Servicing a Rolleiflex

[ohnewton35]

I recently went about buying a Rolleiflex 2.8f and after receiving it (very excitedly I might add) I've moved onto the next phase, a good CLA. I've seen many people suggest many things like Kigor and Henry Fleenor. I'm not particularly looking for an extremely fast turnover but I really don't wanna wait 9 weeks to get it back because my photography club at school is just kicking off. Should I find somewhere in Atlanta where I live? I called Kigor and he asked me to send it to him with my name and phone number which seems a little like ALOT of faith to someone I haven't seen many suggestions for. Any suggestions?

 

[dpurdy]

You might be referring to Krikor in New Jersey. He has a reputation for being really fast and being factory trained.

The Fleenor guy is named Harry and yes he is quite a bit longer wait.
Dennis

 

[ohnewton35]

Yes that's him krikor I apologise

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

I've used them all. Will never use anyone again except Harry Fleenor.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Harry is worth the wait. Don't make the mistake I made by being impatient. The time will go by fast.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Harry only took 4 weeks recently on my Tele-Rolleiflex.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Harry wanted an ungodly sum to fix my 2.8D. Krikor wouldn't work on the 2.8D -- didn't have the parts.

I've got a collection of about 10-12 Rolleiflexes and 'cords including a tele- and a -wide. Harry has worked on at least 4-5 of them. Costs have ranged from $125 - $650 depending of course on what was needed. Sounds like yours needed some serious work. Harry does his estimate and breaks down each fix and outlines the cost of each (i.e., Shutter Overhaul, Transport Overhaul, Adjust Focus, Straighten Bent Foot, Straighten Front Standard, etc) Harry will also find and fix things like a bent foot which most of the other "repair" people won't. He'll also only repair what you want repaired so I guess you can keep your costs down if you wanted to. Is a bent foot important? Maybe, maybe not. It will be if you put your Rolleiflex down on the table to help Aunt Tilly take her seat for her portrait only to hear your camera fall off the table and crash to the floor due to the bent foot not keeping it steady and balanced.

Are others cheaper and faster? You bet. And mostly they just do a quick lube and adjust. That's it. Of course it's cheaper. One person raved telling a story of sending his Rolleiflex off to a known repair person and getting it back in less than a week including shipping both ways. What could have possibly been done in a week? A couple of screw turns to set infinity focus and a squirt or two of oil on shutter. No real checking of the condition of the gearing, standards, transport, etc. I've used a few of the others because they were cheaper and faster. All of those Rolleiflexes eventually had issues again and were sent to Harry later. Waste of money no matter how cheap it was. All I've sent to Harry have run like fine machines ever since...

 

[ohnewton35]

So harry really is the most efficient route?

 

[Pioneer]

I own a Rolleiflex Automat MX-EVS that Harry Fleenor overhauled. It has been an absolute workhorse providing solid service over the past 3 years with no problems. The only other cameras I own that have been as smooth and as reliable are both much, much newer cameras. If this is any indication of the type of work he does he is certainly worth the wait in my opinion.b

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

So harry really is the most efficient route?

I believe so and I found out the hard way.

 

[flash26c]

Another vote for Harry: he worked on both my 2.8F and my SL66. Both perform flawlessly. Worth the wait, you bet!

 

[Larry Kellogg]

I had a good experience with Paul Ebel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MARCUZA]

My 2 cents.

I have owned two 3.5Fs and a 2.8E. I have used all repair people mentioned in this thread and a couple of others as well, all highly recommended. Harry Fleenor is the only one who actually did what he said he would do. The others were a huge waste of time and money, necessitating returning the cameras and getting them back still not right. Go with Harry.

Marcuza

 

[Nick Merritt]

Krikor is great -- I have had him service several Rolleis for me. No reservations whatsoever.

