Elinchrome silver liner peeling

I am planning to get a large Octa but reading through some comments, it seems like the silver lining has a tendency to peel off. Some users have even experienced this peeling just a couple of weeks into use. Has this problem been resolved by Elinchrome?

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mrmarks wrote in post #10835390
I am planning to get a large Octa but reading through some comments, it seems like the silver lining has a tendency to peel off. Some users have even experienced this peeling just a couple of weeks into use. Has this problem been resolved by Elinchrome?

A couple of internet reports doesn't make it an "issue", really.

PS - "Elinchrom", no 'e'.

If you're in the US, you might want to contact Bogen about this. This is the second time I've heard of this of all the people I've seen use Elinchrom modifiers. Though it seems like a rare thing, you should still look into it. A couple of weeks use shouldn't do this to any modifier, silver lining just peeling off. Not even eBay ones.

There was an issue a couple of years ago, where some Elinchrom Rotalux boxes were affected. Probably a bad batch of material. AFAIK, every single customer with any issue was taken care of by Elinchrom or their distributors, and that was the end of that.

It's happened to me, it's happened to two other photographers I know. All different rotalux modifiers, all different ages.

The fact that I don't hear about it more often makes me suspect that it's fairly rare, but I've seen three examples with my own eyes (even think I posted some pics of my box on here) that were definitely NOT from one batch.

I know at least 10 photographers personally who have rotalux boxes who havent had problem with their silver liner peeling, does that count...?

Mark Astmann (Elinchrom product manager here in the US) posted the following comment of the FM site back in March of this year:

"...Fabric weight and Peeling - Elinchrom softboxes are designed to be very fast set up and very lightweight so that they can be taken and used on location easily. They weight allot less then either Profoto or Chimera softboxes.
The peeling problem was found in one batch of Rotalux softboxes and was traced back to a defective batch of glue that was used. Customer's experiencing this issue should contact their Elinchrom distributor for warranty repair."

Dave F.

Speaking of warranty repair, their repair department almost always never picks up the phone. Lol. I hope the OP gets his replaced.

MR do little wrote in post #10837738
I know at least 10 photographers personally who have rotalux boxes who havent had problem with their silver liner peeling, does that count...?

Of course. I don't think anyone is suggesting that it's a common thing.

tetrode wrote in post #10837743
Mark Astmann (Elinchrom product manager here in the US) posted the following comment of the FM site back in March of this year:

"...Fabric weight and Peeling - Elinchrom softboxes are designed to be very fast set up and very lightweight so that they can be taken and used on location easily. They weight allot less then either Profoto or Chimera softboxes.
The peeling problem was found in one batch of Rotalux softboxes and was traced back to a defective batch of glue that was used. Customer's experiencing this issue should contact their Elinchrom distributor for warranty repair."

Dave F.

I've seen it on a friend's deep octa. Also happened to a 1m octa I bought a good couple of years before the deep octa was released. No reason to doubt that there was a defective batch but that one batch that isn't the beginning and end of it.

It's really no big deal. I experienced the exact same type of peeling on a Rotalux box and I just fixed it myself.

Seanzky wrote in post #10837910
Speaking of warranty repair, their repair department almost always never picks up the phone. Lol. I hope the OP gets his replaced.

This is true. ... I just fixed it myself. For about $ 7.00 I picked up a roll of silver reflective foil HVAC duct tape. After carefully taping all of the fraying edges, it's actually better than before. The foil tape is really strong. The character of the light is indistinguishable with the small amount of foil tape. The light is bouncing all over the inside of the box before it reaches the front diffusion panel. --- Just don't use the normal gray duct tape !!!

Even with the peeling liner, I still think it's a very well made box, and has been basically problem-free.

SilverHCIC wrote in post #10839290
It's really no big deal. I experienced the exact same type of peeling on a Rotalux box and I just fixed it myself.

But the point is you shouldn't have to. Considering what Elinchrom charges for their modifiers, there's really no excuse for the peeling lining syndrome.

Dave F.

tetrode wrote in post #10839849
But the point is you shouldn't have to. Considering what Elinchrom charges for their modifiers, there's really no excuse for the peeling lining syndrome.

Dave F.

That's a bit harsh. Sh*t happens. Everyone who had a problem and contacted Elinchrom had it taken care of. Ergo - no problem. If this happened every time I bought something from Elinchrom, then it would be an issue. But an isolated incident that is quickly rectified? It could happen to anyone, and it's how they deal with it that defines their customer service. IMHO of course.

Rudi wrote in post #10839982
That's a bit harsh. Sh*t happens. Everyone who had a problem and contacted Elinchrom had it taken care of. Ergo - no problem. If this happened every time I bought something from Elinchrom, then it would be an issue. But an isolated incident that is quickly rectified? It could happen to anyone, and it's how they deal with it that defines their customer service. IMHO of course.

Sorry, Rudi, but that's a bit like the PCB defenders of the faith repeatedly citing that company's excellent customer service. Excellent customer service is a band-aid that treats the symptom not the disease. Because the company will fix it doesn't mean it isn't a problem. It most certainly is. In the case of the peeling Rotalux boxes, that Elinchrom is willing to repair them (while they're still under warranty) doesn't absolve them of responsibility for possibly poor design, poor choice of materials, or poor quality control. This peeling issue is long-standing, well-documented, and most definitely not "isolated". I haven't heard of other softbox manufacturers having this type of problem. Have you?

Dave F.

I don't blame people for wanting a perfect softbox when it's brand new or barely used. However, softboxes really are disposable items for a busy workflow. They just don't last forever especially when taken on location or used extensively day in and out. One of the ways to assess how busy a photographer is by looking at how beat up his cases are, tripod, and softboxes. There should at least be some tape covering up holes on the softboxes somewhere

Anyhow, point is...softboxes really are disposable. Ya buy em...use em...they get F'ed...then you throw em away and buy more because that's just the cost of doing business. The items that should really last are the lights and stands. Get good ones and they last for 20-30 years.