SlikStik Arcade Machines Released!

[1UP]

There is no "Labor" involved in cost here, you assemble this product at home, either way YOU are the one whose time ends up gone, not theirs...  Thus "Labor" is not a factor in the cost of this cabinet (unless you want to consider packaging Labor, which im sure takes an hour or two at least, but labor cost for packaging is not even comparable to labor per hour for a master craftsman...)

It just depends on how you look at it I suppose

  Man, you just love to argue, even if it means ignoring the obvious truth.  Yeah, the sides are cut out on a CNC, but are they loaded on there by a robot?  Does a robot measure, cut and install the t-molding?  Does a robot gather and check all the miscellaneous bits and pieces and prep for shipping?  Robot QC?  There has to be some kind of manual labor involved in the manufacture of ANY physical object.  I don't know how much, or what it costs for slikstik, but it exists, I assure you.  Get real.

[Edgedamage]

Nice looking cab. I hope your next cab design will  be for apartment dwellers nice and compact. Anyway nice looking product hope it helps to cut down the maming of innocent classic cabinets.

[bdsjake]

Having had the pleasure of actually *building* my own cab, instead of just talking about it, I can say that the Slikstik product sounds reasonable to me.  I wanted the challenge of building my own, and have some minor experience with using power tools.  Many people don't have experience or the tools, and I think this cab would be an attractive option.   Many, many hours I spent working on mine.  Slikstik has a machine to cut down on time, but then you have to pay for the machine.

Plus have to figure he's not going to sell a million of them thru Walmart, this a niche market and not going to have the same economies of scale.  

We should be encouraging the small business owner to support this hobby.

my $0.02.

[Tommy Boy]

We should be encouraging the small business owner to support this hobby.

my $0.02.

Amen, brother.  That's probably the best point made so far in this thread.  Isn't this hobby a lot more fun with great products and lots of choices?  The cool stuff that Kelsey is building, Christian's products, and the guy who sells the Tron repro handles are just a few examples of this.

We're lucky these guys are willing to devote their talents to this stuff.  Most commercial enterprises would look right past this tiny market.

[OSCAR]

We should be encouraging the small business owner to support this hobby.

my $0.02.

Amen, brother.  That's probably the best point made so far in this thread.  Isn't this hobby a lot more fun with great products and lots of choices?  The cool stuff that Kelsey is building, Christian's products, and the guy who sells the Tron repro handles are just a few examples of this.

We're lucky these guys are willing to devote their talents to this stuff.  Most commercial enterprises would look right past this tiny market.

This is the best turn this thread has taken, lets keep it this way.  If people that actually have an interest in promoting and furthering the hobby are are scorned and shunned upon, what will be left?

Quite frankly, I'm ashamed of some of the comments made in this thread.  I know that BYOAC'ers are better than this.  Let's start to act like it.

[SNAAAKE]

I am still having hard time "understanding" the reason why everyone's bashing the product ! WTF ?

I honestly honestly think the price IS reasonable because where else can we buy empty brand new arcade machines.
Professionally build.

Besides it shouldn't be none of our business(bashing) since we are not buying.
dont have to make the product or company look like $hit without any reason.  
I am sure there is market for cabinets(just not around here).
Good luck on the product !

[Cisco Kid]

I thought I'd post this here since a few of you want a pre-cut cabinet but not assemblied to avoid the usual overhead or you just lack time or woodworking skills (originally posted over at mameroom forum) ...


IRONMAN
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"IS ANYONE OFFERING CNC ROUTER SERVICES TO CUT OUT THE CABINETS? IF NOT I CAN OFFER THIS SERVICE.
I AM ALSO THE LARGEST RESELLER OF USED CNC ROUTERS ON THE PLANET. WWW.DIAMONDMACH.COM"

"I WOULD HAVE TO GET A NOMINAL CHARGE (SAY A $100.00 OR SO) FOR RE-DRAWING THEM IN CAD THEN IMPORTING THEM INTO CAM SOFTWARE AND POST PROCESSING THEM INTO CNC CODE.  ONCE THIS WAS DONE THE CABINETS COULD THEN BE CUT OUT USING STANDARD MDF OR THERMOFUSED MELAMINE (TFM) WHICH COMES IN AN ARRAY OF COLORS INCLUDING BLACK, GRAY, WHITE YELLOW ETC ETC. ITS MORE EXPENSIVE BUT NO PAINTING WOULD BE REQUIRED."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

