JJ,
I am not at all familiar with Vcarve. I Use Fusion 360 for router and Lightburn for the laser.
The only thing that comes to mind is the possibility that your laser is turned way down at the controller. Check out this link:
The article talks about how some lasers may need to be adjusted upon receipt. Mine was fine, but maybe yours was left turned to a lower setting by the factory. Based on the wide array of material you have tested, you should definitely be getting more than what you are seeing out of the laser.