I have left two messages and sent an email with no response in over a week  wtf

I bought some stands from them when I was first setting up for my studio.  They were pretty shoddy.  I never bothered contacting them about it and just bought better stuff going forward.

They just sell Chinese stuff and don't make their own products right? Basically an importer/reseller?

I have one of their Octaboxes and it's decent enough.

Cheap products at cheap prices.   Not that it's always a bad thing, it is what it is.

Last September I bought a 60" octagonal softbox from them lured by the low price. When I began trying to put it together I realized it would be difficult to control the rods with the enormous amount of pressure one would need to align and flex them, especially for the last two or three rods. So I searched online for videos of how others have controlled the 60" behemoth during assembly.

At first I was delighted when I found Cowboy Studios themselves made a "softbox video" but was disappointed when I realized it was for one of their rectangular softboxes which don't generate nearly the tricky competing pressures of a 60" octagonal softbox. Long story short they didn't offer a video of octagonal setup, nor did anyone else on Google or Youtube that I could find at that time.

SETUP 1 one hole punctured in fabric. I taped it.
SETUP 2 another hole punctured in fabric. I taped it.
SETUP 3 a rip in the fabric. Also, one of the rods permanently bent even though I did not bring it beyond the flex point needed for insertion. I'm sure the bend was a result of the fact that it took 10-15 tries (and two people) to flex and insert the final rod into its hole. I assume that bend means all these efforts have introduced metal fatigue so that rod is on its way to breaking.

Like Paul, I threw it in my photographic equipment junk pile and will probably never use it again even though the light was very nice.

I get stuff from them all the time... It gets the job done, but not very durable. I have light stands, strobes, backdrop stands, and various other items all from CB studios.

I use them all the time and so far everything still works.

The good news is they are VERY cheap.
The bad news is their stuff falls apart after a few shoots.

I kind of equate Cowboy Studios to playing a slot machine. If you are sitting down at the slot with a Benjamin and are expecting to hit a jackpot you will be very much disappointed when, 10 minutes later, you are broke. However, if you sit at the slot machine expecting to just have fun playing a game and if you win money great but don't get upset if you lose it all, then it's a good experience.

I still buy from CS but only with gear I expect to get immersed in salt water, hit by stray bullets, knocked over by clumsy model escorts, etc. They do have good customer service though, I'll say that. A while ago they ran a sale on beauty dishes for Paul Buff lights so I bought one with the optional upgraded grid. It showed up in good shape but the diffuser was REALLY cheap quality and the grid was so warped it wouldn't fit inside. Rather than have me return it, they just sent me a new grid and that one didn't fit either. They gave me a refund plus money to return both of them.

Cheap garbage but at least they made good on it.

I have a wind-machine from them which was a very reasonable alternative to the RE-Fan. It was delivered in good condition and has proven to be reliable. It gets regular use and seems ruggedly built. I wouldn't trust bargain-basement stuff in every department, but somethings do make sense.

China made stuff that you can find the same exact one on ebay for cheaper. They put their name on it and double the price.

I have 4 of their light stands, and 4 umbrellas, all still fine after 2 years of use.

I ordered one of their studio fans from their Canadian office. Web site said it was "in stock." Money was taken from my account, three days later I had to follow-up and ask where the product was. Hadn't been shipped.  I was told it was "out of stock" - their web site still said "36 available." I told them to either refund my money or send me the item. The refunded my money.

I ordered the exact same product from their USA office and bizarrely enough it was cheaper, including shipping etc to get it into Canada.

It arrived, was solid as a rock, worked perfectly and in comparison to similar items available at local vendors, was considerably cheaper.

Do I like the product : yes, I use it almost daily and it's been flawless.

Would I buy from them again : I very much doubt it. The fan was the only thing that interested me and in comparison to my dealings with people like Paul C Buff, the difference is night and day; the marginal overhead is small potatoes vs the general headache of dealing with a really poor company in many regards.

About 3-4 years ago I bought a light stand from them that bent after the first use.  All they had me do was send them a picture of it and they sent me a replacement. Didn't even have to send the bent one back in.  The replacement has worked fine since.

"anyone have any luck with Cowboy Studios"

TouchofEleganceStudios wrote:
I have left two messages and sent an email with no response in over a week  wtf

I have placed several orders through Amazon and have not had any problems.

I don't really remember for sure but it may be that the merchandise is shipped from China.  Have a bit of patience.

I have plenty of luck, I never buy shoddy, cheap equipment.

I have had a 3 foot rectangular softbox and the Mettle 400 wsec strobe from them for 2 years now. So far, so good. All are working fine.

to me its all ebay products with their name on it .. I would pass on crap

What? Cowpie studios? Never heard of them.

0_0

Buyer Beware, comes to mind.

I bought a set of their flash triggers... Transmitter and 2 slaves for $30. Two years on they still work fine. The safety lock for the transmitter hot shoe is cheap plastic. Haven't tested range outside the studio but haven't had any misfires.