SFDB

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**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
Ok, so they shut down the discussion board. Some new products are not yet on the SF website to buy (V82, KL1, etc). Without the forum, how will I know about new SF products and when I can buy them? If not for Ken's board and CPF, I would have to call every week and ask "whats new?".

Bad Move on SF's part. Anyone else agree? Anyone have any inside information on why the sudden shutdown of the SFDB and pkengineering?
 

dano

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 11, 2000
Messages
3,881
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East Bay, Cali.
I can't speak for SF, but I think something really pissed-off the SF higher-ups, and I think that something was a picture posted at an unnamed board. SF seems to be getting a bit "big" for its britches...

--dan
 

dano

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
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Messages
3,881
Location
East Bay, Cali.
Well, I figure that the hobbyist is a very small amount of SF's business BUT should not be ignored.

I've always wondered how much business SF actually does, besides Military contracts. In my P.D., very few carry any SF products, and those who do have 6P's and I know of a few 9p's and a few 8X's. The TAC-SWAT guy's have old-style weapons lights (i.e. a 6P with a pressure switch) and old style 6V weapons lights on their Berettas.

I've never seen a Millennium style weapon light on anything, at least in the Bay Area.

Kinda makes you wonder...

--dan
 
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**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
Good morning everybody. KT (Kogatana) here.

What are the operating costs to sustain this board?

I suspect that Surefire was "trimming the fat" when it shut down the SFDB. It was not a source of revenue. Instead, I suspect that Surefire felt that it was catering to the desires of a few flashaholics by keeping the board running. Shutting it down was likely to be logical so that the company efforts can be better spent on the BIG orders.

Were I a Surefire stockholder, I would ask what benefit is the SFDB providing to improve my ROI. If the answer is "uhhhh...very litle if at all," I would ask why then is my investment being wasted on it. Granted, the cost to sustain the SFDB was minuscule, it was still a cost that likely was not offset directly and quantitatively by a revenue stream. But then, what do I know about making and marketing a product?

Times are tough. Allocations for equipment purchases by public service organizations are being highly scrutinized. One department that asked for my opinion about the 10X Dominator decided to buy a total of two for evaluation and decided to withold buying replacements for their well-worn duty light inventory. They are now buying parts to repair them.

Uh ohhh... rant approaching!
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This is the kind of conservatism that I am regularly seeing with an economy that flounders as consumer uncertainty flickers with the prospect of engaging in another war some feel could have been largely avoided had we had the temerity to sustain the effort 12 years ago toward usurping the shenanigans of a megalomaniacal munchkin doing a very bad Idi Amin impersonation.

Buuuttt Nooooo...(in John Belushi voice)
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Rant mode off...
 

artar

Enlightened
Joined
Apr 9, 2001
Messages
528
Location
old europe/germany
Originally posted by .:
Good morning everybody. KT (Kogatana) here.

What are the operating costs to sustain this board?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">my company runs a (support-)board with more than 2000 members. its frequented well with more than 30 GB traffic per month. the board is on a german providers server and it costs us 500€ per month.

is that too much for surefire ?
 

jtivat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
2,375
Location
Grand Rapids
Originally posted by artar:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by .:
Good morning everybody. KT (Kogatana) here.

What are the operating costs to sustain this board?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">my company runs a (support-)board with more than 2000 members. its frequented well with more than 30 GB traffic per month. the board is on a german providers server and it costs us 500€ per month.

is that too much for surefire ?
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Well I am not sure how much 500€ is but I bet it is less than the $1500 I have spent on SF products since I have joined there DB and CPF which has only been 5 months.
grin.gif
 

duffahtolla

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 3, 2002
Messages
104
I'm sure that it wasn't the money.

Check here..

http://www.pk-engineering.com

I think PK's site being censored is a good clue as to the reason.

Someone in surefire thinks that pictures and talk of upcomming projects hurts current products sales.

All the rumor mongoring (sp?) and info exchange was probably viewed as dangerous to the bottom line. Add to the fact that surefire was PAYING for a place for this activity to occur probably didn't help any.
 
D

**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
Because of the SFDB and CPF, I've started from a single 6P to well over 30 SF lights costing me about $4000. Not to mention a dozen or so people I have converted from Mag to SF.

Because of the boards, I now have 2 KL1s and 2 KL2s (no mention on their web). I don't think it's because it hurts sales. If that were the case, all new products would be on their website.

There were well over 2000 members, why not a courtesy explination and a heads up before pulling the plug?

I really miss the SFDB
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LONG LIVE the CPF!!!
 

duffahtolla

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 3, 2002
Messages
104
Originally posted by Surefire M6:
Because of the boards, I now have 2 KL1s and 2 KL2s (no mention on their web). I don't think it's because it hurts sales. If that were the case, all new products would be on their website.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Thats what I mean. No mention of the KLx on their website, pk-engineering silenced, The forums nixed.

The motive is definitely to silence new product knowledge or discussion.

And why do this if it was not considered harmful to the business in some way.

My guess is they want to milk the older lights for all they've got. And to do that you need to keep the hype and talk about 'NEW' products to a minimum.

Look at their 'spotlight'. There's a frigin 6P in there. They're treating the KLx series like a dirty little secret.

I don't quite follow your logic that "If they thought [new products] hurt sales, all new products would be on their website."

Wouldn't that be "If they thought [new products] hurts sales, [only old products] would be on their website"

Because thats exactly what they are doing. Try a search for KL2 on their web site.. Nothing.

btw, I personally don't think that new product discussion hurts sales. I know it motivates the heck out of me. I just saying that thats what surefire is thinking. It's the only motive that makes sense with their current behaviour.

====

Actually in retrospect, maybe it really DOES hurt sales. I recently had my Z3 stolen. I have not replaced it since I was planning on getting the KL3 for my M2.
 
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**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
I meant that if they wanted sales, they would list all products on their web. Like the V82 for the E2e, LOLA for the E2e etc. Could it be that they want their dealers to advertise new products?

In any event, it was rude to just pull the plug on the SFDB without a heads up. Thanks to Ken and Strategos International, the old threads are still alive.
 

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