.. figured since some of you were interested in this kind of service and he's offering it for custom arcade cabinets (your own design or someone elses) ... I'd post it

Save yourself some money if you already had your design in AutoCAD  

Hope that helps a few of you out on your next cabinet project  

(Seems to be some confusion ... I'm not the person offering this service ... so please don't e-mail me about this ... thanks)

here's his contact info
-----------------------------------
DAN ROBERTS
DIAMOND STATE MACHINERY
1505 EASTFORK DR
SALISBURY, NC 28146
PHONE: 704-209-0801
FAX: 704-209-0802
EMAIL: IRONMAN@DIAMONDMACH.COM
WEBSITE: WWW.DIAMONDMACH.COM

[saint]

<saint nods at Oscar>
Nuff said.

(Please re-read the rules if you need a reminder folks.  Thanks)

We should be encouraging the small business owner to support this hobby.

my $0.02.

Amen, brother.  That's probably the best point made so far in this thread.  Isn't this hobby a lot more fun with great products and lots of choices?  The cool stuff that Kelsey is building, Christian's products, and the guy who sells the Tron repro handles are just a few examples of this.

We're lucky these guys are willing to devote their talents to this stuff.  Most commercial enterprises would look right past this tiny market.

This is the best turn this thread has taken, lets keep it this way.  If people that actually have an interest in promoting and furthering the hobby are are scorned and shunned upon, what will be left?

Quite frankly, I'm ashamed of some of the comments made in this thread.  I know that BYOAC'ers are better than this.  Let's start to act like it.

[SirPoonga]

I am still having hard time "understanding" the reason why everyone's bashing the product ! WTF ?

No, not bashing the product.  The product is pretty damn cool.  It's the price, it isn't targetted for this croud.
That's me, I'm sure the product is great, but something needs to be thoughtout more for hte target market.  

I am sure there is market for cabinets(just not around here).
Good luck on the product !

Actually, this would be the market for it since they posted the info here.

I'm done ranting though.  I ususally don;t make this much fuss but SlikStik didn;t understand what I was saying right away.

[SlikStik-Christian]

Can I get a group hug  

[Amra]

Man, you just love to argue, even if it means ignoring the obvious truth.  Yeah, the sides are cut out on a CNC, but are they loaded on there by a robot?  Does a robot measure, cut and install the t-molding?  Does a robot gather and check all the miscellaneous bits and pieces and prep for shipping?  Robot QC?  There has to be some kind of manual labor involved in the manufacture of ANY physical object.  I don't know how much, or what it costs for slikstik, but it exists, I assure you.  Get real.

True, you do have to have somoene to load the wood, remove the wood when finished, etc etc.  But that person is usually a low paid average joe, working both hours on the CNC Mill for six to eight bucks an hour, he is not some master craftman earning 50 dollars an hour.  I never said that there wasnt, but then we dont know the situation either.

Heres an Example, lets say Christian /owns/ a Mill, and already has a surplus of wood availible (from business with the control panels), and lets say he loads the wood himself onto the mill, inspects it and sends it on the way.  

Now, logically this makes more sence, if this Job is Christians bread and butter like he makes it out to be, then for him to NOT own a mill would be... lacking... to say the least.  Now, he can hire any old slob to load the machine for 6 bucks an hour, under the table, or even load it himself.  Now, since we are adding in cell phones, payroll and such, then this must be a full fledged business as you have to have licences, meaning that these arcade cabinets are also putting food on the table and paying the rent as well, if thats true then owning a Mill is not a good Idea, its neccessary, because the cost would be far too prohibitive otherwise, thus the profit would hardly be enough for anything, much less payroll, electricity bills, cell phones, etc.

The point still remains that they are overpriced, either from stupidity, or due to poor business management.

Now, I would also like to point out, that my entire "argueing" has been centered around the price (and all things related).  I have not "bashed the product"  I think it is marvolous that someone is making a quality cabinet for consumer purchase, I just dont believe in robbing people blind, or even willingly.

Again, I commmend Slik Stik for taking initiative to create the product, and such, but once again, what good does their product to the average consumer... after all, most of the people on this website are here to build their own, not have somone sell them one... especially at such an ubsurd price.

