Visit to "Best Electronics" Atari warehouse

[carmel_andrews]

You can have my B.E Catalogue if your prepared to pay postage from UK (London), only thing is though, like i said I think i might still have it (i aint sure though) and if i recall correctly it was a little 'dog eared' on one of the 2 corners

 

My one had some nice pics of Atari computers like the 1450 xld and also the 5200 (in fact that was the first time i ever saw a picture of what a 5200 actually looked like)

Edited July 17, 2013 by carmel_andrews

[Video_Invader]

You can have my B.E Catalogue if your prepared to pay postage from UK (London), only thing is though, like i said I think i might still have it (i aint sure though) and if i recall correctly it was a little 'dog eared' on one of the 2 corners

 

My one had some nice pics of Atari computers like the 1450 xld and also the 5200 (in fact that was the first time i ever saw a picture of what a 5200 actually looked like)

I know shipping can be high from there. How much do you think it would be? Let me know if you do find it.

[DanOliver]

Nah too new. Address isn't even the same as I remember. When I ordered Wayyyy back when, their address was something like in the picture. I think it was a suite followed by The Alameda, in San Jose.

Small world. I lived a couple of blocks from the 2012 The Alameda location. I lived at 2201 The Alameda for several years and 1088 Chapman St for 14 years.

[Video_Invader]

Small world. I lived a couple of blocks from the 2012 The Alameda location. I lived at 2201 The Alameda for several years and 1088 Chapman St for 14 years.

I bet that was cool. I'm originally from California. Born and raised but never lived near there. Merced and around Madera County and Chowchilla.

[delvis]

Well the empty Megafile case has been shipped from "Best" and once it arrives the project begins. Still thinking of several ways to use it.

[delvis]

Speak of the little devil (Megafile case) and it arrived today... Complete in an Atari box from Best Electronics.

 

https://plus.google....638015191636769

Edited July 20, 2013 by delvis

[atarian1]

Nice pictures. I hope you stick the hard drive that is in that generic Mac Classic hard drive case into the Megafile case. Your setup will look much better.

[delvis]

Actually that was the original plan. Move it and the ICD interface into one case. Since then I am thinking about the Eiffel 3 and the EtherNEC I bought from Alan H going inside there too. Depends how much room I have when I am done. Another idea is that I will have the IDE SSD installed inside the Mega 4, so I might just sell the 45MB SCSII HDD and ICD interface.

Edited July 21, 2013 by delvis

[+wood_jl]

Nice!

 

I finally have a Mega STe, but the Mega ST4 is missing from my collection. I want ONE of all of the Atari Computer "flagships," and the Mega ST4 is definitely one of those! Oh, how badly I wanted one!!!!!!! (still do!)

[jaybird3rd]

This is a very random observation, but I'd love to know how many rolls of genuine Atari packing tape Best Electronics has on hand. I've placed many orders with Best over the years, and their boxes always arrive completely covered on all sides with that Atari tape, just like in the pictures in #31. If they still have enough Atari tape to wrap every box they ship in the same way, they must have inherited truckloads of it from Atari years ago.

[delvis]

It is funny you say that about the box because I thought the same thing.

 

Inside it was filled with green packing peanuts.

[rustynutt]

^{Brad spent quite a bit of time on the phone not long ago, learned much from him. Of course, went through all the neat things in the catalog on a "just in case" basis (really want a German Falcon keyboard with yellow keys), but most of really unique parts are either long gone, or as another said at a different warehouse. Like most of us, he said someday he'd like to get the piles and piles inventoried from the second shop.}

 

^{Seems he and Steve Cohen were friends as well, and had a short catch up there.}

 

^{Ordered some odd ball stuff, FPU GAL for an MSTE, Falcon battery, extended joy stick cables, TT keyboard connector for the Falcon, Falcon IDE mounting kit and cable, other stuff in a decent size box, haven't went through it all just yet. An Atari box, Atari tape, old Best flyer, who says one can't live in a fantasy world He even taked me out of some expensive stuff until one Falcon had been professionally diagnosed (you know where that goes to).}

 

^{Not many other places for price shopping. Been a while since ordering from B&C, never had a problem. Those that think their prices high should look at what used Falcons are going for, sometimes just TOSsed in a box and shipped. Have a couple of those, and would have, should have, paid more to purchase one professionally, at least by someone with shop experience, reconditioned and shipped (in a proper Atari box).}

 

^IMHO

[KLund1]

I work about 2 blocks from Best. And the pictures at the top of this thread are just the way it looks. The 'office' is small, thread bare carpet, and cluttered, with books, binders, papers, folders to near the low ceiling. When I need something I just email him in the morning, and pick it up in the afternoon. No shipping charge, but I do pay sales tax (8.25%) But it makes things very convent. It's like having a Best Buy for Atari just around the corner! Also a long time ago B & C was only a couple miles away, before they moved to Colorado, or wherever.

