Every now and again, I highlight great work that we’ve done for the photography industry via our reviews. And recently, I was reminded of a product that we warned against using for a very long time. But as Google Searches and paid ads go, sometimes the real journalism get silenced. Back in 2013, we reviewed a product called the B-Grip Evo camera belt. When using it, it broke a camera and a lens. While many other reviewers would just simply not write anything, I’ve always encouraged the staff here to lean into their feelings. And that’s exactly what we did back then.
Here’s the snippet from the conclusions that apparently majorly hurt this company’s sales:
I would never ever recommend the B-Grip EVO Camera Belt Grip. I hated doing this review. Over all it was uncomfortable. This review also left a hole in my pocket. I dropped my Nikon D90 Nikon 50mm 1.8 E in this review. The camera seems OK so far, but the lens is no longer usable. I thought my gear was locked in. I was wrong and I paid a high price. I would say get this product at your own risk and make sure you have a wrist strap when using it. I did have one, but I made a mistake .
In fact, back in 2017, the distributor contacted us saying, “I have an unusual request. Would you consider taking down your review of the b-grip Evo?, they state. “I know this is probably against your rules of blogging, but the manufacturer has asked me to inquire with you about doing so. The negative review, particularly with the ending statement regarding your dropped camera (which I’m sorry to hear about), may be impacting sales. I know the post has been up there for a while. Do you ever drop things off after they’ve been on your site beyond a certain time?”
I followed up with an equally crazy inquiry asking for several thousands to remove the B-Grip Evo review. It was never taken seriously.
This is one of the reasons why I really don’t like anything that gets rid of using traditional camera straps. And similar products to the B-Grip Evo have come out. In 2020, Polar Pro sent us the Traverse to test, and it broke two lenses. We didn’t hold back.
The most famous of these kinds of products is the Capture Clip from Peak Design. But even then I’ve had near accidents.
Photographers: just use a camera strap. It’s irresponsible to not use one and I often seen Youtubers walking around without one all the time. It’s a terrible practice, and if you have insurance and try to submit a claim for it, it probably might get denied.