And just to reiterate, Im not bashing the product, I think the product is great... just not worth it.

The point is, there is no way logically speaking that the cost is as much as

[SlikStik-Christian]

Man, you just love to argue, even if it means ignoring the obvious truth.  Yeah, the sides are cut out on a CNC, but are they loaded on there by a robot?  Does a robot measure, cut and install the t-molding?  Does a robot gather and check all the miscellaneous bits and pieces and prep for shipping?  Robot QC?  There has to be some kind of manual labor involved in the manufacture of ANY physical object.  I don't know how much, or what it costs for slikstik, but it exists, I assure you.  Get real.

True, you do have to have somoene to load the wood, remove the wood when finished, etc etc.  But that person is usually a low paid average joe, working both hours on the CNC Mill for six to eight bucks an hour, he is not some master craftman earning 50 dollars an hour.  I never said that there wasnt, but then we dont know the situation either.

Heres an Example, lets say Christian /owns/ a Mill, and already has a surplus of wood availible (from business with the control panels), and lets say he loads the wood himself onto the mill, inspects it and sends it on the way.  

Now, logically this makes more sence, if this Job is Christians bread and butter like he makes it out to be, then for him to NOT own a mill would be... lacking... to say the least.  Now, he can hire any old slob to load the machine for 6 bucks an hour, under the table, or even load it himself.  Now, since we are adding in cell phones, payroll and such, then this must be a full fledged business as you have to have licences, meaning that these arcade cabinets are also putting food on the table and paying the rent as well, if thats true then owning a Mill is not a good Idea, its neccessary, because the cost would be far too prohibitive otherwise, thus the profit would hardly be enough for anything, much less payroll, electricity bills, cell phones, etc.

The point still remains that they are overpriced, either from stupidity, or due to poor business management.

Now, I would also like to point out, that my entire "argueing" has been centered around the price (and all things related).  I have not "bashed the product"  I think it is marvolous that someone is making a quality cabinet for consumer purchase, I just dont believe in robbing people blind, or even willingly.

Again, I commmend Slik Stik for taking initiative to create the product, and such, but once again, what good does their product to the average consumer... after all, most of the people on this website are here to build their own, not have somone sell them one... especially at such an ubsurd price.

And just to reiterate, Im not bashing the product, I think the product is great... just not worth it.

The point is, there is no way logically speaking that the cost is as much as

Dude, do you ever stop???

[SirPoonga]

Can I get a group hug  

* MSN hug emoticon *

[SlikStik-Christian]

Man, you just love to argue, even if it means ignoring the obvious truth.  Yeah, the sides are cut out on a CNC, but are they loaded on there by a robot?  Does a robot measure, cut and install the t-molding?  Does a robot gather and check all the miscellaneous bits and pieces and prep for shipping?  Robot QC?  There has to be some kind of manual labor involved in the manufacture of ANY physical object.  I don't know how much, or what it costs for slikstik, but it exists, I assure you.  Get real.

True, you do have to have somoene to load the wood, remove the wood when finished, etc etc.  But that person is usually a low paid average joe, working both hours on the CNC Mill for six to eight bucks an hour, he is not some master craftman earning 50 dollars an hour.  I never said that there wasnt, but then we dont know the situation either.

Heres an Example, lets say Christian /owns/ a Mill, and already has a surplus of wood availible (from business with the control panels), and lets say he loads the wood himself onto the mill, inspects it and sends it on the way.  

Now, logically this makes more sence, if this Job is Christians bread and butter like he makes it out to be, then for him to NOT own a mill would be... lacking... to say the least.  Now, he can hire any old slob to load the machine for 6 bucks an hour, under the table, or even load it himself.  Now, since we are adding in cell phones, payroll and such, then this must be a full fledged business as you have to have licences, meaning that these arcade cabinets are also putting food on the table and paying the rent as well, if thats true then owning a Mill is not a good Idea, its neccessary, because the cost would be far too prohibitive otherwise, thus the profit would hardly be enough for anything, much less payroll, electricity bills, cell phones, etc.

The point still remains that they are overpriced, either from stupidity, or due to poor business management.

