£90 for a replacement flash tube for Elinchrome 250 BXRi...!

qlite50

qlite50

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I almost had a seizure when I realised how much it will cost me to replace a seemingly failed flash tube for my flash head! Are they all similarly expensive or is it just Elinchrome? Are there any cheaper alternatives I could consider. Even more annoying it failed after just 3 sessions of experimental use.
 
TG. said:
Was this from brand new ? if so why aren't you taking it back ?
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I've had the kit it for about a year but only recently unpacked it for use. I'll soon establish whether it's the flash tube that's gone, or heaven forbid, the head itself
 
By the way, are the flash tubes covered under warranty? The modelling lamp on the other head has also failed, and it kinda makes me wonder if this is going to be an on-going trend with these things..!
 
qlite50 said:
By the way, are the flash tubes covered under warranty? The modelling lamp on the other head has also failed, and it kinda makes me wonder if this is going to be an on-going trend with these things..!
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Not usually. That said, if you've had problems at such short notice, I would expect the company to supply a replacement out of good will.
 
You should speak to The Flash Centre, Elinchrom distributors as well as retailers. They have a good rep for service.

My D-Lites haven't missed a beat in seven years (first batch).

Edit: check the fuse first! How have they been stored all this time? Any damp or condensation a possibility? That would blow the fuse.
 
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qlite50 said:
I almost had a seizure when I realised how much it will cost me to replace a seemingly failed flash tube for my flash head! Are they all similarly expensive or is it just Elinchrome? Are there any cheaper alternatives I could consider. Even more annoying it failed after just 3 sessions of experimental use.
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Replacement cost for the three types of flash head I use are £69, £79 & £219, the most expensive tube listed for this range (Multiblitz) is £359. But then again I'd expect to get 10 years usage from a tube and the only one I've ever had fail was after 25 years. With such a few uses I certainly wouldn't be happy, then again mine are plugged and switched on for an hour every other week even if they aren't being used.

Paul
 
My Quadra A heads (same bulb as your BXRi) are fine without problems after 2 years of use. So either you have fuses that failed or possibly you have damaged the tubes somehow.
 
Thanks everyone for your kind responses. I swapped the "broken" flashtubes with another one on a different head and my current thinking is that the flashtube wasn't properly seated in the head originally. It seems to be working relatively reliably again although I've had the odd fail-to-fire incidents with the original head (perhaps one in 10 attempts). I'm just hoping there isn't anything inherently wrong with it.

Michael Sewell said:
It's in my signature. Lencarta
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Sorry, I was using TP on my mobile and now realise users' signatures don't show up on the mobile version.
Thanks
 
The Elinchrom guarantee is two years --- best way to check if a flash tube is going off is to try it at minimum power, cold with the modelling lamp off.

If it mis-fires, it needs checking out.

Thussauds were shooting 2 million portraits per year in groups of on average four, and reckoned that their flash tubes lasted around a year. Using Elinchrom ...
 
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