We all already know what a joke Goldberg projection ports are. Joe has a review of this in the "reviews" section of this website and I couldn't agree more. However, up until now I've always considered their reels the benchmark for which all others are compared to. Well, not anymore. I think I would rather have a Technicolor depot reel with cardboard masking taped onto the flanges to extend them to 24 inches. At least that reel might work.

7 weeks ago I posted a thread titled "Goldberg large split reels". It explained the basic problem I was having with two Godlberg 24 inch split reels I had purchased. Here is the outcome.

I contacted Ben Kehe of Motion Picture Projection Services, Inc. whom I had originally purchased the reels through. For those who do not know Ben, he is one of the most wonderful people in this industry to work with. I've yet to find another dealer that cares as much as Ben does and is as particular and efficient. I could go on and on praising Ben, but this Goldberg treatment needs to be heard around the world.

Ben had purchased the reels through Wolk and Tony Klingman was very helpful in setting up the return authorization with Goldberg. I shipped the reels back, for they were nothing more than scrap metal to me the way they were. Goldberg received the reels and noted that the packaging was solid and in-tact with no damage.

Now here comes the pathetic part...Goldberg would do NOTHING to remedy the problem. NOTHING!!! What kind of company will not stand behind their product? The reels are useless and anyone can easily see that they are defective. Take a look below.

Please note that taking pictures of this was VERY difficult, as this really needs to be seen in person to really see just how warped these flanges are.

This is reel #1. Notice how the back side of the reel is horribly bent?

This is reel #2. This one is even worse.

Going back to reel #1, notice how warped the flanges of the reels are. Just sitting a core in the open area of a flange shows the spacing problem.

Reel #2 shot from above, showing the warpage, particularly at the core.

And here's a shot of reel #1 (the better one of the two) with a core on the shaft. Note that this picture was taken with the flanges screwed together as tight as possible, and yet look at all of the clearance from the edge of the core to the inside of the flange at the shaft!

This sort of defect did not happen in shipping, for the front flange of the reels are flat. There is nothing to make me believe that the boxes (which arrived undamaged in their original packaging, with the "cardboard film" strips in between the flanges) suffered any shipping mishandling whatsoever. These reels plain and simple left the Goldberg factory this way and even upon receiving them back from a dissatisfied customer, they have outright refused to do anything to make good on them.

Basically what is happening is when the reels are screwed together, they are stopping on the core itself and NOT on the reel's shaft and O-ring. A split reel should close completely and still be able to shift the core back and forth ever so slightly for it to be useful. These reels will severely damage the sprockets on the first part of any film that is ran onto them...and again I stress that Goldberg is NOT willing to make good on this. They are a sheet metal company with more than enough equipment to have even banged these inner flanges flat...but no, they got their money and to hell with their customer.

It seems the only thing that Goldberg can make with any degree of quality is their platter reel (also reviewed here on this site). There is no need for this kind of "customer service" in the industry.

So, what other company makes 24 inch split reels with a 5/16 inch shaft? (Bob, how about Neumade?) I am taking my business elsewhere and I urge everyone else to as well, for Goldberg does not care about you, the customer.

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I can honestly state that we have not had problems with the Goldberg ports either, still use them, and not a single dissatisfied customer.

I can't speak to your experience but it does seem like a lot of "dealers" were involved on old stock items.

Steve

Would you feel the same way if this reel issue had happened through Cardinal? Somehow I don't think you would be backing them if they had told you to take a hike.

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I've got a 24 inch split reel that a friend of mine literally "made" in his garage with only a hammer and a pair of pliers. Basically he butchered a 1000' Goldberg reel and he butchered a 6000' Goldberg solid hub reel and concocted the thing. It is very wobbly and I was first very concerned about using it, but the darned thing works and it works very well. I have wound 6000+ feet of film onto cores before and never had a problem. I can also tell you that there are a LOT of other people who do the same for various reasons, of which is not the issue here.

To answer your other question, yes I did more than just place a core with film on it. I placed an empty core onto the reel, stuck it on the takeup arm and trashed some film in the process! (Yes, it was junk/test film because I was concerned about there not being enough clearance.) I too have seen the slight differences in cores, but again this is not the issue. I should be able to use a core that is 30mm wide and the flanges should still not screw together so much that the film can not have just a mm or two of side room.

As to contacting Goldberg directly, Randy was the person whom I sent the reel to and he was the one who faxed back the refusal to make good on the product. ...and yes, the reels came straight out of the Goldberg box this way and yes, the reels were brand new. Bear in mind that they were used by me for a day, then returned to Goldberg, then sent to Wolk to see if they could do anything with them, then returned to me. Other than the fingerprints and some added scratches from going back to Goldberg, the reels are sitting here now in the same physical condition that I shipped them out originally.

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From what I understand, Ben sold you the product. Unless he sold you the product "as is," he is responsible for selling the product to you in poor condition, end of story. If it WAS sold "as is," it is your problem. Any refund will have to come from Ben, and he will have to deal up the chain. That is part of doing business. You shouldn't be dealing direct with Goldberg in this situation.

I am puzzled about the flange damage to the product. I can't understand how such damage would occur during the manufacturing process. If it didn't occur there, and there is a end of production line inspection, I can understand the reluctance by Randy at Goldberg to "make good" on the product.

Stuff does "go bad" on the shelf. A pallet can drop on a stack of boxes and items be "fixed" and then reboxed. Sometimes the owner of the business might not even be aware of the accident and subsequent "repair." The clearance from the edge of the core to the inside of the flange would appear to be OK if the flange was straight, which indicates to me the original manufacturing may have been fine.

My beef is that this was a clear cut case and Goldberg was at fault. It has taken almost 2 months to ship these reels back to Goldberg and as of today, I now still do not have what I ordered because Goldberg would not stand behind their product. On top of that, a dealer is getting screwed with defective reels. It's the principle of the thing and it's shitty business practices. Had the reels not arrived damaged, I'm confident that the quality of the construction would have been plenty adequate.

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Having said that, this is no way for Goldberg to treat a customer if they want to stay in business. Word gets around. Their reputation is now at least one notch lower in my opinion, and it was low to start with. Customer service after a sale is as much of doing business today as is selling a product in the first place. Richard suggests E.E.P. splits and I agree. I have some of their 2000' split reels and like them better than the Goldbergs. Do they make 24" versions?

This doesn't really apply to the discussion but I offer it as an example. I work, doing both circuit and software design, for a company that makes RF test equipment. If a customer decides to return a unit he can, for ANY reason. I should add, these are custom made-to-order in the range of $20K to $150K pieces of equipment. NO questions asked! That's the company policy. If only other well known companies had similar policies.