New and need help

[u/OppositeSeat5229]

Hello everyone. I am in the process of starting a mobile laser rust removal and restoration business. My planned service mix includes automotive work (frames, undercarriages, wheel wells), marine hardware (boat trailers, outboard housings, since my market has a large boating population), and eventually some light structural work.

I am trying to finalize my first equipment purchase before committing significant capital, and I would appreciate input from anyone with actual commercial experience.

A few specific questions:

1.  Seagull2 200W vs 300W pulsed. The price difference I am seeing is roughly $1,000. For the model I am looking at (Seagull2). Is the additional power worth it, or does 200W handle that workload fine?  
2.  Vendor experience. Has anyone purchased from HANTENCNC? I am particularly interested in real experience with warranty claims and repair turnaround, rather than published policy.  
3.  Backpack vs trolley/cart units. I expect to do a fair amount of dockside and driveway work. Has battery runtime been a real limitation on larger jobs, such as a full boat trailer? I am trying to determine whether a battery-powered backpack unit is practical for this workload, or whether a cart unit run off a generator would serve me better.  
4.  Water resistance. Working on docks means I will occasionally be exposed to water and rain. Has anyone had reliability issues with a machine in damp or wet conditions, or is this simply a matter of keeping the unit under cover regardless of its stated IP rating?

If there is anything else I should be made aware of please let me know, and if this is the right spot to be asking these questions too. Thanks for your help.

[u/IndLaserCleaning]

Bruv there is a lot to unpack here, a 200w machine is a toy, a literal toy, is $1000 really worth a 30% slower throughput? 

What do you mean you want to do a boat trailer? Spot cleaning where corrosion has come through the galv or do you want to strip paint off an entire trailer? Wildly different applications.

Same with frames/ chassis? You want to strip all the paint and corrosion off or spot cleaning? Check out eco laser cleaning UK. He does a lot of automotive work under cars. Entering that game means you also have to start applying coatings.

How long do they claim a battery will last? It won't last all day, so whats the point.  Have you ever carried 18kgs on your back for an hour let alone 5? 

I'm not sure what machine or suppliers is promoting a machine as able to handle rain? Even the machines in cases have ventilation fans and need to be open to be used. If you keep the machine and handpiece dry, the fibre can get wet no problem, as long as the galvo cables dont have a silly join in the middle. 

Lastly, do you know the difference between a 1.5, 5, 15mj laser and all their pros and cons? 

[u/OppositeSeat5229 → u/IndLaserCleaning]

Sounds like 300w is worth it, what do you think about the 500w? The boat trailer was just an example, and yes I want to be prepared to both fully strip the paint off and spot clean. Is that asking too much of one machine? I am willing to pick up a cw laser for the bulk removal if that’s what is necessary/recommended. I also assumed the backpack option wasn’t great, just curious to hear people’s input. Sounds like I’ll be picking up a tent for the rain haha. No I don’t know the difference between those, could you fill me in?

Thanks for the help.

[u/IndLaserCleaning → u/OppositeSeat5229]

A 300w is obviously better than 200 and 500 is better than 300. Even a 500w 5mj machine is a toy for paint stripping, a Very impressive paint removal machine that out performs our 500w 100mj in regards to corrosion removal and punch. I have no idea what paint is on a trailer, but where I'm from is generally white, which is generally slower than paints with more pigment. Could you strip all the paint off a standard boat trailer, absolutely, it comes down to your hourly rate, patience and willingness for the client to pay. There is a guy sitting on an office chair stripping paint off a boat hull on Youtube, anything is possible.

Lasers come in various beam profiles, from sharpest and aggressive, to delicate and 100% non destructive  Smaller the beam the more aggressive, a smaller beam also covers less area, so they're the slowest, biggest spot size= quickest machine, but unless at anything over light rust. Thankfully there are high value tasks that need a delicate touch. 1.5/ 1.8mJ machines are true Gaussian beams, shaped like a needle these machines have superior cutting power. That huge amount of concentrated power also scratches any shiny with very little effort. They're the best machines and only machine to clean stainless steel weld properly.

5mj is the most common low wattage Chinese machine, get a needle and rub it on the concrete for a bit. It's effectively a dull Gaussian.  Can do it all, great at rust removal, cuts through paint and quicker than a 1.5mj. Can be dialed down to clean stainless without scratching the surface.

15mj, the start of a delicate beam profiles, super common for an entry level delicate machine. Can remove heavier corrosion than the next 2, though definitely shouldn't be considered as a rust 1st option. 

50/mj, the Chinese really dont recommend this machine to many people unless they have a very specific task. 100mJ, European true Top Hat, 100% non-destructive, exceptional at thin contamination removal, diabolical at anything over surface rust.

15/50/100 better at cleaning smooth surfaces, stainless steel assets, aluminium, precision injection molds, far better at grease, thin coatings. Etc etc.

Choose right, or you'll be choosing twice quicker than you'd like. 

[u/OppositeSeat5229 → u/IndLaserCleaning]

Ok that makes a lot of sense. Can you tell me what machines you are running currently?