Chinese lights

[loudwill]

Hi guys,

Now I know there is a lot of hate for Chinese fixtures. But found some zoom moving heads on ebay new. Which I think would be okay for a few smaller gigs.

Has anyone bought from China through eBay and have any advice i.e. sellers to use or avoid.

 

Please don't comment saying 'avoid China's 'buy real brands' as that isn't helpful :)

Thanks guys:)

[adam2]

IME, the quality is too variable for advice regarding a particular supplier to be of much use. A member could buy something and be pleased with the quality, yet a different batch of the same product might be of worse quality. Also components and specifications vary continually, so if you are impressed with a product and order more of them, the new ones may differ. In case of failure of components you may find that these are not interchangeable between one light and another of the same type.

 

Purchasing through a reputable UK importer who will honour their warranty is far preferable to purchase direct from china.

[Richard CSL]

I would strongly suggest buying a couple of extras from the same batch, that way you will have spares if needed.

[c0astman]

I have bought from china, but never fixtures. I've bought wireless DMX bits and other related things and I have found them to be generally good. Failure rates have been acceptably low, but there have been failures. So as RichardCSL suggests, buy spares.

 

Check the supplier has positive feedback for selling the product you are buying, not china dolls for example. That way you would hope they understand the product and have applied some quality control, not just sourcing the products locally and shipping them when you click the buy button.

[PaulDF]

Also have a qualified electrical person check them over. Sometimes the mains leads they are supplied with are counterfeit or supplied with a foreign plug and dodgy adaptor.

[adam2]

Also have a qualified electrical person check them over. Sometimes the mains leads they are supplied with are counterfeit or supplied with a foreign plug and dodgy adaptor.

 

 

Yes, strongly agree. A PAT test is better than nothing, but such items really need a more thorough examination by an experienced electrician rather than a PAT monkey.

 

 

 

 

[loudwill]

Thanks guys, good advice. I would like to purchase through UK companies and support good brands, but budget doesn't always allow that. Yet.

Thanks again :)

[sleah]

Also have a qualified electrical person check them over. Sometimes the mains leads they are supplied with are counterfeit or supplied with a foreign plug and dodgy adaptor.

 

And as BigClive will also tell you, it's not unheard of for the earth not to be connected internally (when it's supposed to be).

[paulears]

Most of the dealers who will sell you amounts under 500 are box shifters. Nice ones in my experience, and I have had extremely good results - I think something like 30 movers over two years or so. The comment about batches and spares is on the money. Common issues are the language barrier. They will translate your requests via Google or similar. so expect confusion. If you ask for DMX charts, manuals and other documents expect the wrong ones. Do not use language google cannot translate, so be very simple. As they tend to be buying parts from numerous sources, things like gobos and colours may well vary between batches - even if you can get them to put the gobos in the right order, some may be backwards. Power supplies can and do change between batches - a 3 wire PSU suddenly becoming a 4 wire PSU, or vice versa needing some feckling to get them to fit. Circuit boards the same - just different. If you have technical issues I now use videos - but you need to host them as they cannot see them on the sharing sites like photobucket/youtube/vimeo etc. A video showing a test meter showing 3V instead of 12V clearly showing where it is connected works, as do big arrows on a photo. They have never not supplied a part, just takes time. Just remember it's like Maplins where the people in the shop usually know hardly anything, and if they do, it's often wrong.

 

My own system means I never order more than I could, at a push, afford to lose. So much equipoment is Chinese now, I really don't care because if it lasts the right number of jobs, it's done, the money is written off and next year becomes a bonus. All down to your gut reaction to a product really. The current rights, buying from a dealer are now much weaker anyway, so dealers here can wash their hands of you much sooner. I also buy loads of radio and audio gear too, and don't have any bad transactions at all - bar one out and out con three years ago that I really should have realised was just too good to be true. Always buy more than you need for hot spares and away you go.

[tomolding]

which ones were you looking at in particular?

Hi guys,

Now I know there is a lot of hate for Chinese fixtures. But found some zoom moving heads on ebay new. Which I think would be okay for a few smaller gigs.

Has anyone bought from China through eBay and have any advice i.e. sellers to use or avoid.

 

Please don't comment saying 'avoid China's 'buy real brands' as that isn't helpful :)

Thanks guys:)

[loudwill]

With regards to the wash heads im looking at these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282044656750?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

But also would like to get some beam fixtures aswell:

 

Looking at the Beam 5R including flightcase:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4pcs-Beam-Moving-Head-200W-Sharpy-5R-DMX-Wash-DJ-Light-Fight-Case-Free-Shipping-/282043867491?hash=item41ab1fe163:g:i8QAAOSw71BXPrmq

 

Or the 7R if I can afford it, which is probably the more tempting ones:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4pcs-230W-7R-Sharpy-Beam-Moving-Head-Light-DMX-DJ-LightFlight-Case-Free-Shipping-/282043888115?hash=item41ab2031f3:g:JRYAAOSwrnNXPsQw

 

 

Thanks,

Will

which ones were you looking at in particular?

Hi guys,

Now I know there is a lot of hate for Chinese fixtures. But found some zoom moving heads on ebay new. Which I think would be okay for a few smaller gigs.

Has anyone bought from China through eBay and have any advice i.e. sellers to use or avoid.

 

Please don't comment saying 'avoid China's 'buy real brands' as that isn't helpful :)

Thanks guys:)

[paulears]

The washes I have are the rgbw version of the one you linked to. One thing to watch is the cases. They are fine on their wheels. Do not stack them on their side as the angled case moulding makes a sharp impact on the internal foam edge and impact will crack the cases. I got them to send me a few spare case halves until I realised what was doing it!

[loudwill]

Ahh, good thing to note.

Did you purchase from the same seller as in my links?

 

I'm just A bit skepticle about buying from China, for obvious reasons.

 

Thanks

The washes I have are the rgbw version of the one you linked to. One thing to watch is the cases. They are fine on their wheels. Do not stack them on their side as the angled case moulding makes a sharp impact on the internal foam edge and impact will crack the cases. I got them to send me a few spare case halves until I realised what was doing it!

[tomolding]

I have just ordered the same wash ones, not used them through a desk yet so don't know how good they actually are, don't forget to add import tax onto the fee

With regards to the wash heads im looking at these:

http://www.ebay.co.u...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

But also would like to get some beam fixtures aswell:

 

Looking at the Beam 5R including flightcase:

http://www.ebay.co.u...8QAAOSw71BXPrmq

 

Or the 7R if I can afford it, which is probably the more tempting ones:

http://www.ebay.co.u...RYAAOSwrnNXPsQw

 

 

Thanks,

Will

which ones were you looking at in particular?

Hi guys,

Now I know there is a lot of hate for Chinese fixtures. But found some zoom moving heads on ebay new. Which I think would be okay for a few smaller gigs.

Has anyone bought from China through eBay and have any advice i.e. sellers to use or avoid.

 

Please don't comment saying 'avoid China's 'buy real brands' as that isn't helpful :)

Thanks guys:)

 

thanks for the heads up

 

The washes I have are the rgbw version of the one you linked to. One thing to watch is the cases. They are fine on their wheels. Do not stack them on their side as the angled case moulding makes a sharp impact on the internal foam edge and impact will crack the cases. I got them to send me a few spare case halves until I realised what was doing it!

 

 

 

[paulears]

Keep in mind that if you buy from most of these sources you are dealing with one man bands with perhaps two rooms in a big unit. They won't have them in stock they source all the bits and assemble them for your order. Never caused me grief