p.1 #1 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
I ordered a Sirui M-3004 tripod, which arrived two days ago. It worked fine out of the box - fully extended it without a problem. It sat in the closet since then. Today I took it out to use it, and two of the leg sections are so difficult to extend that I almost have to break a sweat to set up the damn tripod. I ordered this for a trip to Peru. I'm leaving in three days. And the Service Hotline number is no longer in service.
p.1 #3 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
what's even more bizarre is that now sometimes the legs move smoothly - they will drop down from their own weight and slide in with just a slight push. Then they will jam. Then they will work smoothly again. And only the sections above the botton sections. The other sections work fine.
p.1 #5 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
I guess I shouldn't have believed the people on this forum who commented on how good the quality was.
And I don't mind spending the money either. My main tripod is a CF Gitzo.
p.1 #7 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
It sounds like the collets at the top of the leg section have become dislocated. Undo the locking collar and remove one of the sections which has the problem. There will either be a one-piece collet or two separate segments. They usually have a hole in them which fits over a little bump at the top of the section. If they have become dislodged, replace them carefully and slide the section back in, making sure to line up the gap in the collet with the trunnion which runs down inside the leg section thus preventing twist. Replace the locking collar and see if that works.
Feisol (certainly) and Gitzo (possibly) have a one- piece collet and one trunnion. Manfrotto CF has 2 segmented collets and 2 trunnions. I don`t know about any of the others. HTH.
p.1 #8 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
Thanks! I'll try that as soon as I stop the bleeding - from smashing the part of my hand between my thumb and index finger between the two leg locks trying to retract the damn legs.
p.1 #9 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
RonMJ wrote:
I ordered a Sirui M-3004 tripod, which arrived two days ago. It worked fine out of the box - fully extended it without a problem. It sat in the closet since then. Today I took it out to use it, and two of the leg sections are so difficult to extend that I almost have to break a sweat to set up the damn tripod. I ordered this for a trip to Peru. I'm leaving in three days. And the Service Hotline number is no longer in service.
Any manufacturer can ship a damaged or defective product, but the real lesson learned here is that when you needed service, you were left out in the cold.
p.1 #10 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
dcains wrote:
Any manufacturer can ship a damaged or defective product, but the real lesson learned here is that when you needed service, you were left out in the cold.
I agree with that - where did you buy it?
I'd see if you can get something quickly from your local camera store (if you have one) or Amazon.
For what it is worth, I have a Sirui CF monopod, and it has been flawless so far.
p.1 #11 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
I bought it from B&H. I tried gardenvalley's suggestion. There were a lot of small black fibers on the collets and a few rough edges that may have been causing it to jam. I cleaned it out and smoothed the edges. It seems to work now, but I may call B&H anyway about a possible replacement when I return.
p.1 #12 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
It's these things often overlooked in a camera shop (and especially with online purchases) which illustrate the differences between the knock-offs and the quality tripods. The devil is in the details.
p.1 #15 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
Haha... the stories of abysmal service from Manfrotto and Gitzo (same company in the US) are legion. Sirui has a long way to go to descend to their level.
dcains, are you an expert on quality issues WRT Sirui? Have you owned a lot of them?
p.1 #16 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
No need for me to buy a Siriu, but if the OP's problem doesn't offer some insight as to the sort of company they are, what can I say? I do own Feisol, Manfrotto, Gitzo, Markins, and RRS tripod gear, and never had any issues with quality or service. I will readily admit if you don't call Bogen on the phone directly, you'll never get any help, but they do pay their phone bill
If someone else is happy with Siriu, Benro, Induro, Flashpoint, etc., more power to them. Always a choice for every user and budget. It has certainly held true that buying a better quality product once is cheaper than buying several inferior ones repeatedly, and I've learned that lesson just like everyone else. First tripod was a Sunpak, second was a Slik, third was a Velbon. Somehow, they all found their way into the trash (at a cost of almost $1K total). It's always easy for us to spend someone else's money, but it's also always easier to learn from the experience of others. There are currently two active threads here with mention of Siriu failures.
p.1 #17 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
Heh... I went from a Manfrotto CF tripod to three different Gitzo CF tripods to two different Benros to my present Sirui, and have gotten higher quality each time. Gitzo was the only one that I needed customer service on, and it was a nightmare.
p.1 #18 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
I'm lucky, perhaps, to have never needed service on any of my tripods (other than those first three I trashed), but I have bought parts a few times from Bogen. A ground level kit for my 0-series Gitzo, and two platforms when they upgraded from plastic to metal on the 2-series Gitzo's. Phone service was pretty painless. I'm not really the type to send such simple gear in for repair, though, as I was indoctrinated a long time ago to Italian "quality" by owning many Alfa Romeo cars. Still have three in the garage. If you want something Italian fixed right, you'd better learn to do it yourself
p.1 #20 · Sirui tripod - junk - jams after two days
RonMJ
Your Sirui tripod problem was forwarded to me by a concerned photographer.
I am sorry to hear of your problem with the tripod. This is not a common occurrence.
The first thing we need to do, is make sure your tripod is working properly.
The US distributor of Sirui products is Argraph Corporation at 201-939-7722. Please ask for Alan at the service department. You can also contact him by email at [email protected]. He will work directly with you to quickly resolve your problem!
Argraph’s service department has always been first rate. I believe you may have searched for Sirui USA and ended up on the Canada distributor’s website which is no longer active. When you call the number, it just rings. However, further down the web page it mentions contacting Argraph for service of Sirui products sold in the US.
Sirui products have an excellent reputation. That is why they have a 6-year warranty and are one of the fastest growing tripod brands in the US.
You are also welcome to contact me at [email protected]
I hope this will show you how serious we are about customer service and satisfaction.
Thank you
Jeff Karp
Sirui Director of Sales