Now, I would also like to point out, that my entire "argueing" has been centered around the price (and all things related).  I have not "bashed the product"  I think it is marvolous that someone is making a quality cabinet for consumer purchase, I just dont believe in robbing people blind, or even willingly.

Again, I commmend Slik Stik for taking initiative to create the product, and such, but once again, what good does their product to the average consumer... after all, most of the people on this website are here to build their own, not have somone sell them one... especially at such an ubsurd price.

And just to reiterate, Im not bashing the product, I think the product is great... just not worth it.

The point is, there is no way logically speaking that the cost is as much as

FYI, (Use spell checker next time, it would kind of make you sound not so ignorant)...

Just my 6 cents, all I have left over for the cab venture  

[night]

haha, just no sneaky reach arounds from anyone...


i do believe the price is a very tough call. im nearly done with mine (will have lots of pics) and it is quite a complex design compared to 99% of cabs ive seen. it will have taken me approx 8 solid days (4 weekends) to build when done. although the first is always a good bit slower.
today i was standing there in the garage and feeling proud of myself. it looks good, no CNC machined, but doing a bit in my head, i was thinking i could build them to sell with TV, sound, and comp for perhaps 1300 for parts, and make it a nice round $2000 complete with labor time. so taking the slik into that, comp, sound, TV (thinking 250ish for a good TV vs 500 for a WG) a 900-1000 more for a playable slik cab seems about right. although mine has glass and 4player.

i think though, if it were priced a touch lower, it would be so much more appealing for the simple fact that few want to build a cab, but most wanna build there own CP design.

[1UP]

I can't believe I'm getting so involved in this...

Why is it that every time a new pre-fab cab is announced, everyone around here goes into hysterics?  No one complains about any of the other hardware promoted on this site.  I haven't noticed anyone ripping on Andy for selling I-PACs at a higher price than the Keywiz.  What is it about cabinets that gets everyone so nuts?

For all you whining about the price, take a look at the X-Arcade machine.  Same price, but you're not even getting something that actually looks like an arcade cab!  I thought that was too much to pay for an erzats "arcade machine", but I would actually consider the slikstik offering at this price.  Also notice that x-arcade is still offering that thing, so they must be selling...    Considering what you get (basically a pro-looking cab you can put together in an evening) it's not that bad.  Some might say that paying $12 for a joystick with no base, that you still have to build or buy a separate interface for and then put together, is way overpriced, but we all buy them anyway!  

[Tommy Boy]

I think it is marvolous that someone is making a quality cabinet for consumer purchase, I just dont believe in robbing people blind, or even willingly.

Again, I commmend Slik Stik for taking initiative to create the product, and such, but once again, what good does their product to the average consumer... after all, most of the people on this website are here to build their own, not have somone sell them one... especially at such an ubsurd price.

And just to reiterate, Im not bashing the product, I think the product is great... just not worth it.

The point is, there is no way logically speaking that the cost is as much as

That's nice.  Thanks for letting this thing end on a graceful note.  

[1UP]

True, you do have to have somoene to load the wood, remove the wood when finished, etc etc...  I never said that there wasnt...

Oh Amra, Amra, Amra you nutty guy, yes you did--->

There is no "Labor" involved in cost here, you assemble this product at home, either way YOU are the one whose time ends up gone, not theirs...  Thus "Labor" is not a factor in the cost of this cabinet....

...

The point still remains that they are overpriced, either from stupidity, or due to poor business management.

Then I guess they'll soon go under, and that will be the end of that...  

[SirPoonga]

Why is it that every time a new pre-fab cab is announced, everyone around here goes into hysterics?  

I think it's because the prefabs don't understand this target  market.  There's a reason people here build their own or convert, it's cheap.  Usually these machines are on a tight budget.  How many posts have we had where a person said they went well over budget or their cabinet has to wait and they are just going to do the control panel because of budget.

People do complain about other new hardware.   The dotron spinner got complaints of price.

Look at the past announcements of prefab cabs and their main complaints.  
X-Arcade - Ugly and over priced
ArcadeWerks - Ugly
Wico Jamma - small
Those are all I could think up off hand.  Not all were complaints about price.  
The fact is there isn't much for prefab that fits a market that is on a budget.

