Cool Lights: BEWARE

Nobody is trying to deny anything. It was a prematurely made thread. The OP didn't give Richard a chance to replace his light before making a judgment that Cool Light sucks. I had a similar situation with Varizoom a while back when they sent me a bum ground spreader for a tripod. But I didn't make a thread telling everybody that the product sucks; I wait until I get a replacement (BTW, that product does suck, but it's another story).

Based on what Gabriel wrote I'm not sure if it was the light that failed. It's not obvious at first, but the CMD150 requires some cool down time when you turn it off. The first time I used it I unplugged the light to move it and when it wouldn't turn back on I thought the light was malfunctioning too. But I waited a few minutes and turn it back on and it works. Even the manual mentions this, "If you turned off the fresnel or should the power go out, you should not attempt to turn the light back on for 5 minutes. This is known as a 'cold start system'."
 
Since everyone is chiming in...

To MattinSTL, testing is the responsibility of the user. We're not talking about a hair dryer or a coffee maker. We're dealing with a tool that we need to do our job. Whether you're dealing with Cool Lights or Arri, it's the same stuff - lots of little parts. Stuff (insert a more appropriate word) happens. So we test, ALWAYS. Whether or not it SHOULD be perfect, why take the chance? Yes, that Arri Fresnel SHOULD have been flawless for the price we paid, but if we show up and it doesn't work, and as a result we can't get the shot, the client doesn't care who made the light. WE brought the light so it's OUR responsibility.

But, this thread is not about OP's professionalism. It's about Cool Lights and I think Richard and his company ROCK! You can't beat it for the price, and frankly even if the lights were more expensive, they'd still be well worth it.

Lastly, I, too, think that perhaps OP could have waited till things were resolved in some way. It'd be one thing if he approached Richard about the problem and was ignored, or if Richard sent him replacements and the problem persisted. But when a company owner (how often do we actually get THEM on the phone?) is attempting to fix the issue, don't turn around and post something so volatile (particularly that thread title). From what I've heard, it sounds like a very rare glitch and to post a threat warning people about the company based on a 1 in who knows how many occurance is silly.

I, for one, am planning to buy at least one CDM150 very soon :)

~~Dave
 
Just my 2 cents....

No matter what the outcome of this particular thread, there are going to be a LOT of people who never read it. This is the first time I've gotten in here and read it. All a lot of people are going to see is "Cool Lights: BEWARE" on the main page all the time. That creates a negative impression in people's minds. It did in mine. I found myself thinking, "Well, I'd better stay away from those Cool Lights! There must be some problem!"

Now, being the rational consumer that I am, when I was ready to start shopping for lights I would've done more research. But I have to say that when that time came, Cool Lights would have been at a distinct disadvantage in my mind, solely from having seen that subject line over and over and over. They would have had to overcome a subliminal negative image that other competitors would not have had.

So I can't disagree with Richard's position here in defending his company name. When someone posts a message with a subject like "Cool Lights: BEWARE" or "Premiere SUCKS!", even though they may not intend to incite a riot or anything, they still can do serious, long-term damage to a company's reputation and business. All things considered, Richard handled it far better than I would, if I were in his shoes.

Again....just my 2 cents.
 
Davdo said:
Since everyone is chiming in...

To MattinSTL, testing is the responsibility of the user. We're not talking about a hair dryer or a coffee maker. We're dealing with a tool that we need to do our job.

~~Dave
Click to expand...

I'll be straight up with you dude and tell you that the first company that gives me that impression is the last company I'd ever buy from.

We handle our gear in a professional manner... i.e. we beat the heck out of it... and it's really rare to have something fail. Who said that you should test a light for 10 hours before the shoot? That's nuts... cross that company off my list. We have a big van FULL of lights... I mean FULL of them... and sometimes we use all of 'em... so far... zero failures. So should we test our lights before each shoot? Open 3 arri kits... 3 divas... the bar-flys... the 3 hmi's... etc. etc. and test all that before each shoot?

So if that sounds preposterous... then how about the statement that on the first day I receive an item... on the FIRST day it is taken out of the package... it's MY responsibility to test that item to be sure it actually works? (we aren't talking about me knowing how to use the item... we're talking about making sure the thing works)... so that's NOT the manufacturer's responsibility? So QUALITY CONTROL is not the manufacturers' responsibility? Did I read that correctly? :)
 
Of course I'm not saying to test everything EVERY time you go out, but when we get a new piece of gear of any kind, it's our responsibility to run it through its paces just in case, so we can catch any glitches before it's crunch time. The bulk of my post was in response to the OP making a big deal about the light failing on him on a shoot. He was upset at "having a light fail on the first day you use it" or something to that effect. I, and many MANY others in this field, think that a shoot should NEVER be the first time you use a piece of equipment.