I've had several talks with Brad, and he is so knowledgeable about Atari stuff that he has forgotten some of it. But he has made a lot side comments on how I might do this or that part of a project better, or easier. I think of Brad as an excellent Atari resource. I find that if you treat him with respect, and curtsey, from the beginning, he is more than willing to help you, with suggestions and advice, but no price breaks But if you demand, order him to do something, or are in anyway impolite, you're not going to get your stuff, nor a reply. It's just his way, as we all have our quirks.

I've offered to help him with his inventory. Inventory tracking, and reconciliation is what I do for a living. So I'm sure I could very helpful to Brad. But he has declined my offers to help, let alone a "tour" of the place. I think he is weary of potential theft, if someone from 'outside' knows what and where is good stuff is. And I'm very sure that he has the 'good stuff'. A8's ending 'd', ST's ending in 'k', probably mint's of the regular items, for his person collection, as well.

 

just my 2 cents

[Video_Invader]

I work about 2 blocks from Best. And the pictures at the top of this thread are just the way it looks. The 'office' is small, thread bare carpet, and cluttered, with books, binders, papers, folders to near the low ceiling. When I need something I just email him in the morning, and pick it up in the afternoon. No shipping charge, but I do pay sales tax (8.25%) But it makes things very convent. It's like having a Best Buy for Atari just around the corner! Also a long time ago B & C was only a couple miles away, before they moved to Colorado, or wherever.

I've had several talks with Brad, and he is so knowledgeable about Atari stuff that he has forgotten some of it. But he has made a lot side comments on how I might do this or that part of a project better, or easier. I think of Brad as an excellent Atari resource. I find that if you treat him with respect, and curtsey, from the beginning, he is more than willing to help you, with suggestions and advice, but no price breaks But if you demand, order him to do something, or are in anyway impolite, you're not going to get your stuff, nor a reply. It's just his way, as we all have our quirks.

I've offered to help him with his inventory. Inventory tracking, and reconciliation is what I do for a living. So I'm sure I could very helpful to Brad. But he has declined my offers to help, let alone a "tour" of the place. I think he is weary of potential theft, if someone from 'outside' knows what and where is good stuff is. And I'm very sure that he has the 'good stuff'. A8's ending 'd', ST's ending in 'k', probably mint's of the regular items, for his person collection, as well.

 

just my 2 cents

I don't understand how a company of that caliber could be so dis-organized and cluttered with an exterior that's looks the way it does. You know darn well that after as many years as Best has been around, that he's got wayyy more than enough money to make a presentable store front. Not very appealing I might add. That and the high prices are more than enough to keep me from buying. I might have bought from them many years ago but a complete 5200 motherboard was only $40.00. Price has probably either gone up or he may not even have any by now.

[boxpressed]

What this thread is turning into. Brad seems happy running his business his way. Why do we think we know how to run it better? He's been in business longer than Atari...

 

[delvis]

My intention when starting this was to just say "Best Electronics" is alive and well in 2013. I have purchased a few more things from him in the past month.

• HDDriver software
  
• Empty Megafile case (Future project)
  
• Marpet Xtra 8+ RAM upgrade board
  

I have also added some toys from Alan H in the UK

• IDE / TOS 2.06 Board upgrade
  
• Eiffel 3 - PS2 keyboard adapter
  
• EtherNEC card (Still on it's way)
  

 

So I have plenty of fun ahead of me and just glad "Best" and others out there still support Atari in 2013 and beyond....

[KLund1]

I don't understand how a company of that caliber could be so dis-organized and cluttered with an exterior that's looks the way it does. You know darn well that after as many years as Best has been around, that he's got wayyy more than enough money to make a presentable store front. Not very appealing I might add. That and the high prices are more than enough to keep me from buying. I might have bought from them many years ago but a complete 5200 motherboard was only $40.00. Price has probably either gone up or he may not even have any by now.

 

Stop the flame please. I agree with delvis, and boxpressed. This is just one guy, a couple part-timers (maybe, he won't tell me for sure), and a couple of huge (as Brad says) warehouses' full of Atari stuff, still yet to organize.