[1UP]

The thing is, I don't think we're the primary (or only) market for this.  I think Sharper Image sells the Arcade PC.  That's probably a better market--people who are ignorant of how cheap it is to do it yourself, or have enough money not to bother with it.  But slickstick would be stupid to ignore the extra sales it might be able to get here...

[1UP]

Hmm, just a thought...but don't you think that if slikstik could afford to sell their cabs for close to what it costs us, wouldn't they do it?  They'd almost be guaranteed to get huge volumes of orders from all of us who are planning to make a cab from here on!  If that were the case, I know I'd buy one in a heartbeat for my next project, rather than spend all my weekends in frustration pushing power tools around!  

[Amra]

Yes, I can see how 4 mispellings and some typos verifies complete and total ignorance.

And 1up, You should have been able to infer when I said Labor (in Quotes) I was referring to actual construction, of which there is NONE, This doesnt include labor costs such as toting around goods because that type of labor is cheap, unlike constuction labor.  You know as well as I that any poor slop will carry wood around for 6 bucks an hour, it sounds more like your "reaching" then anything.  I guess I need to be very obvious and specific because its humerous at just how desperate you all are getting to discredit what I am saying... no matter how valid.  Are you truly reduced to taking Jabs at the error level of 43 wpm typing, seriously.. thats a little desperate.  

Yes, I can go on and on and on, so as long as someone keeps trying to justify their position, I will justify mine.  And who doesnt love a healthy debate?

So, do you own a mill, or are you paying someone to do the cutting, because if your paying other people to cut it, I will shut up right now, because it would then be obvious that if I am ignorant, your right down here with me.

Cheers

[ekopp2]

I'm new to the forum and feeling sucked in by this thread...

I'm just at the start of my project and decided to build my own cabinet. I looked at buying a cab but didn't like what I saw (didn't see the SlikStik cabinet), so I'm happy enough to build my own. But, my savings? Hmmmm...

Based on what I've read and my own experience thus far, the $350 for materials is really just the starting point. There's the "extras" that you need or end up buying because you're there or because it'll make the project easier. For me, I've got the basic material, plus the spade bit, the slotting bit, extra clamps, and throw in a jig saw. Sure, these are mine to keep after the project is over, but it adds to my out-of-pocket costs.

Beyond the extras, there is significantly more time involved. I'm anal so I've already taken time to pore over and refine my design. Based on the examples of other projects I've read through, the construction is also a multi-weekend effort. Add to that the 17 extra trips to Home Dept to fix the screw-ups, and the purchase route isn't looking so bad after all.

I mean, really...The alternative is this nice, professional looking cabinet. Is it more expensive than my raw materials? Sure. On the other hand, will the quality of construction/finish be better than my own cabinet? Honestly... for most of us, yes. Will it go together faster than the DIY project? Yes.

Let's not castigate SlikStik for exercising a little entrepreneurial spirit while trying to add to the community. The product price is in line with its competition... not so outlandish as to deserve such a vitriolic response.

It seems like there may be a market segmentation opportunity for SlikStik: an entry-level cabinet for the price-conscious and a more deluxe model for those who want some of the extra features.

[1UP]

And 1up, You should have been able to infer when I said Labor (in Quotes) I was referring to actual construction, of which there is NONE, This doesnt include labor costs such as toting around goods because that type of labor is cheap, unlike constuction labor.

Do you even READ before posting?  No construction labor huh?  What do you call installing t-molding?  I'd say that constitutes construction.  I would assume that cutting the slot for the t-molding is also a manual process, unless they can do that at the same time as the cutting.  They may not be doing the final assembly, but I think you aren't in any place to say that there is ZERO construction labor going on.  If you want to keep taking such an extreme position, I can continue to find holes in your argument.

Labor is labor, it costs something, and quite frankly, unless you're there on the production floor, I don't think you can really say what that labor is.  If he claims that there is 5 hours of work left on each one after the wood is cut, he's either a liar, or there's a lot more to do than just lugging wood around on a dolly.  They have to put in the pre-drilled holes for one, and I assume that requires lining up a template and drilling.  I'm not saying that's expensive, but it's still labor.  I have nothing invested in this company or its products, but I just find it ridiculous that you take such an extreme position on this, like the cabs just pop out Christian's --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules--.

[hyiu]

Hi All:

its like 2:30 am and I'm still reading this thread... (this is sick... I'm sucked in... still have to work tmw....)

