Einstein E640 + CyberSync Transceiver

I am an amateur photographer that long had the desire to try studio quality lights. After quite a bit of research on settled on the Einstein units, which, while not inexpensive, offered qualities similar to flashes selling at 2 to 4 times the price. I was a bit concerned since, usually, you get what you pay for. I ordered two Einstein units three years ago, as long as some standard modifiers. The flashes have performed flawlessly. I've had no problems with them whatsoever. I've also found the features on the lights and the CyberSync Transceiver to be more than I could ever use. With the transceiver the lights are completely adjustable from your camera position. There is also a flash meter on the transceiver that measures the amount of light necessary. Of course, you can completely manually control the output power of the flash from the transceiver as well. It is true that I don't use them frequently like a pro would and they don't get the abuse that a pro might give them. I can't speak to the longevity of these lights for a high use user versus a Profoto or Elinchrom light. The extra cost of those well-known lights might very well go into their durability. But be assured that there is nothing "cheap" about the build of the Einstein lights. I've read enough reviews of these and other lights to know that they may need a little more service than some of the very high end lights, but from what I've read, Paul C. Buff honors its warranty and makes necessary repairs promptly (though I can't personally speak to this because I've never needed warranty service). Perhaps for a pro this is less than tolerable. But for me my my use they have been perfect. Would definitely recommend them to anyone in a similar situation.

This didn’t come with any of the cords like the sync cord or the globe that goes over the light besides the power globe. For $400+ I though all cords would come with it.

For many years, I've been a strong supporter of the Paul Buff products and have recommended them many times. HOWEVER, after the passing of Paul Buff, the company may have changed and for the worse.Today, I spoke with a lady that's been working there for 35 years about repairing an Einstein 640WS flash with only a 5,567 flash count. Everything seems to work fine except it doesn't flash and replacement of the flash tube doesn't help. The flash tube tests okay in another unit.Here's the customer satisfaction killer quote from their website."(**Customers with an Einstein Flash Unit that has a serial number PRIOR to E64021779, please contact customer service before sending in your unit)."My serial number is older (E64008621) and she was quite adamant that PCB would not even look at the flash or attempt to repair it because it was older than their cutoff serial number. I don't believe the old company would have endorsed such a policy, so now I must re-evaluate my loyalty to a company that turns its back on the customer. 5,567 flashes and just throw it into the dumpster? I don't buy into their new policy and I'm unlikely to do business with such a company.

I have 4 of these and they work great. I only gave 4 stars because it does not have high speed sync.

SAFETY HAZZARD - I received TWO Einstein units that were both safety hazards from Paul C. Buff which is completely unacceptable. The first light was not fully assembled. Screws were missing so that unit obviously did not go through a proper inspection. The second unit overheated and the plastic around the levers to attach a light modifier melted, causing the modifier and front half of the unit to fall on me while I was shooting. Luckily I wasn’t injured, but I definitely could have been. These two experiences ruined two paid shoots of mine, and the manager of the customer service team offered me a $25 gift card for my trouble. I’m sorry, but that is not enough. I lost out on money by these two shoots being ruined, in total I’ve went WEEKS now without a proper light. I expected this company to have great equipment and great customer service based on the reviews online. DO NOT RECOMMEND!!! Cheap poorly made unsafe products. I’m hoping this THIRD unitI’m receiving on Wednesday will actually he made and inspected properly.

duh.