KEH question

[false_Aesthetic]

KEH has conservative ratings.

Has anyone bought a bargain anything from KEH? Was it horrible?

Specifically I'm looking at a few lenses. I can't afford the EX EX+ etc. But thers a few bargains that I can afford. DO i risk it?

T

[darr]

I bought a bargain grade chrome Nikon F3-T a few years ago. It worked but the viewfinder was definitely crunched by something. Inside the viewfinder the shutter speed indicator was missing either a "2" or "5" from the display, but I was still able to use it fine once I figured it out.

[cobalt]

I've bought bargain stuff from them that looked new, and bargain stuff that looked ok and had problems. The good thing is they are very good about correcting problems. The bad is the time and cash invested in shipping gets old after a while. Check out Jim at Midwest for LF lenses. They tend to be slow at times, a bit...unwieldy to deal with, in my opinion, but Jim is the most knowledgeable guy I've bought from through the mail.

[Ed Richards]

KEH is really good about returns. I have not returned anything to Midwest, but I have mostly purchased stuff from KEH.

[Ron Marshall]

I usually buy ex or ex+ from KEH. Only once have I returned something, and it was a very minor issue. The return was easy and hassle free. They really want you to be satisfied.

[Rafael Garcia]

I have bought a few accessories from KEH online. They were fine. I remember when they had a showroom. Then, being in Atlanta, I could visit and examine the stuff in person. I hesitate to buy from them now because of their high shipping costs for something I could just as easily pick up.

[Ted Harris]

I have purchased many lenses from both KEH and Midwest over many years and found both reliable. If anything, Jim is even more conservative in his rating of lenses than KEH is. Midwest also is no hassle on returns and exchanges.

Onem tip on dealing with Jim, telephone, don't email. He answers email as he can but spends his life with a phone glued to his ear.

[tim atherton]

I've risked it three times with KEH with bgn lenses (each time MPEX didn't have what I was looking for - I've bought from Jim there as well).

Each time I was lucky. One - I couldn't figure out what in the world was bgn about it. One (75mm Super Angulon) was listed as having a mark on the len, arrived, body was perfect and the mark cleaned off... Third time the glass was pristine, but there was basic wear on the black of the lens body (125mm Fujinon).

So it's probably a bit of a crap shoot, but their descriptions are generally fairly conservative in my experience. The glass has always been good.

[Donald Qualls]

I've seen a number of reports on other forums of folks buying Bargain or even Ugly rated items from KEH, and finding them fully functional and in some cases barely marked cosmetically. KEH Ug seems to be about like some other dealers' Excellent-minus.

However, I have no personal experience with them. Should try to remember to look over their used listings when I have money...

[Tom Micklin]

I've bought a lot of Hasselblad equipment from KEH - most of it Bargain - and was always very happy with what I got.
Jim at Midwest is an amazing person to deal with. Always fair and helpful.
Can't go wrong with either.