Any interest in this kind of thread?

So I was reading this thread:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/173148

and I thought... why isn't there a sticky'd thread with good flashlight stores throughout the major cities in the US (I guess overseas would work too)?

Is there any interest among the members for sharing our collective experience? I think it'd be nice to occasionally run out and get something besides a Mag or Dorcy.

If there is a demand for this, can this website support an "open" type of formatting, kind of like wikipedia, where everyone can edit any post? This would allow each city a page, instead of being scattered all over the thread.

I really like this idea!
We had implemented a Flash module to show our distributors by state, I believe this could be set up so anyone could edit the info.
http://www.tecaccessories.com/distributors/

Of course, that does not prevent a disgruntled forum member from wiping it clean :thumbsdow

But it's just an example, perhaps something else would serve us better.

That would be a very useful idea.

A link to the shop, what country they are in and a list of what manufactures that the shop sells.

please.

It'll be a good idea to have a sticky with local stores broken down by states. Although it will be a very time consuming undertaking.

xcel730 said:

It'll be a good idea to have a sticky with local stores broken down by states. Although it will be a very time consuming undertaking.

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I totally agree it would be time consuming... which is why I think an open format would be great. Everyone here knows their area well. I'm sure there are many of us in the same geographical areas, and sharing our knowledge of good shops will ultimately help all of us find brick & mortar shops that we can peruse. Heck, I'll even start...

MICHIGAN
Detroit:
Batteries Plus, Woodward north of 14 mile - Lots of Streamlights
Target Sports Gun Store, Woodward North of 12 Mile - mainly Surefire, high
prices
Gander Mountain, Novi - Surefire, Brinkman, Maglights

Why not create a section in the CPF Wiki? I'd think that would be appropriate. I'm also going to start compiling detailed information on the lights I have to add to the Wiki. My goal is to have a page dedicated to each light, if there are multiple versions of it, its dimensions (threads, lens diameter, length, width, etc), power source, known mods, etc, etc.

gallonoffuel said:

Why not create a section in the CPF Wiki? I'd think that would be appropriate. I'm also going to start compiling detailed information on the lights I have to add to the Wiki. My goal is to have a page dedicated to each light, if there are multiple versions of it, its dimensions (threads, lens diameter, length, width, etc), power source, known mods, etc, etc.

Click to expand...

Whoa! So that's what that section is for. You just opened up a whole new area to explore.

I think it's a wonderful place to put this type of idea. Maybe under the "flashlights" heading can be a subheading "stores by location" Not sure if I can do that myself, or if it's a moderator-level addition.

Perhaps just a link on the FAQ section as well to point people in that direction?

Thanks for the heads-up on this area of the forums. I'll start adding my little piece later today.

I'd be willing to participate, I'm in 95120 zip code.

Sounds great. I'll surely contribute my local knowledge, whatever it's worth.

Perhaps the forum Good Deals at the MarketPlace could be restructured to be a little more like what you are looking for. That is pretty much what that forum was created for.

Greta said:

Perhaps the forum Good Deals at the MarketPlace could be restructured to be a little more like what you are looking for. That is pretty much what that forum was created for.

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Greta, I love going to Good Deals, but it can be a pain sometimes finding stuff in one's area. I don't know if a complete overhaul would be the best answer, but perhaps having the deals placed by region?

The basis of this specific post though is more of a permanent list of Flashlight-friendly stores. Most people in the US know about walmart and Target, but they might not know that XYZ Hardware down the street sells Streamlights, Pelicans, and Surefires.

Mdinana said:

So I was reading this thread:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/173148

and I thought... why isn't there a sticky'd thread with good flashlight stores throughout the major cities in the US (I guess overseas would work too)?

Is there any interest among the members for sharing our collective experience? I think it'd be nice to occasionally run out and get something besides a Mag or Dorcy.

If there is a demand for this, can this website support an "open" type of formatting, kind of like wikipedia, where everyone can edit any post? This would allow each city a page, instead of being scattered all over the thread.

Click to expand...

Glad you liked my thread.

I think the reason why you don't see similar threads from other CPFers in major cities is that.... Well, I'm a bit old-fashioned. I actually prefer going to B&M shops to buy lights. I like having the product in hand, paying for it, and not having to wait at all before enjoying my new light. If there's a problem, I can literally turn around, walk a few steps back into the store, and instantly have the situation corrected. (Something I've done two seperate times). Yeah, you pay a bit of a mark-up. But most of the time it's not too steep.

Walking through Manhattan is actually fun for me. All of the shops in my initial post on that thread were originally found without the aid of a phonebook or the internet.

But it's safe to say that CPFers in major cities still prefer to use online shops. I've bought some lights online. All with old-fashioned money orders. Sadly, not every major city has a "Monocrom."

San Francisco Bay Area:
TAD Gear in the city
Redwood Trading Post in Redwood City has Surefire, Streamlight, Pentagonlight, Coleman. Pretty good pricing. Surefire CR123 batteries in bulk (~$2.00 each, I think).

For Canada:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showpost.php?p=2070688&postcount=2
in this thread:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=170044

I like the idea too.