I think its clear that we all (maybe almost all) like the design and features of the cab....

only thing that is left open to argue is the price....

can we just let time decide if they make a good decision or not ??....

look back in 6 months... or 1 yr.... see if they're still selling it... see if they're throwing more packages/deals to it.... see if they stand on their price or offer discounts....

arguing like this really is a waste of our time.....
(at least for me... it is....)

ohhh... I'm going to be dead tmw at work....  

[Howard_Casto]

I am still having hard time "understanding" the reason why everyone's bashing the product ! WTF ?

No, not bashing the product.  The product is pretty damn cool.  It's the price, it isn't targetted for this croud.
That's me, I'm sure the product is great, but something needs to be thoughtout more for hte target market.  

I am sure there is market for cabinets(just not around here).
Good luck on the product !

Actually, this would be the market for it since they posted the info here.

I'm done ranting though.  I ususally don;t make this much fuss but SlikStik didn;t understand what I was saying right away.

I think SirP and myself are on exactly the same page here.  If I were bashing the product, trust me, you'd know.  When x-arcade posted their "cabinet"  here I quite literally said that it was a p.o.s. in the thread started about it. Christian is taking what we are saying the wrong way.  We like the cabinet, there just isn't a market for the price.  DIY's want a cheaper product and those who aren't want a complete product.  I really wish that before these company's make a product like this they would make a post with a mockup and the estimated price range.  I'm also unsure to why Christian posted a pic of the cab after my last reply.  We all know what it looks like and the quality involved, but even if there are 100$ worth of "extras" that I overlooked, it's still 150-300$ overpriced for this target audience.  This isn't just my opinion or else I wouldn't be pushing it.  

I honestly hate to see businesses fail because of a bad idea.   If you can't make an empty cab for 700 bucks then you shouldn't, because real arcade manufacturers can.  I hope that it does well, but I doubt it will as-is.  

I will agree that some of the posters have a poor attitude about their view either way.  I don't think it's constructive to fight over it either way, unless you give some advice on how to change things.  

I think the cab would sell much better if you could get the price down about 150 bucks or include a basic slikstick panel with the purchase (at the same price).  As sirp and myself have stated, the product isn't bad at all, it's who you are trying to sell it to.  Make up your mind and adjust the product accordingly.    

I'll be quiet now because my intention was to be helpful, not to beat a deadhorse.  

[Amra]

Touche 1UP  But we still know that Installing T-Molding is also something that is done in 5 minutes with a rubber mallet, again, something that the same guy your paying 6 bucks an hour to tote your wood can do at no extra charge.  So, once again there is no true construction labor involved, but then I dont know if the wood comes precovered or if that has to be done just before milling, because that would actually require a little skill (little, but still there)...

I think we are all getting kinda knit pickity now, the point remains that the cabinet is overpriced, I never said it was ugly, I never said it was poorly constructed, I simply said it was Overpriced (because it is), you can fight all you want, but the fact remains that the cab it not meant for majority of the people on this site... so why put it here? It just doesnt make sense to advertise a product and then tell the people reading it, that it was not even targetted for that general populous, that it was meant for people who want a cab NOW, who just happen to have almost a thousand dollars to blow...  It seems a little... well... cocky, bold, brash, rude, pretentious, evincing, yokelish...

Anyhow, I know you all are like "when will it end" but you are also curious whats coming next, kinda like a traffic jam due to an accident, its always on the other side of the road... you dont really wanna read/look, but you cant help it... lol

[Brax]

I think people are making a mistake to be comparing what YOU can make a cab at home for, to what a manufacturer has to pay to make one.  Your savings come in labor/profit.  Without these two things, it's impossible/not worth it to make the product.  Yeah, we can all make a cab for the cost of materials and our time, which is free, but once it's gone it's gone.

But THEIR savings (are supposed to) come from mass production and volume buying. Wal-Mart has spoiled  us all? A "company" is supposed to be able to develop some buying power. The problem is, SlikStik is probably 3 guys in a garage....
Maybe part of the problem is Christian touting themselves as some big, high powered company? If that's the case then people expect the $99.99 cabinets.
Just hypothesising. *shrug*

[u_rebelscum]

Way out of left field:

What is the reason for most restaurants that go out of business within the first year?
Because the prices are too low for the restaurant to make money.  Too few customers and bad quality account for a minority of those restaurants that go out of business within a year.

