Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

The wire that holds all the little arms for the PLM umbrella to the central collar that slides onto the shaft broke. Has anyone had this happen? Is there a better replacement wire to use that wont break? Seems very flimsy and prone to breakage. It just broke as I was opening the umbrella - nothing out of the ordinary and never taken outside the studio to use. The umbrella was only opened probably 20-30 times since I've purchased it.



Thanx
- todd siechen

I would suggest contacting Customer Service. I believe your PLM is under warranty, and customer service will help you determine the best way to get this corrected.

Unfortunately, we have been seeing this problem in some PLMs, because the vendor used an insufficient strength wire, or overtightened it. We have been screaming bloody murder at him over it.

A dilemma for us, as we do 100% testing on each PLM shipped, still a few wires break - maybe after 20 openings or 100 or who knows.

With tons of stock of PLMs, it's a needle in a haystack situation to try to determine which, if any, may break in service.

So I am putting some policies in place to ease the pain of any customer who may experience this issue. It's only a small percentage of PLM customers, but my moral compass is to always try to treat customers as I would like to be treated myself. So I'll start with my personal apology and go from there. :cry:

I bought two 64 inch umbrellas and within 3 months the wire inside have all snapped. I have used them very little during this time. I have returned them every time and paul C buff customer service is Awesome. they have exchanged them every time with no problem. That been said, it is getting old having to bring them in every time. It is a great size umbrella , I wish that I could get a set that does not snap so easily. I have gone through 6 of them so far.

Interesting thread. I just got off the phone with CS about a 51in PLM where the wire snapped. The rep said there was no repair or replacement possibility because it was out of warranty. The interesting part, though, is that the PLM was sitting in a cabinet ever since I purchased it, and this was the first time I had used it. :|

I will say, however, that I have several different sized buff PLMs, and in particular, my 86 has been in daily studio use with no problems since the beginning of this year, so knock on wood.