 

[Dali]

I had a good experience with Paul Ebel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had an opposite experience with him.... Had to sent the camera a few month later to Mark Hansen who fixed it... Mark CLAed a couple of TLR for me years ago and they run like new.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Paul worked in two of my Rolleiflexes. One has been fine, the other had more issues later, in his defense he did not see the issues at the time. but that also is sort of the point: to use a strictly exclusive Rolleiflex repair person like Harry. Paul is one terrific guy and is superlative and unmatched for repair, cleaning and adjustment of LF lenses and shutters.

 

[Pioneer]

I really think, to be fair we need to define what it is we are discussing. In some cases people literally do a CLA. They clean the camera, they apply lubricant where it is supposed to be applied, and then they make general adjustments as they reassemble it. Most of the time this is sufficient and a camera that has received this CLA will work fine.

However, for several older cameras which have not received any use or attention for several years, there are potential and hidden problems which do not respond as anticipated to this type of work. What they really need is a complete disassembly and overhaul. This is usually quite a bit more expensive, and more time consuming, than the standard CLA.

If you know factually that the camera you have has been used regularly for the past few years than a CLA may be appropriate. In fact, perhaps it is better to actually work with the camera for a few months. You may find that nothing at all is really needed and you will have saved yourself quite a bit of money and hassle.

On the other hand, if you do notice problems, take note of them and continue to work with the camera. Usually shutter speeds don't all go haywire at the same time. Usually it is the slow ones that go first. Minor focus errors can be worked around, you can even buy a handheld rangefinder to help diagnose the focus errors. Likewise, lens haze is rarely bad enough to disable a camera. Your negatives may have lower contrast and flare may be more of a problem than expected. These things can be irritating for sure. But what you will learn by using said camera can be invaluable in helping you make a decision on which technician to send your camera to, and what to tell them. Remember, not all problems are obvious when you first pick up a camera and having the benefit of an experienced user's description of the problems can be a terrific help. In fact, with this type of information even those technicians who seem to have had problems may turn out to be terrific.

But, it is your money, your time, and most of all, your camera. Enjoy.

 

[filmamigo]

For Canadian folks, I have to recommend Camtech Photo in Hamilton, Ontario. The technician there is very good, and very honest, and the prices at Camtech are super. I have had quite a range of cameras worked on there, always to my satisfaction. That includes two Rolleis. A 2.8F that was filthy and running slow got a CLA and was returned to perfect running condition. And a few weeks ago, I had a Rolleiflex Automat K4/50 repaired. The camera had badly worn rails and wouldn't focus in agreement with the ground glass. Camtech took a couple of weeks and rebuilt the camera, returning it to full operational status.

Perhaps there are jobs for which one of the famous specialists are better suited, but I have yet to find an oddball camera or repair that Camtech hasn't sorted out for me.

 

[Paul in Arizona]

Pioneer touches on something that has been sorely missing from this discussion.
The term "CLA" is a woefully imprecise catch-all. It could mean anything from a minor clean and lube to a major rebuild. My guess is that most cameras will be reanimated with just a clean and lube.

To put it in automotive terms getting your car "serviced" could be anything from an oil change to an engine rebuild. Any statement of the widely varying costs of service should be more explicit. Also, a given repair facility's ability to completely resolve troubles will depend in part on the complexity of the work required. It would not be entirely fair to criticize the guys at Jiffy Lube for not fixing a trouble if a car required major mechanical work. There are varying levels of complexity and expertise required.

Of course the trick is to guess in advance if you need or want a simple clean/lube or if you need a disassembly and overhaul -then to choose a repair shop accordingly.

 

[Dali]

My bad experience came a Rolleiflex having a dragging shutter. Slow speeds were obviously off and I suspected the high speeds were too... This is the reason why I sent the camera for repair. Being "serviced", the camera developed the same trouble few months (2, 3?) after. The exact same camera was sent to Mark Hansen with for the exact same reason and the camera never failed then. I guess the shutter was not services the same way: one (Hansen) cures it, the other (Ebel) not.

