Pro Stage Equipment Export – Totem Cn
At Flying Superkids we have bought stage equipment from a company called: Pro Stage Equipment Export (TOTEM). They have been based in China since 2019. We were happy with the lamps and Sparkular machines we got. In 2020, we bought a Sparkular machine for testing and show safety. Even though we tested things and followed TOTEM’s advice, the machines had problems, causing fires during our shows!
We talked to TOTEM, but they didn’t really help and only compensated us a little for the used sparkular powder. Later, we found out TOTEM blocked their website and Facebook page in Denmark, presumably to hide bad reviews. We can’t recommend TOTEM because of these problems with their products and customer support.
Watch the video below showcasing the Sparkulars spewing hot sparks and posing a serious fire hazard!
At Flying Superkids, we have purchased stage equipment from the China-based company Pro Stage Equipment Export, also known as TOTEM, multiple times. The first products were bought back in 2019, and overall, we have been very happy and satisfied with the purchase of multiple lamps, which were acquired through TOTEM. Due to this, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that they also sold Sparkular machines at TOTEM, as moving head Sparkulars had been a key point on our “to-buy-list” for a while.
With this in mind and given their great support on other purchases, we decided to buy a machine for testing back in the summer of 2020. Not just for usage in our show but also to facilitate proper testing, ensuring that this was the right way to go in regards to the sparks being “cold pyro” to ensure no fires being lit during our show. With this order, we also bought spark powder matching the machines from TOTEM to ensure compatibility. The items were received in August of the same year and were tested thoroughly both in and out of the show to ensure safety all around.
The results of these tests seemed promising, and in the spring of 2021, we decided to order an additional 10 machines to fully support a show containing moving head Sparkulars. Along with the order, TOTEM assured us of 1 year of full warranty. The machines were received in the beginning of May 2021. However, during our first show using the setup, we concluded that the product was faulty—the sparks were starting small fires and lighting materials, which led to a flame-retardant piece of cloth and a trampoline being damaged.
After this first issue, we approached TOTEM since we were using the powder defined by them. It was the same powder that we tested in the first machine, which gave no problems. The explanation for the problem was due to using the wrong size of powder, leading to a higher flame temperature and more residue hitting the ground. After receiving new powder during the fall, we tested this again but once again ended up concluding that we were still experiencing the issue. Once again, the suggestion was to change the powder type. We didn’t have a chance to test the new powder during the winter of 2021/2022 due to COVID-19 shutdowns, but when we got back to touring during the spring of 2022, we once again concluded that the Sparkulars were still lighting fires on materials around the machines.
By June of 2022, we had run out of patience and contacted TOTEM once again—this time asking for a solution from them. Since we were able to document that we’ve had the issue all along with the 10 machines, we thought this would be no issue. Sadly, the response from TOTEM is that they do not understand why this problem occurs, and the only thing they are willing to compensate us for is the last order of 100 spark powder (By this point, we’ve bought more than 300). They do not think, however, that there are any issues with the machines, despite us testing all the different powder types that TOTEM has provided.
After the last contact and following complaints, we’ve found out that TOTEM, using the webpage https://www.cn-totem.com , has chosen to geolock the page in Denmark (our native country)—most likely to prohibit us from sharing our bad experience and the lack of quality control or quality in their products. The same approach seems to be on their Facebook page, which we cannot access from Denmark: https://www.facebook.com/Pro-Stage-Equipment-Export-136828106677517/
With all this in mind, we DEEPLY regret not being able to advise anybody to buy stage equipment from TOTEM GROUP / Pro Stage Equipment Export.
Below you can see some of the damage the sparkulars from TOTEM GROUP / Pro Stage Equipment Export has done to our custom equipment.
