It is only in the last two decades that Raman spectroscopy has begun to realize its potential as an almost universally applicable analytical technique from materials and life sciences applications to point of care analysis. This is primarily thanks to the availability of compact laser sources, high sensitivity cameras and high resolution compact spectrometers. In this application note the use of a stable high power NIR 785 nm laser is shown to be critical in achieving high time resolution and high signal to noise ratios while allowing for both fast and slow processes to be captured simultaneously.