Now, if I sent you a camera saying that speeds are off, would you be able to understand what I mean and would you be able to take the corrective measure if you were what I call a repairman or is it too complex to get?

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Of course the trick is to guess in advance if you need or want a simple clean/lube or if you need a disassembly and overhaul -then to choose a repair shop accordingly.

I disagree. Just because you send your Rolleiflex to Harry does not automatically mean he'll take the whole thing part and do a complete overhaul and hit you for $600. He'll only repair what's needed, and perhaps offer further more aesthetic or minor repairs too, which you can decline. As I mentioned I sent him my Tele-Rolleiflex recently that has some focus issues. I was fully prepared for it needing more. To my delight it only needed a basic shutter overhaul and simple focus adjustment (here's actual text of the email estimate from Harry):

Received: Rolleiflex Tele with mirror chrome lens cap.
Defects on receipt: focus adjustment is way off, some paint worn.

Service required: shutter overhaul (some speeds are off) & adjust focus $134.00, UPS shipping with $1,700.00 insurance $36.00, total is $170.00.

Look at that! A repair estimate from Harry for only $134! Belays his reputation for being expensive!

Here's another estimate detail from Harry on my seriously beaten up 2.8E Planar I bought in Beijing for $175 or so:

Received: Rolleiflex 2.8E w/case.

Defects on receipt: hood parts loose, focus nob & front panel & lens mount have paint damage, film feeler roller rusted, release lock & sync lock levers are missing, front tilted & out of alignment, back bent.

Service required: repair hood $49.00, shutter overhaul $134.00, transport overhaul (stiff) $134.00, straighten back $24.00, replace release lock & sync lock levers $39.00, replace back lock pin $22.00, replace rusted film feeler roller $29.00, repair focusing, re-align, collimate & adjust focus $110.00, repair depth of field scale (sluggish) $49.00, replace missing & damaged leather $29.00, CA tax on parts $8.63, UPS shipping $27.00, total is $654.63

Hey, if people want to put their heads in the sand and believe that the "Jiffy Lube" repair guys (most of whom only know how to lubricate a shutter and perhaps adjust focus) would not even know what to do if a Rolleiflex needed a transport overhaul or more detailed work, give them a cheaper price and that's it, go right ahead. If you want to learn what's really wrong with your Rolleiflex and plan to keep it for a while send to someone like Harry. Or spend more: pay the other guy the money THEN send to Harry later when the real needed work shows again.

 

[ohnewton35]

I am ever so greatful for the varying perspectives and as an advance amateur in photography I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning different perspectives. I will likely use it till Christmas with the knowledge that slow shutter speaks are sticky and likely send it off to Harry before my big trip to Norway next June. Thank you all so much for your input

 

[BrianShaw]

You may want to reconsider. You'll have a much better experience wth your Rollei if you get it serviced sooner than later. There are few things more satisfying than photography with a full functional and well-maintained Rollei.

 

[fotch]

Harry Fleenor did my SL66 many years ago, highly recommend him.

 

[Pioneer]

I realize that I will stir some feathers with this opinion, but a lot of this is just plain internet BS.

If I take my car to someone for repair, and it returns with the same problem, I either return it so the job can be done right, or go get my money back.

I do the same with my cameras. I have a number of cameras of various brands that I have sent to various repair persons. All but just a few have been returned properly repaired. I have had two or three that were not done satisfactorily and I returned them with a clear explanation of the problem as well as my expectation. In each case the repair person in question completed the work satisfactorily at no further cost to me.

Nobody is perfect, including myself. I expect the work to be done correctly but I do not expect to have to send it to someone else to get it done. In only one situation have I given someone a 2nd chance only to give up and send it to someone else to do it correctly. In this case my money was refunded.

I like Harry and would strongly recommend him. But I seriously doubt he is the only person who can do a good job with a Rolleiflex repair.