Safrotto buckle breaks

[Rafael]

As I grabbed my camera bag on the way out the door this morning, I noticed that the strap buckle had broken nearly in half. The bag is a Safrotto F-803 clone that I bought about three months ago. Now I have to say that in all other respects I have been thrilled with this bag. The canvas is of a very high quality. And the insert is, in my opinion, superior to the Domke insert. But apparently, the buckles for adjusting the strap length may not be up to the same standard.

I don't want this to turn into a bash Safrotto thread or a "you should have bought a real Domke" thread. But I am interested to know whether others have had the same problem with these bags and what, if anything, they did about it.

 

[Socke]

Mine is the F-3 clone and I have it for some time now, I think a year or so.

The buckles show no signs of war so far but I have an impressive hole on the back from a careless held cigarette in a crowd. Gives the bag a nice warphotographer touch 🙂

 

[nksyoon]

I've had mine for about 18 months - no problems except it's getting a little dirty.

 

[back alley]

I've had mine for about 18 months - no problems except it's getting a little dirty.

time to trade it in...😉

 

[ghost]

everything breaks. your buckle broke. 😀

 

[Rafael]

everything breaks. your buckle broke. 😀

Your point being?

 

[ghost]

just teasing your choice of words.

 

[Rafael]

Ah, good point!

 

[tomtodeath]

get some 2-ton epoxy!

 

[Rafael]

I've opted for Krazy glue for the time being. We'll see how it holds.

 

[ElrodCod]

I googled Safrotto & found them on ebay. Seems like the cheaper the bag is the higher the shipping charges. What's up with that? No way am I going to pay $35 shipping for a $30 bag.

 

[physiognomy]

No problems so far with my Mekko F-803 clone... While I've only had it since May its seen some pretty heavy field use over the summer & everything is still solid. Sorry to hear you had a problem with yours. You should be able to get another suitable buckle somewhere if the glue doesn't hold it.

Cheers!

Peter

 

[JoeFriday]

the only problem I've had with my Safrotto is remembering that I own one

as for repairs.. I highly recommend Gorilla Glue.. that stuff is the liquid equivalent of duct tape.. a bit messy to use, tho.. so read the directions before applying

 

[physiognomy]

I googled Safrotto & found them on ebay. Seems like the cheaper the bag is the higher the shipping charges. What's up with that? No way am I going to pay $35 shipping for a $30 bag.

Yeah, I originally thought that... Then I looked up the price of original Domke's (without shipping) and swollowed that pill... You can find some sellers with more reasonable shipping quotes. Mine supposedly came from within the US (west coast) and only cost $12 to ship. See the seller here:

Mekko/Safrotto bag... $12 shipping (click link)

Possibly the sellers you saw were shipping from somewhere in asia where they are made? Either way, from my experience (I bought from the above seller) the bags are great, and while I'd like the name brand they are more than enough quality at a reduced price.

Peter

 

[peter_n]

Sorry to hear yours broke. I've had my Safrotto for over a year of heavy use (every day) and it is fine. I also have the Domke version and I think the Safrotto is a better bag. I really don't like the stiffness of the canvas in the Domke or that rigid top. Makes the bag very uncomfortable to carry in comparison to the Safrotto.

 

[Rey]

I've been thinking of getting a Safrotto or a Domke. I need a bag that will hold 2 bodies and 3-4 prime lenses (24 to 100mm). Body size=Olympus OM. Anyone know which bag will fit these specs best?

 

[dostacos]

I've been thinking of getting a Safrotto or a Domke. I need a bag that will hold 2 bodies and 3-4 prime lenses (24 to 100mm). Body size=Olympus OM. Anyone know which bag will fit these specs best?

my domke F2 holds that type of load, I do add the side pockets and an addional inside pocket. all the regular domke bags don't like long lenses mounted on the body but can take a shallow lens on the body and the longer lenses in pouches. the F2 will have room for film, flash, fancy light meter [big]

If the bodies are small the F6 Little bit smaller will do well. I use the 5xb with 1 body and a couple of lenses, film, back up light meter etc.

 

[peter_n]

Anyone know which bag will fit these specs best?

Probably a Domke F-6.

 

[dostacos]

As I grabbed my camera bag on the way out the door this morning, I noticed that the strap buckle had broken nearly in half. The bag is a Safrotto F-803 clone that I bought about three months ago. Now I have to say that in all other respects I have been thrilled with this bag. The canvas is of a very high quality. And the insert is, in my opinion, superior to the Domke insert. But apparently, the buckles for adjusting the strap length may not be up to the same standard.

I don't want this to turn into a bash Safrotto thread or a "you should have bought a real Domke" thread. But I am interested to know whether others have had the same problem with these bags and what, if anything, they did about it.

'see Ya shoulda not gone for the knock off😀 😀 sorry could not resist😱

not knowing which buckle is going, I could suggest mountain/hiking shops have various width buckles that will hold up well.

If you cannot sew the bag [gotta love having a patcher sewing machine at work] you could get speedy rivets or the snap dots. [Tandy leather online has them, the may not ship cheap to Canada, but you should be able to find them close to home.

 

[GeneW]

My Safrotto bag is still in good condition after over a year's use. But I recently repurposed it. I discovered the insert would fit in a new general-purpose backpack I bought, turning it into a backpack with camera inserts. The empty Safrotto now gets used as my gym bag...

Gene