Picosecond vs Q-Switched: Reading Two Tattoo Removal Specification Sections
Two tattoo removal specification sections are published on this site, and their figures look similar at first glance. This article reads them side by side, separates table values from company statements, and lists the questions that remain for an inquiry.
Wavelength sets: four numbers against three bands
The picosecond system lists wavelengths of 1064nm, 785nm and 532nm, with 755nm shown in parentheses after 532nm. The Q-switched system lists a three-band handle adjustment described by the company across 1064nm, 532nm and 1320nm, with energy figures published at 1064nm and at 532nm and 755nm. The overlap at 1064nm and 532nm does not make the systems the same: the picosecond table adds 785nm, and the Q-switched description adds 1320nm as an adjustment band. Confirm which wavelengths apply to the configuration you plan to buy, because a wavelength mentioned in a description is not necessarily a wavelength in the specification table.
Pulse width: the figure buyers ask about most
The Q-switched system lists a pulse width under 12ns, with a company statement of a shortest pulse width of 6ns. The picosecond system's table does not list a pulse width figure; its technology entry reads Yag Laser Q-switch. A buyer should not transfer the 6ns or under-12ns figures to the picosecond system: those figures belong to the Q-switched system's section. If pulse width matters to your use, ask the supplier for the pulse width figure of the exact model you plan to buy, and confirm it in writing.
Spot size, frequency and power
The picosecond system lists a spot size of 2–10mm, a frequency of 1–10Hz, and a power of 3000W. The Q-switched system lists a laser power of 1000W, pulse energy up to 700mj, repetition up to 20 Hz, and a screen of 8.4 or 10.4 inch color touch LCD. The power figures differ by a factor of three, but they describe different systems with different architectures, so a direct power comparison does not settle which system suits a use. Compare the full combination — wavelength, spot size, frequency, pulse width, and cooling — rather than a single figure.
Cooling and support entries: what is complete and what is not
The Q-switched system lists air and water cooling in full. The picosecond system's cooling entry is published in truncated form and is not completed on this site. The picosecond system lists video technical support and a 2-year warranty in its table. The Q-switched system lists a box size of 64*50*119 and a PVC chassis package. Truncated entries are not evidence: do not complete them from another system's table, and do not treat a missing entry as a zero or as a standard value.
Feature lists and company statements
The picosecond system's feature list includes pigment removal, dark circles, skin tightening, blood vessels removal, whitening, hair removal, face lift, acne treatment, wrinkle remover, skin rejuvenation, and tattoo removal. The Q-switched system's function list includes tattoo removal, eyebrow embroidery removal, eyeliner removal, melasma removal, skin whitening, birthmark removal, onychomycosis, nevus excision, and age spot removal. These lists describe intended functions. Company statements for the picosecond system include more than 30 built-in self-check points, a maintenance-free modular design, and an adaptive optical lattice. Company statements for the Q-switched system include a patented laser cavity, 16 hours of continuous work, and 16 language options. None of these are presented as verified results.
Questions to ask before ordering
- Which pulse width figure applies to the exact model you plan to buy?
- Which wavelength set and spot size range apply to your configuration?
- Is the cooling entry complete for your model, or is it truncated?
- Which certification documents apply to your model and market?
- What are the warranty, lead time, packaging and training terms for your order?
Certificates available upon request. Before ordering, confirm price, configuration, lead time and warranty on inquiry.
Related pages
What the tables do not say
Neither Q-switched table lists dimensions, weight, consumable cost, or lamp or component life. Those omissions matter for total cost of ownership: a system with a lower purchase price and expensive consumables can cost more over two years than a system with a higher purchase price and cheap consumables. Ask the supplier for consumable types, replacement intervals, and prices, and for the expected service interval. Also ask about the delivery scope: which handpieces, goggles, and accessories are included, and which are optional. A specification comparison that ignores delivery scope compares incomplete prices.
How to document your comparison
Record the exact model and configuration being compared, the pulse width figure that applies to it, the wavelength set, the spot size range, and the cooling entry's completeness. Note which figures are table values and which are company statements, and note any entry that is truncated. Then ask the supplier to confirm the documented comparison in writing. If a figure cannot be confirmed in writing, mark it as unconfirmed in your comparison rather than carrying it forward as a fact. A comparison with explicit unconfirmed marks is more useful than a comparison that silently treats every figure as equal evidence.
Questions that only the supplier can answer
Several questions about these two systems cannot be answered from the published tables. The picosecond system's cooling description is truncated, so its complete cooling method, operating range, and maintenance needs are supplier questions. The Q-switched system's energy units are published in a form that looks unexpected, so confirmation of those units is a supplier question, not an editorial correction for this site to make silently. The relationship between the picosecond feature list and the specification table is another supplier question: which functions use which wavelength and spot size, and which functions need an additional handpiece or setting. A buyer who answers these questions by inference from the other system's table builds a comparison on borrowed evidence.
Operating knowledge is also supplier-only. Neither table describes a treatment protocol: settings per use, session structure, interval guidance, or operator qualifications. Those belong in training, and they should be confirmed before the machine is put into service. A specification table tells a buyer what a machine can emit; it does not tell the buyer how to operate it well. The gap between those two kinds of knowledge is where most post-delivery disputes begin, usually in the form of an expectation that was never written down.
Commercial terms complete the picture. Warranty scope, service method, spare parts, consumables, and response times are not in either table, and they differ between suppliers and models. They belong in the order confirmation. A comparison that covers only wavelengths, pulse widths, and power figures, and ignores the commercial half, is half a comparison. Both halves deserve the same treatment: figures with sources, gaps marked as gaps, and supplier answers recorded in writing.
A note on sources used in this article
Every figure in this article comes from one of two places: a published specification section on this site, or a company description that is marked as such. No figure comes from a third-party listing, a review, or a general knowledge claim about how such machines usually perform. Where a published entry is truncated, this article says so and does not complete it. Where a figure is a company statement, the article marks it as a company statement rather than presenting it as a verified fact. That discipline is what makes the article usable as a buying tool: a buyer can trace every figure back to its source section and can see, at a glance, which figures are table values and which are descriptions. Before relying on any figure in a purchase decision, confirm it with the supplier for the exact model and configuration you plan to buy, and have the confirmation recorded in writing. A figure confirmed in writing for your configuration is evidence; a figure read on a website, without that confirmation, is a starting point for an inquiry.
Wholesale inquiry: MOQ: 1 unit. Before ordering, confirm price, configuration, lead time and warranty on inquiry.