Paul C Buff

Have you ever felt betrayed by a brand that you have been an evangelist for? Paul Buff, Inc. is a ghost of who they were when Paul lived. I now understand why everyone is purchasing GoDoxs instead.
They have been known for their innovation. That has been gone for years. I'm been loyal because of their customer service. That has been slipping over the years as well. After the recent conversation on the phone with them, I will never cross their threshold again.
I have purchased five of their high-end Einstein lights. A part of it broke. The last time I had this exact same issue about a year ago, they charged me $100 to swap out the light for a brand new one. Happened again to another light--quality problem? This time they tell me they won't repair it at all that I would have to purchase a brand new light. NO REPAIRS AT ALL? Oh, they were kind enough that they would give me 25% off if I gave them the damaged light. Checked eBay, I could sell it on the market WITH THE PROBLEM for four times what they were going to gift me.

I bought a beauty dish from paulcbuff and it has excellent shadowless lighting for the price of this light. The housing is solid and build quality is good for the price. The base is all plastic and easily mounts on my camera. I liked how good their customer service was on the phone and they helped me select the correct portable power source for this light.

It is with a bit of reservation and great disappointment in which I write this review.

Let me first start by saying, Paul C Buff makes some great products. I have been a loyal fan and customer ever since I got into studio lighting, so much so that I have purchased the following from them:

13' Heavy Duty Combination Boom Stand, $119.95,

20° Grid for 7" Standard Reflector, $19.95,

7" Standard Reflector, $14.95,

PLM White Front Diffusion FabricSelect Size: 86" PLM White Front Diffusion Fabric, $22.95,

86" Soft Silver PLM Umbrella, $69.95,

Grid for 47" Foldable Octabox, $54.95,

47" Foldable Octabox, $169.95,

Cyber Commander, $179.95,

CyberSync Transceiver, $29.95,

Einstein Flash Unit, $499.95,

Grid for 30" x 60" Foldable Softbox, $54.95,

30" x 60" Foldable Softbox, $159.95,

3 DigiBee Flash Units -- DB800 (Red), $349.95,

Grid for 32" x 40" Foldable Softbox, $39.95,

32" x 40" Foldable Softbox, $129.95,

CyberSync Transceiver, $29.95,

2 DigiBee Carrying Bags, $19.95,

24" Silver Foldable Beauty Dish, $99.95

Vagabond Mini Lithium, $239.95

2 Grids for 10" x 36" Foldable Stripbox, $29.95

2 10" x 36" Foldable Stripboxes, $119.95

Total $3744. 50

That is why I wish I did not have to write this customer service review as I know that Paul C Buff was once known for, and possibly still is known for, its great customer support. I unfortunately cannot say that this was my experience.

I purchased a Vagabond Mini system a little over a year ago – 16 months to be exact. Because of the arrival of a new baby to our family and COVID, I did not get the chance to enjoy any location shooting. Last week, I opened the package and went to charge up the battery. Unfortunately, the battery would not accept a charge. I did a little troubleshooting and determined it was a battery issue. I contacted Customer Service and explained to them the situation I was in and how I was late opening the package and that I was past the warranty period. I was hoping that they would overlook my 4 months past warranty and replace the battery for me so that I could at least try out the Vegabond Mini once. With all the hardship going on, I was hoping this company would live up to its promise of being great customer service.

I do realize that what I was asking for was above and beyond what they needed to do. They clearly make you aware of the warranty period. I am not saying they are in the wrong by any means. What I am saying is I hoped that they would treat a loyal customer who has spent thousands on lighting equipment a bit more like family and helped during these very different and difficult times.

What they don't really make you aware of is that the battery needs to be used and charged at least every 3 months, and that if they battery is used and put away without charging it will only last a few days and will no longer accept a charge. This is not a typical behavior of batteries but the circuitry they have in them is fairly unique to Paul C Buff and therefore not something you would think about. I have let rechargeable batteries die in phones, cars, remotes, etc... and none had special circuitry that prevented it from being charged up again. Anyway, I digress.

The response I received is that the battery cannot be charged after sitting for a length of time based on the built-in circuitry that prevents it from accepting a charge for "safety" reasons. I also was told that if I want to I can purchase another battery at full price... go figure. When I responded and asked them to reconsider, I was told the warranty info again and that they have a manual in the box that says to charge the battery. In the same box I hadn't opened! I was also told that the manuals were online. I didn't think that when I ordered it, I would have to read the safety warnings on the digital manual. With battery behavior this unique, I think it would be prudent for them to put it in writing on the page where you order them. Nevertheless, I asked them again to reconsider and sympathize with my plight, after all, I am not just anyone, I am a customer who has invested thousands of dollars into their products. They told me if I do this for you I will have to do this for everyone, so the answer no! Soooo disappointing.

So here are my options: I spend the extra $$ for a battery and hold a grudge and don't buy anymore from Paul C Buff, I sell my stuff and switch brands, or I accept that all businesses including Paul C Buff run with the same values "Thanks for your money, now give me more." What would you do in this situation?

Paul C Buff with his creation of the Alien Bee and white lightening sets of photography lights revolutionized the entire photography lighting industry years ago because of the low cost of his set of lights. Photographers were used to paying thousands for expensive lights until the Alien Bees came along. They are a great set of starter lights with extensive light modifications. Their phone support is also very good and they are a very knowledgeable team. The only thing is that the lower end Alien Bee lights do not have a wide range of f stops and if you are a newcomer to photography and you buy a set of AB lights then you could be selling them in the near future. Paulcbuff does have a higher end line of Einstein lights which are much better but they are at the same price as other higher end lights. I wish the alien bees were more compatible with their set of Einstein lights; the modifiers you buy for alien bees will not work on their other lighting systems. So do not invest too heavily in them if you think in the future you will need a more robust system.