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Kelsey W. Smith

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On 9/15/2020 at 2:59 PM, Lawrence Karman said:

I suppose I know the answer but wondering why Anton/Bauer does not offer an option to re-cell their batteries and save the planet from more plastic waste? Honestly, I could have taken advantage of the trade in offer at only a slightly higher cost but I found the reuse/recycle option so much more appealing.

Hey all!

I know this conversation was a while back, but I just wanted to let you guys know I agree with you that people should have options to reduce waste, and that's why I'm opening up shop in New York to offer re-cell service to the filmmaking community. This past year I had my personal set of HCX batteries start to go bad, and when I realized Ritter had closed up shop I decided to tool up and do the service myself. I am now up and running, able to re-cell Anton Bauer, PAG, Core/Switronix, and IDX. The list is growing, so if you've got something laying around that you'd prefer not go to waste hit me up and I'll be more than happy to take a look.

Best,

Tyler Harmon-Townsend

https://www.tylerharmon-townsend.com/batteries

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Hi folks - my name is Ted Doubov and I am the Technical Sales Manager for Anton/Bauer. Having just recently joined the Steadicam forum, I wanted to shed a little insight on our perspective regarding the trade-in vs. re-cell discussion.

High-powered lithium-ion batteries are volatile and our primary duty of care is to ensure the safety of our customers and our products.  Secondary to human safety, we also need to uphold the integrity of our products to both preserve the life of any equipment powered by the battery, and to uphold the performance standards expected of a premium battery product.

Some of the engineering methods used to reduce heat and to prolong the life of the battery means that re-celling modern batteries is difficult and could significantly reduce the performance of the battery, and in addition to this, safety certifications prohibit the shipping of lithium-ion battery cells without protective circuit boards making this an expensive option.

The trade-offs in safety and performance far outweigh the benefits of re-celling a battery to extend the life of the case.

We do of course recognize that we have a responsibility to care for the environment and to engage in sustainable manufacturing.  We keep the plastic materials used in our products under review, testing new blends as they become available. To date, we have not yet found an alternative blend that meets the stringent safety and flammability standards required for certification, but we continue to seek ways to make our products more sustainable.

As part of our efforts to become more sustainable, we have partnered with Call2Recycle to provide a convenient method for recycling Anton/Bauer batteries when they reach end of life.  Call2Recycle break each product down into multiple waste streams to ensure that as much of the product is reused as possible.  We are committed to the success of the recycling program and are pleased to offer a discount incentive to encourage people to recycle our products responsibly.

I hope this clarifies some of the 'why' behind the trade-in program rather than a re-celling approach.. please don't hesitate to reach out if there are any questions about this.

Thank you,

Ted

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/5/2021 at 8:31 PM, Tyler Harmon-Townsend said:

Hey all!

I know this conversation was a while back, but I just wanted to let you guys know I agree with you that people should have options to reduce waste, and that's why I'm opening up shop in New York to offer re-cell service to the filmmaking community. This past year I had my personal set of HCX batteries start to go bad, and when I realized Ritter had closed up shop I decided to tool up and do the service myself. I am now up and running, able to re-cell Anton Bauer, PAG, Core/Switronix, and IDX. The list is growing, so if you've got something laying around that you'd prefer not go to waste hit me up and I'll be more than happy to take a look.

Best,

Tyler Harmon-Townsend

https://www.tylerharmon-townsend.com/batteries

Just want to corroborate Tyler's claims. Sent him four Dionic HC's, two Dionic 160's, four Hytron 140's, all good as new. Even replaced an HC circuit board. NiMH cells or lithium cells, definitely recommend. Quick turnaround too. 

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  • 4 months later...
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in case others may not have known,  sadly Mr. Ritter passed away a year or so ago. his wife and daughter attempted to keep the doors open for a while but the house they were renting was being sold , which made them close up shop for good.

Mr. Ritter was a major resource for recelling batteries. he did some old batteries for my Sony Mz-1's that NOBODY would touch. his prices and quality were unmatched. ive had to just buy new batteries from AB (which i am happy to do so) but i do wish there was someone who still re celled these old batteries.

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