High‐power lasers encounter increasing losses of stored energy from stimulated emission by once‐through avalanches of photons as higher powers are sought. This occurs even without resonance buildup. Even in the simple geometry of a thin rod, a satisfactory analysis would require elaborate machine calculation. A very crude model has, however, produced rough results from which some guidance is obtainable.The model exhibits the expected linear increase of outgoing photon flux near the end of the rod and the huge depletion of excited atom population away from the rod equator. A criterion has been developed for the maximum useful excitation relative to emission parameters, rod length and rod cross section. It is concluded that this excitation level is fairly insensitive to aspect ratio (radius/length) but that internal reflection from the rod cylindrical surface can markedly lower this level by increasing the effective aspect ratio enormously.