benr Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 B&H was known as Beards & Hats back when it was a small camera shop on 47th st in NY in the late 70's. Eric HA! Still is, watch the end of this clip: LINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 "Beards & Hats" is a nickname stemming from the number of Hasidic people working there. I don't know if B&H considers the nickname funny or insulting. I think the name comes from the founder's and his wife's first names (or perhaps from the first names of two founders). Ah: Wikipedia says: Herman Schreiber and his wife, Blimie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I got a used Canon 40D from B+H, partly because a few years ago my sister got a similar Canon DSLR used. The grading was fair and the price was great. I live in Philly, so ground shipping from them usually shows up here the next day. Their size leads to a large selection of used cameras and lenses. No idea how they are for trade-in deals, but a lot of people seem to do it. I also picked up a used stereo short shotgun mic (AT's BP4029) from them at a really good price. I try to get my sound gear from sound places. I do agree if I needed to pick between something like a few different mics, I would take advice from a professional sound dealer (and/or here). I do appreciate the B+H online ordering and phone app (even for android). When working wacky indie film hours, it's easy to order some part in the middle of the night and know if it's in stock and that I'll have it in a day. I have had some issues with their sales people selling me the wrong thing (like a 7" monitor once).... but I had zero issues returning it. Can't really complain about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justanross Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I have to admit, the prices @ B&H for Canadians w/ shipping & duties still comes out cheaper for a lot of items than what's bought here. Of course, big ticket items are bought local. That's what I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Norflus Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 B&H was known as Beards & Hats back when it was a small camera shop on 47th st in NY in the late 70's. Eric I remember when they were a tiny shop on 17th street. With one counter and like 6 or 8 salesmen behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Speaking of B&H, a friend sent me a link to this video of the B&H conveyor system. Kinda cool, but kinda longer than it needs to be. Something that the location audio dealers I know don't offer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VASI Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 This is my playground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I bought my Petrol rain cover from B&H because it was the only place that still had stock. It cost me $35 include shipping! Good deal. Normally, I buy local. I have 2 great pro audio shops in Toronto and I hope to keep it that way by supporting them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 I bought my Petrol rain cover from B&H because it was the only place that still had stock. It cost me $35 include shipping! Good deal. Normally, I buy local. I have 2 great pro audio shops in Toronto and I hope to keep it that way by supporting them both. Do they still stock those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Do they still stock those? PERC Raincover - for Eargonizer Limited supply at $30. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 For me, the greatest function B&H serves is as a price reference. While I sometimes shop there for an occasional item, my opinion of them decreased drastically a few years back. Those of you familiar with the company K-Tek may also be aware of its founder, a venerable inventor and audio pioneer, the late Manfred Klemme. Some here knew him personally while my interactions were brief encounters at NAB shows that left an indelible impression of a special person. At an NAB show just a few years back, Manfred expressed his dismay that B&H, who was a reseller if his line of K-Tek products, was now also selling a direct knock-off of his unique invention, the K-SUS "Suspenders" under their Pearstone brand name. They were even so brazen as to use his name for them, "Suspenders." Manfred was quite displeased and reacted by handing out pairs of Suspenders free at NAB. My opinion of B&H went down a great deal following that show. You will find that they carry a rather large number of their house brand "Pearstone" products. Closer examination will reveal that many of these are knock-offs or rip-offs of existing products by well known manufacturers. The Pearstone items also seem to have precedence when you do searches on their site. Perhaps B&H figures they have the upper hand, and that if a company sues them, they can threaten to discontinue selling their products. This, I don't know. What I do know is rip-offs are wrong. NOTE: Tearing has been reported with the Pearstone knock-off Suspenders, while I don't think I could tear the K-Tek ones if I tried. So, my advice is, even if you don't avoid B&H, at least avoid anything they sell with the Pearstone brand name. Buyer beware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benr Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 For me, the greatest function B&H serves is as a price reference. While I sometimes shop there for an occasional item, my opinion of them decreased drastically a few years back. Those of you familiar with the company K-Tek may also be aware of its founder, a venerable inventor and audio pioneer, the late Manfred Klemme. Some here knew him personally while my interactions were brief encounters at NAB shows that left an indelible impression of a special person. At an NAB show just a few years back, Manfred expressed his dismay that B&H, who was a reseller if his line of K-Tek products, was now also selling a direct knock-off of his unique invention, the K-SUS "Suspenders" under their Pearstone brand name. They were even so brazen as to use his name for them, "Suspenders." Manfred was quite displeased and reacted by handing out pairs of Suspenders free at NAB. He must not have been THAT displeased as he's still selling his products through them. I just bought my K-Tek K-152CCR through them. And what does one expect?! That happens in EVERY industry. Name me a top of the line product or brand that DOESNT have a copy-cat or knock-off. My opinion of B&H went down a great deal following that show. You will find that they carry a rather large number of their house brand "Pearstone" products. Closer examination will reveal that many of these are knock-offs or rip-offs of existing products by well known manufacturers. The Pearstone items also seem to have precedence when you do searches on their site. Perhaps B&H figures they have the upper hand, and that if a company sues them, they can threaten to discontinue selling their products. This, I don't know. What I do know is rip-offs are wrong. NOTE: Tearing has been reported with the Pearstone knock-off Suspenders, while I don't think I could tear the K-Tek ones if I tried. So, my advice is, even if you don't avoid B&H, at least avoid anything they sell with the Pearstone brand name. Buyer beware. I seriously would let one bad experience with a single Pearstone product affect or even alter B&H's sales reputation. Thats just silly. I have PLENTY of Pearstone branded items that have been fine for years including some XLR cables and my velour ear pad covers for my Sony MDR-7506 headpones that I love. Id say, if you want to stay away from Pearstone branded products, fine. But much of the time you cant beat B&H's prices and to me that is most important since I fund all of my endevours from my own pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilchrist Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 <snip> I seriously would let one bad experience with a single Pearstone product affect or even alter B&H's sales reputation. Thats just silly. I have PLENTY of Pearstone branded items that have been fine for years including some XLR cables and my velour ear pad covers for my Sony MDR-7506 headpones that I love. <snip> If you love the Pearstone ear cushions (that B&H ripped off from Beyer Dynamic) try the originals. You'll notice a difference for the better with the originals. The B&H knock-offs are the same price as the higher quality Beyer Dynamic replacement part. FYI, Manfred passed away in July, 2010. Our fellow member David Fisk (dfisk) is still providing the world class customer service Manfred made K-Tek famous for. That aside, K-Tek as a company would have little interest in cutting themselves off from such a large retailer's share of the market and you can bet that whatever knockoff products B&H offers are sufficiently different from the original to forestall legal action. Best regards, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudRaymond Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 A friend just bought a Tascam DR 680 from B&H. $699.95 with a free case & free shipping via UPS ground to Florida. It was ordered on the B&H website on Sunday the 22nd arrived today the 26th. Can't beat that kind of deal. Eric I just bought that same recorder from B&H! Great deal with the free case. Great company, although they are closed for every Jewish holiday, even the more obscure ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Hankerson Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Great place. Got quiet a few used items from there, shipping is super fast. Never took more than three days to receive my item. Was being delivered to Atlanta, GA. Easy to deal with and great prices. Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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