Retra Flash Pro Max II

Shipping starts on 30th June - no delays!

Hummm I'm waiting for my Maxi since... no nothing

$1,799.00 USD¹ 🤪 + 50 % tax in the US ☠️ for the moment 🤣

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by CaolIla

When I went to the check out screen, I did not see any tax. I live in the United States. Am I missing something? It seems to be a big improvement over the previous version. First the maxi and now this in such a short time. I have been waiting forever for the successor to the Inon Z-330!

No, you're not missing anything. The USD price is the tax-free price that Retra charge. On the website it explains that import taxes and the like are not included in the price; and that for EU sales, VAT is added at checkout.

God knows what the US duties/taxes might be. That seems to vary by the day. Or hour. I guess that will be charged by the US-based handling agent for the shipper: DHL usually for Retra, I think

Maybe I am not understanding you but I was at the checkout screen where it asked for credit card info.

May be RETRA offers Pro Max users update on excisting flash for reasonable price. New flash Max II looks mechanically quiet similar so may be there is only exchange of electronic & reflector necessary (just kidding/dream, they want to sell new ones). Anyway would be a great idea to support underwater photographers in future. Also would be great in relation of sustainability. Getting new updates of hardware in short sequence is quiet anoying.

Br Markus

20 minutes ago, Hiloboy said:

Maybe I am not understanding you but I was at the checkout screen where it asked for credit card info.

This is the standard way items shipped from overseas are handled. Any business can only collect tax on items sold in country or in this case the EU, they collect this and pay to the government. They can't collect any tax or import duties charged when the item is imported into another country as they are not setup to do this and many jurisdictions will only allow collection at import. That is charged prior to the item being imported being released.

If you click on the ? next to Shipping, this pops up.

There is also a footnote next to the price which refers to a similar note on that page:

If I was to buy one and import into Australia, the importer would collect 10% GST on the items value including shipping costs. Depending on the item they could also collect customs duties and also their handling fee. You would need to inquire with the importer about how much they would charge.

wondering why not switching to lithium.

Okar response is "II sticks with AA NiMh because they’re travel-safe, everywhere to find, and rock-solid reliable".

Not really convinced. having to deal with 8 AA on each strobe, plus spare set, mean 32 AA...

Lithium have proved their usability on video lights, and in most of the new strobes...

And price (including mandatory power extension) is around 2000$ per strobe excluding VAT. Not cheap...

I know we've been over the ground before, but I find the Retras with, as necessary, the Booster work really well with AAs.

Taking 32 AA batteries is no big deal when you consider just how much gear we are lugging around. And, worst comes to the worst with chargers, AAs are so easily obtainable.

1 hour ago, FrancoisC said:

Okar response is "II sticks with AA NiMh because they’re travel-safe, everywhere to find, and rock-solid reliable".

I agree with Oskar.

1 hour ago, Muellema said:

May be RETRA offers Pro Max users update on excisting flash for reasonable price. New flash Max II looks mechanically quiet similar so may be there is only exchange of electronic & reflector necessary (just kidding/dream, they want to sell new ones). Anyway would be a great idea to support underwater photographers in future. Also would be great in relation of sustainability. Getting new updates of hardware in short sequence is quiet anoying.

Br Markus

I like the idea, seems a fair way to make customers happy. Maybe @Oskar - Retra UWT can comment on the technical aspect (which would be a prequisite for any upgradeability)?

I purchased my Promax strobes long before the tariff thing was even discussed. Retra ships to USA via DHL. DHL notified me the strobes were in USA but in a customs hold and I owed something like a 17% duty (supposedly based on the old, item-specific-rules) rules. I sent documentation to DHL that camera flash units were not subject to duty charges and that I had never had any import duties imposed on strobes before ( I have purchased a lot of strobes over the years from overseas sellers). Their response was only that I had something like 7 days to pay the ransom or they would be sent back.

As Tim has said, who knows what would happen now. That is not Retra's fault, but the combination of how DHL conducts business in the USA and the tariff-of-the-week stuff would be worrisome.

Although I have several dive lights that require lithium batteries and would not reject a strobe based on it using lithiums, I have a preference for the AA batteries. Lithiums are under scrutiny by airlines and airline regulatory agencies and by some liveaboard operators and others. They are subject to guidelines and limitations on how, when and where they may be charged on some boats and may face future travel limitations.

With Retra superchargesrs I can pretty easily make it through 3-4 dives. or more. Based on a prior thread, for the first time last week I traveled with 8 batteries packed in each strobe and only had to pack another 16 on their own. There are benefits and downsides to both battery types.

500 USD flights friday evening to AMS/BRU, saturday morning there, rent car for the day and drive to uwcamerastore buy strobes, sleep in car (its Europe, no problem), sunday morning flight back to US, arrival back home sunday evening.

Surely works also to London and some UK supplier of the strobes.

Profit.

@Oskar - Retra UWT

There was previously a suggestion about a possible trade-in program. Building on that idea, I’d like to explore whether it might be feasible to assess upgrade options based on actual usage condition.

For example, if strobes could be evaluated by trigger count or overall usage condition to qualify for a paid upgrade, it could meaningfully extend the product’s lifespan, reward long-time users, and reduce electronic waste — all in line with modern sustainability goals.

Given that the Pro Max and Pro Max II seem mechanically quite similar, perhaps an upgrade could be achieved by replacing only the internal electronics or reflector (if technically feasible). I realize this would require internal assessment by Retra, but it could offer real value to existing users while supporting the environment.

This kind of approach would not only improve the user experience but also reflect Retra’s commitment to long-term sustainability — definitely something I hope we’ll see more of in the future.