I was being let go, which I already knew and was prepared for. I was no longer interested in working for a company that treated their customers and employees so poorly. How was I able to pull of stealing so many parts if that's how they met me to let me go? They took the van I just picked up a week ago when they left, as well as all the tools and parts that I was allowed to carry. So how was I able to walk away from a van carrying, from your viewpoint stolen parts when two of Cynosures guys were there to supervise my drop off at a rental car place, which they paid for the car to get me home? You know nothing and speak out of the same end you defecate from. Cynosure never let us carry parts stock because at that time parts were shipped to the customer overnight prior to all service calls, which can be validated by all customers on here. The only parts I ever carried was maybe one set of lamps and some optics.

I was experienced on many lasers prior to working for Cynosure, some were there own lasers, but they had to still certify me to make it legit, which was the worst training I ever had from a laser manufacturer ever. I had better training from Laserscope back when I was employed by GE Medical. If there was ever a laser that I didn't have training, it was due to the fact that Cynosure released lasers for up to a year prior to bringing technicians in for any type of training on them. I have training and experience on many lasers, as well as real world experience. The only reason I am as good at the Cynosure lasers as I am is not because of the training I got, it's because of the schooling I have, as well as the hands on experience and actually be a technician who cares more about the customer and doing the job right, and unlike many of Cynosures technician, just fixing, or attempting to fix the problem at hand and running out the door so they don't miss the flight home, or drive home. For your information though, I have training by cynosure on several lasers, and proof of this. I have training and certification on the Mini -V, V-star, Apogee 9300/6200, Acclaim 7000-New and old look. Apogee(elite style), Apogee Elite, Smartcool chiller, which is identical to Zimmer and all units like it.

Of course i don't have training on the new Cynosure lasers, how could I, I haven't worked for them in a couple years, besides no ones buying them in this market and you can verify this as fact when you check Cynosures on stock value and sales numbers that they make public for investors. Not only that I had some work on the affirm while employed by cynosure and I can't find one end user that's happy with the results of treatment versus Cynosures claims. The new MPX Elite is nothing but a problem for Cynosure and that comes from the mouths of their own employees. Besides what do you think is going to happen when you stuff a chiller in a laser, which produces tons of heat on top of what the laser itself produces? Anyone who owns the two seperate units will vouch for that and some of the problems they've had because sales sold them lasers and never informed them of the importance of room size and having an independent control over the temp of the room to keep temps at a tolerable lever for the laser, staff and customer. One more thing that I've spoke to doctors about and had thought through based on my schooling and knowledge of lasers is, how treating with a low power pulse of a wavelength that is the exact opposite of the wavelength required based on skin type can do anything more to provide better results? No matter what claims are made by manufacturer or Doctors who get benefits for their so called unbiased feedback, like cheap lasers and services and free use of lasers, common sense tells smart people something stinks, but I'll leave that up to smart people to do their homework on laser claims.

Why anyone from Cynosure needs to come on a website to defend the truth based on all these customers experiences, makes no sense. Where theres smoke theres fire, right. Professional business don't handle customer problems by defaming it's customers and people who are doing nothing more than offering a responsible alternative to them. How I could possibly run my business for years much less several months is obsurd. I have proof of being paid by Cynosure well past the time we parted ways, so if I stole anything they had full opportunity to asses the situation and give me opportunity to return whatever I had of theirs or be charged and have my pay docked, which never happened.

Apparently I'm a huge threat for a mighty company like Cynosure that the only way to make it right for their customers is to come on a website and make false claims and accusations and discredit everyone on it. If there was just a few unhappy customers who were that small percentage of people who just complain, this posting would have died a long time ago, and I would have never gained exponentially the number of people I have who require honest service or reliable used lasers to purchase. I would not exist if there was no, or a very small demand for someone to offer what they feel the manufacturer and the industry fails to offer. I shouldn't have to explain to anyone at any business, especially Cynosure, the basics of business, which operate under the same rules as I do, the most important is "you have to have supply and demand" IF NO ONE WANTS YOUR SERVICES BECAUSE THERE IS NO NEED, OR YOU ARE VERY POOR AT THE SERVICES YOU PROVIDE, YOU WILL FAIL, PERIOD!!!!!

Heres something else for you to chew on Bob West. I truly believe and learned at a very young age alot of how business works. One important thing is, if you hate your job and don't believe in the company that employs you or their ideas, why quit? You quit your job, you get nothing in return, other than a stressfull situation financially and a stressed job hunting situation. Now if you let your employer fire you, you collect an unemployment check for several months, which you earn by all the time you put in being employed. I've been working, sometimes two jobs since I was 14 years old. It also afford you the time to find a job with someone you want to work for, not someone who is hiring now, or like my situation, afforded me time to establish a profitable business for which I'm in control of my own destiny. If I am not doing the right thing as an Independent laser techinician/sales/businessman, unlike a large company with better financial means, I will fail, and quickly.

Another thing I learned in my younger years is, one of the most uncomfortable, depressing feelings is when a company lets you go and your left with nothing, even after years of service. I decided when i had the means to do it, I was going to assume full control, or as much as possible of my own destiny and financial well being. If I fail now and don't change with the industry, I will be the only one to blame and will end up working for another corporate business who cares more about the bottome line than the people. I could survive, but when the company folds and the top people walk away with multiple houses and a huge retirement and savings, and I am left with nothing, what will I have to show for? nothing. I watched my Mom and Dad both suffer from what years of loyalty got them, FIRED!! Why? Financial reasons. They both cost too much to keep their jobs. Both were in their later years of life and left with little option in the job world, serveral years before they could afford to retire, and right after the government and business, out of greed, allowed everything to crash and devestate their retirment 401k plans and so on.

The only reason I work on only specific lasers is because you can't offer the best service if your out trying to fix everything for everyone. I have enough experience and schooling I too could go out and put lamps in lasers and do repairs, but if I don't have experience or the means to do calibrations or even enter the service menu of a laser and do the appropriate maintenance, which is what many in this industry do, how can you offering the best service possible? The answer is you can't. Could I make huge profits running business like that, of course. It wouldn't take long for lasers to fail and when you don't have the answers and do what many repair people do, take the money and leave the customer hanging, how long would it take for your reputation to catch up to you? It might take years, there are fools born every minute, but for most sooner or later you would be looking for a job. Just look at some of the laser companies who went out of business lately, why do you think that is? Poor business practices, including selling junk lasers and repairing lasers without proper experience or training.
It comes down to an old saying "Jack of all trades and master at none" My name isn't jack and I don't claim to be the answer to everyones laser problems.

Heres a helpfull statement for all those out there looking for a laser. Med1online (which went out of business, do your research as to why, there is plenty online) Well realistically they aren't out of business. They are now Escrow Laser. Many companies out there get sued or scam people till they can no longer do so, they file bankruptcy, close that business, and make people believe they are no longer around, then they reopen under a new name. They do it as often as possible, fooling many.

I'm not here bashing anyone. I am here to say if you've had problems with the manufacturer or other 3rd party repair service, like many have, i offer you my services and guarantee my work and parts. That's it!! I'm here to help and will never make you feel helpless or hopeless when it comes to helping you with your laser problem.

If anyone wants to confirm anything, I have long lists of names of customers who employ me to do work for them, and who have bought lasers from me, who will back me up with everything I say, and provide 100% confidence in the services I provide.

Thanks
Independent Laser
IndependentLaser.com
Leon L.
Owner/Technician/Sales/Parts
Cynosure lasers, IPL, Candela
608-287-4750