Genesis 200 unreliable

[videobug]

I got the kit of two Genesis 200 last week. One of the strobes dont fire regularly. Even when I press the test button. The beep comes but it does not fire. Its random and does not follow any pattern. I called the local store where I got it from (Calumet). They were not exactly very enthusiastic. Also one person told me that they are cheap strobes and so dont trust the beep or the light that shows when the strobes are ready.

Since it happens randomly (5 times in 15 or maybe 20) is it normal or is it defective.

[steveathome]

whatever it is, its unworkable. Take them back asap.

[tetrode]

I got the kit of two Genesis 200 last week. One of the strobes dont fire regularly. Even when I press the test button. The beep comes but it does not fire. Its random and does not follow any pattern. I called the local store where I got it from (Calumet). They were not exactly very enthusiastic. Also one person told me that they are cheap strobes and so dont trust the beep or the light that shows when the strobes are ready.

Since it happens randomly (5 times in 15 or maybe 20) is it normal or is it defective.

Mine have been completely reliable to this point. Don't settle for anything less than an exchange for a new light.

Dave F.

[slimninj4]

Yes I think you should return them. I have had my for several months with no issues at all.

[TMR Design]

Sounds like you have a defective unit and had the misfortune of speaking with someone that wasn't all that helpful.

That's not representative of the Genesis strobes or the Calumet employees. If you speak to owners of the Genesis strobes and read the many favorable reviews of them in these forums you'll realize that you were just dealt a bad hand and that can happen with any manufacturer or retailer.

Send back the strobe(s) that doesn't work and have them replaced. Once you have strobes that are working properly you can then assess the quality and performance for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

For the record, it sounds like the sales person you spoke with didn't want to help as much as he/she wanted to sell you something more expensive or just get you off the phone.

[jgettis]

Call the store back and ask for the store manager. Calumet has a limited time that you can return something. Explain what happened when you last called. If you don't get satsifaction call the 800 number on their web-site and see what they can do. I have had mostly good luck with the Genesis 400's that I bought and when I bought them the store manager had stopped by on his day off and the store was busy he stayed and helped out. When they did not have the stands and umbrellas in stock he sold me a display stand and a different pair of umbrellas so that I could leave the store that day with the set. When they came out with the new longer caps that could go over the modeling lights I sent a E-mail to them asking how much they were going to be and they looked up my address in their records and sent me a pair at no charge. I have been very happy with my purchases from Calumet and feel that I have been treated fairly. John

[slivr]

Ditto all the above, Videobug -
My Genesis 400's have never had the slightest hiccup, reliability issue, or sporadic firings, but when I subsequently purchased a pair of 200's to go with 'em, one of those would power up but not respond to button commands or actually fire. I simply sent an email to Calumet asking what to do and they immediately sent a new light to me THAT AFTERNOON with no questions asked. When I received that replacement - their packaging included a return label for the defective one and I just dropped it into the padding/box my replacement light arrived in.

Calumet's customer service was great, so it sounds like you got a schmuck of a sales rep that had something else on his mind. Just call and say the light's defective and you need "ADVANCE REPLACEMENT" a.s.a.p.

I'm confident they'll respond immediately.

[videobug]

Its seems that the light was defective. As soon as I took it to the store, it failed totally. They replaced it with a new one. They tested the new one in front of me. Also warned me that I should not fire the flash before it gets fully charged. If I do it will fry the strobe.

I hope I can trust the beep and light to decide when I can make my next shot..

Thanks a lot guys for suggesting to go back and get it exchanged..

[TMR Design]

I don't understand the comment about frying the strobe. Like any flash or strobe, if you fire before it's recycled you either end up with a black frame or an underexposed frame but I've never heard talk of frying a strobe by firing before recycle.

If that was the case then I would think the design wouldn't allow you to fire unless it had fully recycled.

Perhaps Dave or another Genesis owner can address that issue but that doesn't sound right to me.

[Rudi]

Sounds to me more like the guy at the store hasn't got a clue but wants to appear knowledgeable than a design fault with the strobes. :)

[TMR Design]

Sounds to me more like the guy at the store hasn't got a clue but wants to appear knowledgeable than a design fault with the strobes. :)

I would tend to agree.

[slivr]

I'm a bit confused by that response as well. VideoBug mentioned the same thing in a PM (sorry I haven't had a chance to respond) ... but while recycling back to their set power levels you absolutely CANNOT fire Genesis strobes (underexposed or otherwise), and I don't believe attempting to fire them (during recycling) sends any jolt through them that could fry a tube. Perhaps that's a question best left to some flash experts and/or electrical engineers but it doesn't ring true in my experience. Anybody else ever fry a tube from pressing your shutter buttons BEFORE you get the recycle tone?

I've used two Genesis 400's, and two 200's but have yet to experience a misfire, or the ability to fire at any level while recycling. Seems an odd response from them and I can't imagine what the rep was referring to.