Paul Ebel

<p>Does anyone have any up to date contact info on Paul Ebel Lens repair? I tried the 1-651-335-8759 number listed and it's been disconnected. I have emailed him at <a href="mailto:paulebel144@yahoo.com">paulebel144@yahoo.com</a> with no reply. Is he still in bussiness? Thanks for any help.<br>

Dave</p>

<p>I spoke with him last fall I believe, at the same number.<br>

I hope all is ok with him. Anyone in Wisconsin care to to chime in?</p>

<p>I called that number and it is disconected. I hope all is well with him too! Not to mention that I can't afford Harry Fleenor prices!</p>

<p>Well, good news! The phone number is now undisconnected and up and running.</p>

<p>Better news!! Paul is alive and well. Still in bussiness! His email address that I have found all over the net is incorrect! From the man's mouth: <a href="mailto:paulebel44@yahoo.com">paulebel44@yahoo.com</a>. NOT NOT....144@yahoo.com.</p>

<p>Traded emails with him yesterday and he sent some repaired items last week. He did move recently, and the old address is still floating around. David's 12:44 post has the correct email.</p>

<p>Here is the new address:<br>

<br /> Paul Ebel Lens Services <br /> 420 21st Street, North <br /> Suite #2 <br /> MENOMONIE, WI <br /> 54751-2280 <br /> <br /></p>

 

<p>Hey Larry,<br>

I talked to Paul the other day about a repair. FWIW The mailing address he gave me was po box 141 Menomonie WI 54751. Since I live in Milwaukee I was just going to drive up and drop it off. He stated that he only deals via the mail delivery.</p>

<p>I used UPS and he got the stuff just fine. He returned my gear using US mail.<br /> He might prefer mail, in which case, use the P.O. Box number. He provided me with both street and PO box addresses.</p>

<p>I recently had a very unsettling and dishonest interaction with Paul Ebel, who I sent a 300mm Heliar in a Compound shutter to for CLA.<br>

I was shocked, upon receiving the lens back, to find that Mr. Ebel had chipped the front glass element of the lens with a tool and had then neglected to inform me of the damage, despite the fact that he was well aware of it.<br>

When I called and confronted him over the telephone, he immediately admitted that he had indeed chipped the glass. He then patronizingly and condescendingly asked me “how much do you know about large format lenses from the 1930’s”, following which he told me that: “this happens all the time with older lenses.”<br>

I have had many dozens of lenses serviced by other technicians over the years and have never encountered anything like this. It is hard to believe that he actually thought that a photographer would not notice a fresh chip on the front element of a lens.<br>

He then said to me that he had chosen not to tell me because “the chip will not effect the optical quality of the lens”, he didn’t think that I “would care,” and that the lens was “not really worth anything.”<br>

In fact, clean examples of this lens and shutter combination now regularly fetch about $1200 to $1400 on Ebay and I cannot imagine a photographer who would not care about obvious damage to an optical element.<br>

At the end of our conversation, Paul Ebel offered to refund the cost of the repair—which would hardly compensate me for the loss in value to the lens and which I declined to accept.<br>

If he had been upfront an informed me right away that he had damaged the lens and sought to resolve the matter I probably would have accepted it as an honest mistake and tried to find an amicable solution. As it is, I am simply very disappointed by the whole experience.<br>

Needless to say, I will not be sending any future repairs to Paul Ebel. I would under no conditions recommend his services to anyone. There are plenty of other honest technicians out there (e.g. S.K. Grimes, Carol Flutot, John van Stelten...etc.).</p>

 

<p>I recently had a very unsettling and dishonest interaction with Paul Ebel, who I sent a 300mm Heliar in a Compound shutter to for CLA.<br>

I was shocked, upon receiving the lens back, to find that Mr. Ebel had chipped the front glass element of the lens with a tool and had then neglected to inform me of the damage, despite the fact that he was well aware of it.<br>

When I called and confronted him over the telephone, he immediately admitted that he had indeed chipped the glass. He then patronizingly and condescendingly asked me “how much do you know about large format lenses from the 1930’s”, following which he told me that: “this happens all the time with older lenses.”<br>

I have had many dozens of lenses serviced by other technicians over the years and have never encountered anything like this. It is hard to believe that he actually thought that a photographer would not notice a fresh chip on the front element of a lens.<br>

He then said to me that he had chosen not to tell me because “the chip will not effect the optical quality of the lens”, he didn’t think that I “would care,” and that the lens was “not really worth anything.”<br>

In fact, clean examples of this lens and shutter combination now regularly fetch about $1200 to $1400 on Ebay and I cannot imagine a photographer who would not care about obvious damage to an optical element.<br>

At the end of our conversation, Paul Ebel offered to refund the cost of the repair—which would hardly compensate me for the loss in value to the lens and which I declined to accept.<br>

If he had been upfront an informed me right away that he had damaged the lens and sought to resolve the matter I probably would have accepted it as an honest mistake and tried to find an amicable solution. As it is, I am simply very disappointed by the whole experience.<br>

Needless to say, I will not be sending any future repairs to Paul Ebel. I would under no conditions recommend his services to anyone. There are plenty of other honest technicians out there (e.g. S.K. Grimes, Carol Flutot, John van Stelten...etc.).</p>