# Paul C Buff product support



## mrca (Nov 23, 2020)

Friday was setting up for a shoot and broke the button cover on one of my cybercommanders.  I phoned them and explained the issue.  Had also broken the battery cover in the middle of a beach wedding shoot but just pulled out the back up unit and switched battery covers.  I need to program the second to match the first so it is just ready to step in.  The next day after the call,  I received an envelope with $3.40 in postage they paid containing several button covers and a battery cover, no charge.  Think those other lighting manufacturers will  do that? Paul C Buff supports their customers.


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## smoke665 (Nov 23, 2020)

@mrca PCB sales and support is on top of the game in my book. I had a similar issue with a used Cyber Commander, that needed a firmware update, when I called them, tech support emailed me the correct update I needed, then walked me through the update process. When you call them, you get a live person, and you don't have to press one for English. The people are friendly and knowledgeable about their products.


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## mrca (Nov 23, 2020)

Smoke55, exactly what I find.   I have to make an exception to my attitude of expecting most service to be screwed up and then I am not upset when it is but if it isn't I am pleasantly surprised.  With Buff, it is always stellar service.


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## Sharpshooterr (Dec 7, 2020)

Buff is well known for their customer support!
For the last ten years I've been using Photogenic lights, also made in the USA. I've never had a problem with them and bought them used but the few times I've needed to talk to them they've they've been extremely helpful. On a few occasions if the person didn't know the answer they've past me over to one of the engineers. Great people as well!
SS


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## smoke665 (Dec 7, 2020)

The only down side I've found with PCB is the Balcar mount on the ABs. Most third party modifiers seem to come with the more popular Bowens mount, and the method PCB uses to grab and hold the ring seems a little weak, especially on larger/heavier modifiers.


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## mrca (Dec 7, 2020)

Smoke, that was true on the Alien Bees and even on the earliest Einsteins.  They have since corrected a problem.  Even did a free  up date if you mailed it in.  Now I don't hang my 7' octa off the Einsteins, I have a steel stud screwed into the bottom of the speed ring.   That is dropped into a phottix varos bg cast aluminum umbrella holder rated for 66 lbs, way more than the octa.   I then hang the einstein off  the speed ring.  Safety wired of course to a stud in the mount hole of the Einstein.
  I leave the puppy up because assembly is a down right pain but don't want to have it's weight on the mount springs constantly.  it is completely secure this way and I can use the light elsewhere when not using the large octa. It took some time to find the heavy duty umbrella holder and design the system.  I detailed it in case someone else need a similar solution.   It has been up and functioning for a few years.


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## smoke665 (Dec 7, 2020)

@mrca To the best of my knowledge it looks like the mounting on the ABs is still the same Balcar style. The picture on the Einsteins isn't clear enough to tell, and they don't specify, but I would find it odd that if it had a different mount. I haven't had a problem yet as the largest octabox is a 47" and the strips are 24x40. That's about the maximum weight I would want to try on them, in studio.


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## mrca (Dec 7, 2020)

I'm not sure what the improvement was, perhaps a stronger spring mechanism?  But I have had the same 5' octa hung aimed down at about 30 degrees for 4 years and I was even pulling down on the box to remove the velcrowed egg crate during a shoot friday.  Even pulling down on the octa with the leverage from the perimeter of the box on the mount didn't dislodge it from the mount.   I have been using Einsteins since they came out and have never had a modifier come off.  The 7 footer just seemed like too much weight and too much leverage.  Besides, I like my solution of always having it hung but only attaching a light when it is used.   Not sure where the allegations came from.  Competitors who charge twice as much for lights that don't do what these lights do?


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## smoke665 (Dec 7, 2020)

mrca said:


> Not sure where the allegations came from.



No allegations, just my observation. It's to late for them to change really, but the Bowens mount is a better option IMO.


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## mrca (Dec 7, 2020)

Smoke, Not addressed to you, I have heard the allegations re modifiers falling off  many years ago.  It can happen if not properly mounted, have to get all four fingers inside the speed ring or it can fall off.  That's operator error.  I double check on the floor before hanging the light with modifier attached and have never had one fall.  It is the same mount Buff used before the Alien Bee line so it has been in use for close to 20 years.


