Ordering from Thomann to the UK

[drjimuk]

I'm considering ordering several things from Thomann in the near future, these incude a DMX controller, DMX Dimmers / Swichers and some DMX lights.

 

Will they all work okay in the UK without making any changes to them / adapters etc?

 

Also, could anyone give their opinions on the quality of Starville products?

 

Cheers,

Jim :D

[bruce]

As discussed elsewhere on this forum (HINT: the search function is your friend) they will all come with European-style plugs. Changing these is trivial, but will invalidate warranties. Thomann sell adaptors for about a fiver, but you can get them much cheaper (about a pound each) from CPC.

 

Stairville: is as good or as bad as any other unbranded chinese gear. You get what you pay for. Personally, the only problem I've had was a LED par with a dodgy DIP switch. Which reminds me - I need to get it replaced...

[Dj Dunc]

Any products coming from Thomann afaik come with a two pin Plug, but have the three core wire, so either you can get a different power supply from the likes of maplin or cpc or w/e or you can cut the plug off, providing it does not have a transformer built in, and rewire it to suit, using a 3 pin UK plug. I have just purchased a Stairville rack light, and it is pretty well made, although it came with a 2 pin plug, so I am going to purchase a new one from maplin this week. DMX will be all the same as it is industry standard, but power for dimmers I am not sure about. Which ones did you have in mind?

 

EDIT : drat beaten to it

[Jamtastic3]

Sometimes you do get adaptors attatched onto whatever you have bought. I've bought things like ropelights and dimmers where they have a 2 prong plug but have a 3 pin plug attatched to it for the conversion.

[StevieR]

Also worth remembering that your warranty will lie with Thomann should you have any problems and not the UK distributor network for any particular product.

[Stuart91]

Remember that even though Thomann list prices in sterling, your card will be billed in Euros, so the actual amount that leaves your account will be affected by the commission and exchange rate that your card company use.

 

When I placed my first order with them (which is a few years ago now) they sent out (and billed me) for an extra item which I hadn't ordered and didn't want. By the time I'd paid the commission and exchange for the purchase, and again for the refund, I was out by at least 15% of the value of the unwanted item. Not good, but I didn't reckon it was worth the hassle of chasing it up.

 

 

Not sure if this is still how they do things, (maybe someone with more recent experiences can confirm) but worth looking out for nonetheless...

[Dayve]

Hey,

 

Sorry to slightly steal the post, but stupid to start a new one.

 

If you just put a adapter on the lights to convert them to UK plugs, you wont have any problems if you was to use it with mains extension blocks etc (I aint no electrician so sorry if im sounding stupid).

 

Thanks :D

 

Dave

[tokm]

If you just put a adaptor on the lights to convert them to UK plugs, you wont have any problems if you was to use it with mains extension blocks etc (I ain't no electrician so sorry if im sounding stupid).

Ermm. Sounds like your talking about 4way boards.. Should work fine as long as the adaptors you use sit OK next to each other when plugged into multi way boards..

 

Remember that even though Thomann list prices in sterling, your card will be billed in Euros, so the actual amount that leaves your account will be affected by the commission and exchange rate that your card company use.

Bought some bits off them recently and found they've now changed to dealing in pounds sterling all the way from what I can see. Was charged £245 + shipping, came to exactly the price that it added up to on the website. Must be something to do with their opening (or the planning of) a UK warehouse..

 

Stairville bits are OK, as Bruce say's their no better or worse than other Chinese re-brand's. All some from the same factory as Acme, Botex, Chauvet..

 

At least the knobs on their kit don't snap off with barely a touch to them like a well known German budget audio kit manufacturer with a name beginning with B! :D

 

Tom

[Light Console]

I ordered a whole lot of kit for an install in an opticians recently. I am still waitng for the dispach email, but the kit arrived within 4 days, is installed and working away as we speak! How's that for German efficiency!?

[Dayve]

There postage seems top knotch, whos does it come with? I struggle to get 4 days in the UK letterlone half way accros europe.

[frazer]

If possible try to order kit which requires has an IEC connector. That way you can use your own leads and discard the lead that is supplied.

[bruce]

There postage seems top knotch, whos does it come with? I struggle to get 4 days in the UK letterlone half way accros europe.

 

[pedant]

Their

notch

who

let alone

across

Europe

[/pedant]

 

The last couple of orders I have placed have arrived via DHL. Only minor grumble was that one batch arrived when nobody was here, so I phoned to arrange redelivery for last Friday, but they screwed up and it didn't arrive. They arranged a special delivery for Saturday morning - that's 2 days before Christmas. Pretty good service, even though they did send the shipment - 2 pallets of gear - in the back of a transit van with no tail lift, so we had to unpack the pallets in the van....

[Jamtastic3]

Make sure whatever you get is IN STOCK. It will hamper your delivery status otherwise.

 

I ordered just 2 things - a ropelight and a 19inch rack light. The rack light was in stock but the ropelight wasn't. I only just got the package through today for both of them - I placed the order 7 weeks ago!