"he's got wayyy more than enough money to make a presentable store front"

You try running a one person international business. I have days of trouble selling a few Atari items on ebay to Poland, from USA.

Also, do you think he gets the kind of volume orders per day that will give him the profit to need a store front? What do you think 5, 6, 10 orders per day brings in as profit? Retail - costs = profit. What are the costs of storing pallets, upon pallets of Atari Merchandise, year after year? California property yearly tax is not cheap. (I live here, I know, especially in the Santa Clara County, which he has prime restate), labor, labor taxes, also not cheap here. Insurance for stuff that is not replaceable, I guess not inexpensive! I'm sure there are several more expenses. And everyone wonders why he charges so much. I am definitely sure that his accountant wants him to charge a lot more than Brad is.

So everyone, please take care. The items Brad has are about 1/2 of all there is for us to buy at retail, with B & C the other about 1/2. If you had 1/2 monopoly on something that has public demand, what would you do? You would charge high prices. (supply and demand econ. rule) IMO Brad does not exploit his position.

Don't burn your bridges.

[atarian1]

I don't understand how a company of that caliber could be so dis-organized and cluttered with an exterior that's looks the way it does. You know darn well that after as many years as Best has been around, that he's got wayyy more than enough money to make a presentable store front. Not very appealing I might add. That and the high prices are more than enough to keep me from buying. I might have bought from them many years ago but a complete 5200 motherboard was only $40.00. Price has probably either gone up or he may not even have any by now.

 

I have to disagree with your comments about the exterior. Best does most of its business by mail order. I doubt he gets many walk-in customers, so why does he (or anyone in the same position) need a fancy storefront? It doesn't make business sense at all. I am sure most mail order places have bland storefronts too because it makes not sense to improve it if you are not attracting walk-in customers.

[Video_Invader]

Was just a thought. Forget I mentioned it. I just figured maybe it would be nice if he fixed up the place. I always expected a bit more. Never been to that location and don't plan on it. Nothing is set in stone. Doesn't always have to be what someone suggests. If he's ok with what he has, then great.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Video_Invader

[jaybird3rd]

Stop the flame please. I agree with delvis, and boxpressed. This is just one guy, a couple part-timers (maybe, he won't tell me for sure), and a couple of huge (as Brad says) warehouses' full of Atari stuff, still yet to organize.

I agree. It's still remarkable to me that we have businesses like Best Electronics and B&C ComputerVisions, who are providing new merchandise, replacement parts, and repair services for computers and consoles that are, by now, at least twenty years old. The Atari community is almost unique in that respect, and as a happy long-time customer of both Best and B&C, I'm grateful for the work they do. I don't find the prices to be unreasonable, either, considering what we're getting; I'd hate to have to rely on eBay for everything.

[Video_Invader]

I agree. It's still remarkable to me that we have businesses like Best Electronics and B&C ComputerVisions, who are providing new merchandise, replacement parts, and repair services for computers and consoles that are, by now, at least twenty years old. The Atari community is almost unique in that respect, and as a happy long-time customer of both Best and B&C, I'm grateful for the work they do. I don't find the prices to be unreasonable, either, considering what we're getting; I'd hate to have to rely on eBay for everything.

Ebay is the worst when it comes to things that this community represents. Overinflated prices because many people think that because something is old, it's worth a fortune.

[atarilovesyou]

I (and I'm sure many others) are happy that places like Best still exist: if it is a one-man show, more power to him. I don't care how he runs his business, it's his after all...I hope he keeps on going until the last of the pallets runs dry! The prices are quite decent as far as I'm concerned, having been raked over the coals earlier in my retro collecting from other guys. I know that if I ever need parts for my Atari, he's around.

[+wood_jl]

I think it would be silly to expect him to set up a nice storefront, like Atari stores had back in the Atari heyday. I'll bet 99% of his business is mail-order, so why waste money on a new storefront? If he put up a nice Atari storefront, nobody in the neighborhood is going to switch from modern PCs or Xbox to antique Atari equipment, and he'd probably waste a lot of unncessary time dealing with curious (about Atari) foot traffic that had no intention of making a purchase.

 

While I expected to see something a little bit prettier, I understand why it's probably not.

[Video_Invader]

Getting back on topic, I took a look over the site and noticed he still has the populated 4 port motherboards for the 5200 and their $5 cheaper than what I remember. I can't see how the 2600's and 7800's he has is a good deal at around $90-$100 but i'd sure like a 7800 with the pads instead of sticks. Many are of the parts are still a decent deal though. Probably beats ebay any day. I may have to go ahead and place an order eventually.