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## Sharpshooterr (Dec 8, 2020)

mrca said:


> Smoke, Not addressed to you, I have heard the allegations re modifiers falling off  many years ago.  It can happen if not properly mounted, have to get all four fingers inside the speed ring or it can fall off.  That's operator error.  I double check on the floor before hanging the light with modifier attached and have never had one fall.  It is the same mount Buff used before the Alien Bee line so it has been in use for close to 20 years.



I was using some AB's about 5 years ago, not mine, but I had used them a lot about 10 years ago so am pretty familiar with them but obviouly didn't check them all that well. I was using rectangular boxes and near the end of the shoot I tried to rotate the box since it had shifted a bit and it came off and sheared off the modeling light since they use those long incandescent looking lights. There was no spare so I carried on without the modeling light! Had Buff used those tiny 250w lights like my Photogenic's use it probably would not have broken even if it had come off.
Those little AB's are great little work horses if used indoors but quickly reach their power limits if you use them outside and try to move them too far from the subject!!
SS


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## mrca (Dec 8, 2020)

Yes, the Alien Bee series had those long modeling lights.   The Einsteins have a small 250 watt bulb and there is a dome protecting them.  The 250 watt modeling lamps are invaluable because you can precisely control the modeling light brightness on the subject to adjust eye pupil/iris size so you have lots of pupil to work with in post.  The Einsteins are 640 watt seconds while some of the Alien Bees 800 was only 320 ws and a second was even lower. The 1600 was 640 ws.  And that is 2 generations ago.  They were analog power control and didn't fire til the capacitor was filled so unlike the next generation  Einsteins, they couldn't pop up to 10 times a second.  Einsteins are 1/10th stop power adjustable from the camera down to 2.8 ws.   I can gang them so they adjust together in the same amount.  Did that friday with 2 bg lights for a pure white bg then re positioned the lights as a pair of  kickers with black bg.  Metering one at subject firing with cybercommander in Lhand til I nailed f/4 then adjusted the second all in a few pops.   Took way longer to aim and flag the lights than to adjust power.


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## smoke665 (Dec 8, 2020)

@Sharpshooterr I haven't destroyed a modeling light yet but only because I'm accustomed to being extra careful. With a big modifier it's easy to have one slip off.

The AB's are the Fords in the PCB lineup, while the Einstiens that @mrca favors are the Lincolns. Like the car analogy they're twice the price as well. If I were using them every day commercially Einstein would win hands down. For my use the ABs serve the purpose providing more then ample power in studio. I also use the Cybercommander mentioned, it's a great little accessory, regardless of which model light you use.


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## FlyGirl66 (Jan 13, 2021)

PB has excellent service!!  They did a similar gesture to me when my AB was giving me trouble.  And, they have always answered my emails.


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## John Fantastic (Jan 14, 2021)

mrca said:


> Friday was setting up for a shoot and broke the button cover on one of my cybercommanders.  I phoned them and explained the issue.  Had also broken the battery cover in the middle of a beach wedding shoot but just pulled out the back up unit and switched battery covers.  I need to program the second to match the first so it is just ready to step in.  The next day after the call,  I received an envelope with $3.40 in postage they paid containing several button covers and a battery cover, no charge.  Think those other lighting manufacturers will  do that? Paul C Buff supports their customers.



 I have heard about the excellent service of PCB and his commitment to his products and customers. We should allow companies like them to go out of business. I still have my PCB strobes and I have always been happy with them. But I seldom use them anymore as I really have downgraded my equipments in terms of size.


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## mrca (Jan 14, 2021)

John, did you mean allow them to go out of business?


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## John Fantastic (Jan 14, 2021)

mrca said:


> John, did you mean allow them to go out of business?


Sorry @mrca, I meant "we should not allow companies like them go out of business."


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## mrca (Jan 14, 2021)

That's what I thought.  I have never had a typo... in the last half hour.


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## Felixkoch2312 (Mar 1, 2021)

FlyGirl66 said:


> PB has excellent service!!  They did a similar gesture to me when my AB was giving me trouble.  And, they have always answered my emails.


But sometimes there email system lags.


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