Maxsaver (Hvstar) selling genuine B+W?

[mrmarks]

I received a B+W filter from Maxsaver (Hvstar) based in Hong Kong. The front side marking seem to have a smear around the characters. I have a genuine a B+W filter which has sharp chararacters. This is an XS-PRO filter and when I asked Maxsaver about this, they claim that the filter has a brass ring and is a genuine B+W. Does anyone have any inputs on this, whether the smeared frontside marking is normal for B+W? Thanks!

[ben_r_]

I just looked at several of mine that bought from B&H about 2 years ago and none of them look like either of yours. Mine look more like your white lettered one, except the letters are yellowish brass colored.

I dont even know what an XS-Pro B&W filter is though, all mine are F-Pro MRC.

[mrmarks]

The XS-PRO is similar to the slimline series except that it has some thread to hold the lens cap or for stacking other filters

[ben_r_]

The XS-PRO is similar to the slimline series except that it has some thread to hold the lens cap or for stacking other filters
Ah! Sounds like a good new model!

[bohdank]

I have bought a Hoyo CPL and a B + W 10 stop ND filter from them. I have no reason to think they are fakes.

As to your discovery.... I don't know. I do trust them.

[keitaro]

did you send them a picture of your filter? i am sure they will allow for an exchange.

[mrmarks]

I sent them the photo but no response yet.

Seems like other have made the same observation about the smeared characters on B+W filters from maxsaver http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/848145

[tvphotog]

You should search maxsavers here. There are many threads re the pros and cons.

[mrmarks]

Just got a reply from them. Strange return address. The maxsavers website lists an address based in Hong Kong.

Hi,

Thanks for your photo. But we are very strange that our filters seems NOT like your photo.

As we claimed that all our filters are 100% Genuine & Original. If you do NOT believe want to verify the filter, please verify from schneider germany: http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/, We think you should NOT to check other B+W filters. You should verify from B+W Gemany factory.

If you don't feel comfortable, please return it to us. Please follow our instruction to return it by Regular Air Mail which shipping cost is cheaper:

1) Our return address is:

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

2) Please remark: ”Return item, NO value” on return parcel and mark the order number as well as the reasons for return in a small card;

3) Please return it in as-sold condition, in original packaging;

4) We will exchange another one or offer refund if there is no man-made damage once receiving your returned parcel.
.
For any question, please feel free to contact. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Best regards,

Tina
tinaliu@hvstar.com
http://maxsaver.net

[midnight_rider]

I have never had a problem with HVstar.
It seems like they are more than willing to either refund or replace it so if you feel uneasy about it then I would exchange it.
If the Hoya filters I have been getting from there are fake, they are the best fakes I have ever seen;)

[keitaro]

Just got a reply from them. Strange return address. The maxsavers website lists an address based in Hong Kong.

Hi,

Thanks for your photo. But we are very strange that our filters seems NOT like your photo.

As we claimed that all our filters are 100% Genuine & Original. If you do NOT believe want to verify the filter, please verify from schneider germany: http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/, We think you should NOT to check other B+W filters. You should verify from B+W Gemany factory.

If you don't feel comfortable, please return it to us. Please follow our instruction to return it by Regular Air Mail which shipping cost is cheaper:

1) Our return address is:

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

2) Please remark: ”Return item, NO value” on return parcel and mark the order number as well as the reasons for return in a small card;

3) Please return it in as-sold condition, in original packaging;

4) We will exchange another one or offer refund if there is no man-made damage once receiving your returned parcel.
.
For any question, please feel free to contact. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Best regards,

Tina
tinaliu@hvstar.com
http://maxsaver.net

that address is very similar to the one provided by B+W
http://schneiderkreuznach.com/distribfilter.htm#chin

GUANGZHOU COLORFUL CO.LTD.
Rm. 401, Ying Bin Lou
23 Xian Lie Nan Road
CN - Guangzhou

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

perhaps they are the same company, just different markets?

[mrmarks]

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

Look at the address format, kinda fishy. I highly suspect it might even get lost in the mail if I were to send to this address. On purpose?

[ed rader]

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

Look at the address format, kinda fishy. I highly suspect it might even get lost in the mail if I were to send to this address. On purpose?


i'll bet you $20 it doesn't get lost. next time buy your filters from BH. they'll be glad to sell you peace of mind for a healthy middleman's premium :D.

ed rader

[jhom]

I think you are being a bit paranoid about this. I returned a defective filter to Maxsaver for exchange a few years ago. I don't specifically remember the return address, but it got there. They then sent me a new replacement. It is not uncommon for companies to have a different address for returns. In fact if the return address is the same as the B+W listed address for an authorized distributor it further confirms their authenticity.

