Archive for August, 2012

Another reason brick and mortar stores are still viable for buying accessories

This topic was discussed before about the differences between shopping for footwear online vs walking into a store.   Nobody wants to deal with returns for many reasons and it’s not just all about wasting money.  Even if the online dealer that sold you the product has a good return policy and allows you to return the item, they still burned up money.   Many years ago there was a Cabela’s store that opened up in Pennsylvania and it was a really big deal.   It’s about an hour and half outside of Philadelphia but people drive for hours to get there.  The biggest reason they do is because they want to shop with their hands and not with a keyboard.  There are so many things you can’t explain very well just by showing a picture.  Youtube has been a big help for us to sell products but sometimes people still want to hold it.

So many gun shops and gunsmiths have been put out of business by much bigger dealers with fancy websites, but eventually there are still the same issues.  Not being able to explain something look through magpul sights before you buy them might mean having to return them if they don’t work for  you.  I’ve had issues with my Eotech sights and had to either return them or spend another $100 to buy new sights.   I opted for the lower profile LWRC rear sights so my Eotech magnifier would work.  There are many things to consider when buying AR15 accessories and it’s still nice to be able to look through it before you buy.

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Surefire Vs. Streamlight

I guess that sounds like the beginning of a gun forum post but we get asked about this all the time.  There are many things that I prefer to not divulge to customers because so much of this is about preference and the job at hand.   If you are going to be using a flashlight for any length of time, and you have access to a charger, then you obviously want a flashlight that is rechargeable and has the appropriate battery packs.  Most of the Police around here are using the Streamlight Strion and Streamlight Stinger because they can charge them in their vehicles or the office and know where they are starting from, unlike batteries that have been in the flashlight that are already diminished.

If you have serious use of a flashlight, the differences between having a flashlight at 80% vs 100% is considerable.  If you are using streamlight flashlights for more than 8yrs, you’ll be able to relate to the improvements that have taken place with LED technology.   I originally had a Streamlight scorpion with a xenon bulb that only lasted a few battery changes before it need to be replaced.   I’ve had every ready Radio Shack flashlights that were tougher than that, but things have changed.   Surefire came in stock because of all of the requests for Carbine and Shotgun lights.  The Streamlight TLR-1 Flashlights are still king in this business, but Surefire has the hold on most AR15 and shotgun mounted lights.   We are actively monitoring requests for Veridian lights, but we’ve had very little experience.

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