Quality control is absolutely, first and foremost the manufacturer's responsibility. But these things are machines and stuff happens - weird, unexplained stuff. Since this equipment often dictates whether or not we get the shot, we should be cynical and skeptical. I maintain that EVERY new piece of equipment, whether it's brand new or just new to you (bought used or rented), should be tested thoroughly before actually going out on a shoot with it.

~~Dave
 
MattinSTL said:
Who said that you should test a light for 10 hours before the shoot? That's nuts... cross that company off my list.
Click to expand...

Errmm what did I do?

I said that, and I didnt say YOU need to. I said I do. With any light I buy, I put a new globe in and run it in before shooting with it. I dont like going to a shoot with a client and have things die in front of them, makes me look unprofessional, so all NEW equipment, I test. For lights thats about 10 hours, usually I find if ones going to die, it will do it in those first 10 hours. Its a work practice I recommend for anyone using new lighting equipment and one I assume most people undertake to varying degrees with anything they use.
 
if I were running an important production, whether film, sound, anything that involved a good number of equipment...i would make darn sure that everything is working ahead of time. What's wrong with that? You don't wait till the last second before you really need them. And it does not matter how many times I've used the product..We do this in the rocket business all the time. It's a given.

I also agree that the OP acted way too soon. I'm glad we got to hear from him...but it was a bit too premature. Despite everything I think Richard handled himself well.

And chapelgrovefilms makes a great point....that thread title will stick out like a sore thumb everytime someone does a search no matter how good or bad the product is. Some things are just unecessary.
 
Noel Evans said:
I said that, and I didnt say YOU need to. I said I do. With any light I buy, I put a new globe in and run it in before shooting with it. I dont like going to a shoot with a client and have things die in front of them, makes me look unprofessional, so all NEW equipment, I test. For lights thats about 10 hours, usually I find if ones going to die, it will do it in those first 10 hours. Its a work practice I recommend for anyone using new lighting equipment and one I assume most people undertake to varying degrees with anything they use.
Click to expand...
That is what Quality Control is supposed to be for, to insure that you haven't just spent a lot of your money on a dead unit. If a brand new unit fails, whether it is a .99 cent whatever or a $9,999 dollar whatever, you have to wonder about that company's Q.C. Say you just bought a new motorcycle, and as you were riding down the hiway the $3 masterlink pops loose and causes you to go down at 75MPH? Oops! No problem, just take it back to the dealer! Granted, a set of lights isn't likely to kill you, but it will sure ruin your reputation when you have a schedule, and your new stuff is dead.
 
I have a 3 1/2 Ton Grip/Electric truck, and anytime i get new gear /lights etc. I test them out. Anytime the truck comes back from a show , I test and check the gear.

As for new gear these things go thru shipping. Who knows what can happen from the time it leaves manufacturer and reaches to me. SO I TEST, It's up to me to know what I brought and that it works , or that it doesn't work .

I'm still gonna get a few "Cool lights",...........and I will test them also.
 
When I get sth new, I WANT to test it immediately (big boys like big toys:beer:).
That doesn´t mean the company doesn´t have a responsibility for quality control.
If a item fails on the first day of use that´s unacceptable.
If this first day of use is ON ASSIGNMENT, that´s either stupidity or one of the many "just in time" deliverys.
I acted stupid only once, "just in time" deliverys still happen with small items that aren´t crucial to the productions.
 
Cmon guys stop the fan boy mentality if 2 ballast fail in 2 weeks, a 'beware' thread is definitely warranted. In any case this thread should just be locked as it has stopped to serve any purpose and is getting nasty. But i do have to say i would feel sorry if i was the customer and this was the treatment i got for rating a faulty product. Maybe sponsors of DVXuser should not be participating in threads like this, in the end any product should speak for it self and hold its own. It seems odd that someone should get bullied for stating his opinion or his experience with a product on a public forum.
 
He's not getting bullied. You're right...if two ballast fail in two weeks a beware is warranted...but this was not the initial case. People here keep bringing up their own scenarios in the mix when those scenarios have nothing to do with what initially happened. The fact is the "beware" notice went out to soon and comes off as a little too harsh. It's something that we can all learn from if we ever find ourselves in the same situation with new equipment. Give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt before you cause a ruckus. I understand it was not the OP's intent but we still need to take account for our actions. No fanboyism here...I don't ever plan on buying this product....well...never say never.

when you buy new equipment...you should never expect it to fail....but regardless you should not put all your eggs in one basket. Test it out to make sure it works...if not...do the right thing...call customer service and they should help you out promptly....if not....BEWARE EVERYWHERE. get it? It's called doing the right thing.
 
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You're right, it wasn't bullying.
It was character asassination.
Nearly everyone agrees the OP went overboard.
So did the business---big time!
 
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