[static808]

hey everyone. i too had questioned the authenticity of HVstar B+W filters, so i actually took mine and went to a B+W office that was 30 minutes away from me (in van nuys, ca). a manager over there took a look and confirmed that they were indeed genuine B+W filters. some of mine has the phenomena that the OP has, which is where the lettering is a tiny bit hazy. but nothing as bad as the OP's filter. i asked about that and the person claims this is within manufacturing tolerances. he did mention though that if this condition was very severe, that the filter may be in USED condition, but still a genuine B+W filter.

[jhom]

Given the number of posting questioning the authenticity of Maxsaver, I think a sticky might be in order. I would surely save some bandwidth as well as buyer anxiety.

[lukeap69]

I purchased 2 B+W circular polarizers from them. None of the markings are the same as yours.

[ben_r_]

i'll bet you $20 it doesn't get lost. next time buy your filters from BH. they'll be glad to sell you peace of mind for a healthy middleman's premium :D.

ed rader
Ha ha! Ah that they will! Well said Ed!

[CameraBuff]

I purchased a b+W kaesemann cpl and the outer ring was loose and I sent it back to Maxsaver just as described in the earlier post and they sent a replacement that was just fine. I think I paid about $5.75 regular usps shipping. If you send it back you may want to spend a little more and send it registered mail. I took a chance since regular shipping cannot be tracked; however, I had no problem! There is also a post on this forum in whick several people have contacted schneider and received responces about the various markets they deal in when selling their b+W filtrers.

[RPCrowe]

I contacted B&W to ask if HVStar was an authorized reseller and did not get a definitive answer from their custoner service folks.

[tvphotog]

I contacted B&W to ask if HVStar was an authorized reseller and did not get a definitive answer from their custoner service folks.

If you look at the list on their site, Maxsavers and HVstar are not authorized dealers. Confirmed by an email to me from their US headquarters. But for that matter, B&H is not an authorized dealer, either, but Adorama and www.2filter.com are. Go figure.

[HyperYagami]

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

Look at the address format, kinda fishy.

you know chinese enough to know it's "fishy"? :eyes

[Collin85]

Yu Dong Ya
Guangzhou Shi, Yue Xiu Qu, Xian Lie Nan Lu,
Hua Tai Bin Guan, Ying Bin Lou, 638 Fang
Guangzhou, 510060
China

Look at the address format, kinda fishy.

Why does it look fishy?

Those words are the romanisation of Chinese characters. "Beijing" is a well-known example of this. In particular, "Shi" means town, "Qu" means area and "Lu" means street, so the words in front of those simply denote the names of the town, area and street at hand. "Guangzhou" is a sub-provincial city, just like "Shanghai" or "Hong Kong".

Did you really expect every place in China has an English word attached to it? :confused:

[Collin85]

you know chinese enough to know it's "fishy"? :eyes

+1.

Regarding Maxsaver/Hvstar, I've bought over $700 worth of stuff off them over the years and it has always been spot on. But that's just my experience!

[keitaro]

If you look at the list on their site, Maxsavers and HVstar are not authorized dealers. Confirmed by an email to me from their US headquarters. But for that matter, B&H is not an authorized dealer, either, but Adorama and www.2filter.com (http://www.2filter.com) are. Go figure.


From a previous page back on this post. With some quick research it seems that HVStar is an online store that is operated by the Chinese B+W distributor. HVstar/Maxsaver maybe like a little extra side business that the distributor does. The return address a user previously posted is very similar to the B+W Chinese distributor. It's down the same city, area, and street.

[argyle]

+1.

Regarding Maxsaver/Hvstar, I've bought over $700 worth of stuff off them over the years and it has always been spot on. But that's just my experience!

I can say the same, for just about the same amount of money...never had an issue nor did I ever have a need to return a filter to Hvstar/Maxsaver. Not counting a few Singh-Ray filters, my others are strictly B+W and H/M is the only dealer that I buy them from. Way too much angst and paranoia when it comes to filters.

IIRC, there was an Aussie B+W dealer that posted some nonsense on how to detect a B+W fake (probably because he was overcharging his customers and losing business to reputable on-line dealers who sold at a lower price), so now many folks have taken what he had to say as gospel and we get bombarded with one "Is my filter a fake?" thread after another. If you buy from a reputable, well-known source, and you don't see any obvious physical defects nor any image degradation, you'll have nothing to worry about. But if one buys a supposed top-of-the-line new filter off eBay for $5.88 (like a poster in yet another filter thread) and get crappy results, well, what does one expect?

[rudomilov]

I bought B+W 77mm 77 mm 010 UV Haze MRC F-Pro Filter Multi-Coat, but i'm don't confident it's a original. Firstly, filter is produced from alloy.

Can you help me?

It's a box:

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/4274/img2385b.jpg (http://img163.imageshack.us/i/img2385b.jpg/)

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/1454/img2386p.jpg (http://img519.imageshack.us/i/img2386p.jpg/)

Some secret number (maybe serial) - i scrapped it, but don't know where i can use it.

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/1171/img2387g.jpg (http://img28.imageshack.us/i/img2387g.jpg/)

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/227/img2388r.jpg (http://img718.imageshack.us/i/img2388r.jpg/)

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/1652/img2389x.jpg (http://img251.imageshack.us/i/img2389x.jpg/)

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6522/img2390u.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/i/img2390u.jpg/)

One side of filter:

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1212/img2391q.th.jpg (http://img692.imageshack.us/i/img2391q.jpg/)

Another side:

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/6933/img2392o.th.jpg (http://img706.imageshack.us/i/img2392o.jpg/)

[rudomilov]

Marks on the ring:

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/4342/img2394f.th.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/img2394f.jpg/)

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/7986/img2395x.th.jpg (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/img2395x.jpg/)

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5593/img2396co.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/i/img2396co.jpg/)

Filter has a green patch of light (no defects - here is some dust), which isn't so good visible here:

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7597/img2404e.th.jpg (http://img707.imageshack.us/i/img2404e.jpg/)

Patch of light is the exact copy of path of light on my Marumi DHG SUPER LENS PROTECT 55mm (100% genuine).

It's a original or not?

[mhj202]

It's a original or not?

Pretty sure you have a genuine B&W "ALLOY" filter-- B&W doesn't sell these directly in the US but they are available in Asia.

Maxsaver has their own info here:

http://maxsaver.net/types-of-b-w-uv-haze-filter.aspx

[lannes]

This post is the most controversial, sounds like one seller getting stuck into another.

http://mainlinephoto.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/name-them-and-shame-them-fake-filter-sellers-on-ebay-caught-redhanded/

[mhj202]

This post is the most controversial, sounds like one seller getting stuck into another.

http://mainlinephoto.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/name-them-and-shame-them-fake-filter-sellers-on-ebay-caught-redhanded/

I had thought that this Maxsaver/HVStar had been beaten to death but I guess it's still an open point.

From the many earlier threads, I recall that at least a few different veteran members here had verified with Schneider Germany that the Maxsaver/HVStar filters are indeed genuine.

Here's just one of those verifications but there are more:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=7593864&postcount=23

[TeamSpeed]

This post is the most controversial, sounds like one seller getting stuck into another.

http://mainlinephoto.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/name-them-and-shame-them-fake-filter-sellers-on-ebay-caught-redhanded/

1) That is almost a year old

2) There is no proof still, it is just one person's word. As has been stated, the only way to know is to send the filters to Schneider, and that has been done in the past where they said they were legit.

In today's market, you can be sure Schneider and B+W will do what it takes to keep business flowing, and that may mean making different variations for different world segments. Until B+W or Schneider come out and say these are fakes, it is just all speculation. In the end, does the filter do what you need it to do, and was it worth the price? I don't care about brand-names, I care about performance at a good value.

It could say B+W on the filter or it could say Disney, Leisure Suit Larry, or the Hulk, I don't care as long as it does what I need it to for the price I paid.

[acidfreako]

1) That is almost a year old

2) There is no proof still, it is just one person's word. As has been stated, the only way to know is to send the filters to Schneider, and that has been done in the past where they said they were legit.

In today's market, you can be sure Schneider and B+W will do what it takes to keep business flowing, and that may mean making different variations for different world segments. Until B+W or Schneider come out and say these are fakes, it is just all speculation. In the end, does the filter do what you need it to do, and was it worth the price? I don't care about brand-names, I care about performance at a good value.

It could say B+W on the filter or it could say Disney, Leisure Suit Larry, or the Hulk, I don't care as long as it does what I need it to for the price I paid.


I have posted this email to many forums some of it i censored my email. seeing so many people confirm Maxsaver is legit. To add to the confusion i got a reply from Scheider office in germany. Here it is. I am not sure if he is pissed thats why he said Maxsaver is not legit ?


You can email me directly or call me on my australia mobile +61404912290, I dont work for anyone B+W nor australia distributor nor maxsaver



No he is not.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Best regards

i.A.

Marie-Odile Helfrich

Geschäftsbereich Photo

Business Unit Photo

Sekretariat

Office

Tel.:+ 49(0)671 601 125

Fax.+:49(0)671 601 302

e-mail:helfrichm@schneiderkreuznach.com

FYI: from now, you can also reach me by electronic fax No. +49 671 601-81125









Von: anthony leong kar keong [mailto:anthonyleongkarkeong@gmail.com]
Bereitgestellt: Dienstag, 4. Mai 2010 03:28
Bereitgestellt in: sales
Unterhaltung: Enquiry on B+W filters
Betreff: Enquiry on B+W filters

Hi ,
I am wondering if maxsaver online (http://maxsaver.net/) is a legit reseller of B+W filters? I see that Schieder has a branch in ShenZen in China was wondering if they get the lenses from that branch ?

[rvdw98]

I am not sure if he is pissed thats why he said Maxsaver is not legit ?

I'm pretty sure that "he" is a "she" and if they're pissed, then it's probably because you called them "Schieder" instead of "Schneider". ;)