I usually eat at the cheap fast food / chinese / burrito / pizza joints.  I almost never eat at the steak houses because the dishes cost too much.  Just cause I don't eat at the steak joints does not mean they should price their steaks the same as a burger.

And sometimes those who eat mostly at the high end steak and shrimp restaurants also eat at fast food joints.


WTF does the above have to do with this thread?
I'm with SirPoonga and Howard: the SilkStik cab is a top quality steak, and is too high priced for me to afford.  BYOAC is centered around us fast food price people, and the steak costs quite a bit more than the burgers I am willing to buy.  To say, however, that no one visiting BYOAC can pay $900 ($1100 w/ CP) is stretching it; there way be some steak & shrimp people lurking around.

I think Amra is a little off, however, and is trying to argue the price of a steak should be close to that of a burger.  Most restaurant owners that go out of business forget about "hidden" overheads, such as taxes, office space, web site services, advertisements, phone, water, gas, electricity, trash pickup, warehouse space, depreciation, maintenance, repairs, etc, let alone any business profit.  I know, I know; much of these overheads are shared across the rest of SlikStik's products, but the cab uses a lot of space and tool time compared to the rest of the stuff.  I'm not going to guess at the actual margins or sales volume, but margins need to surprisingly high for low to medium sales volumes in order to make money.

Remember, too many people have thought "I can make the same quality food dishes and sell it at lower prices; I should start my own restaurant" and were wrong by thousands of dollars and dashed dreams within a year.


Oh, but sometimes I wish I could have some steak.  $900 is a little high for me, Christian, but the cab looks so good my mouth is watering.

(Sorry to all vegetarians for my steak = high quality metaphor)

[rampy]

hmm... I think my cabinet is a steak... but I purchased it one bite (byte?!) at a time, and everything was al a carte. =P

Rampy

[SlikStik-Christian]

uRebel,

Good analogy.

Amra,

The reason we post here is because a lot of people that wind up here are just passing through on the new journey of MAME and control panels and home arcade machines. We think we have a good mix of products, some of them are geared towards this crowd like our spinners and tops and joystick handles, you just can't make those things yourself feasibly and a BYOAC'er might buy them. Our blank panels are another product that might interest someone here.

The cabs, well we know they are not in the price range of everyone, and they don't appeal to everyone, but if you knew how many 1 time visitors come through BYOAC, stumble on a post or a review of our product line and then buy a product from us then you would understand why we as well as other commercial vendors post here.

You might have mentioned it before if you have please refresh my memory, what do you think this cabinet should be priced at?

Jerry Mascari
SLIKSTIK

[rampy]

for sirp

[ilsiu]

To Amra -

You seem to be taking quite a bit of heat in this thread.

Your main points seem to be (if I may paraphrase):

A. $1000 is more than I'm willing to spend for a pre-fab arcade cabinet, no matter how high the quality.

B. $1000 is an unreasonable price for a pre-fab arcade cabinet, no matter how high the quality.


Regarding A, that's fine, and in fact Slik-Stik acknowledges there will be quite a few people that feel this way.

But B seems to be where you're getting in trouble.  Because Slik-Stik doesn't provide their a cost breakdown (in fairness, I don't think they're obligated to), you take a swag at it:

1. parts and raw materials: $300-$400
2. process equipment/facilities (including overhead): ?? (would you say $100)
3. labor (including overhead): ?? (would you say $100)
4. profit: ~$400
Total: $1000

I don't think many people will dispute your estimate for #1, but the remaining categories are not as easy to calculate.  Your supporting data:

"you can purchase a mill for less then 20,000 naturally they are usually refurbished, or used"
and

"he can hire any old slob to load the machine for 6 bucks an hour, under the table, or even load it himself"
is unconvincing and lacks credibility (even implying Slik-Stik of shady business practices).  These assumptions don't seem to be based on actual experience (you may have a great deal of experience in starting up a small business, I don't know), and they rather are vague and unclear.  There are a lot of details that aren't addressed - how much does it actually cost to hire people at minimum wage (are there tax issues)?  How long does it take to finish a single unit?  How many units are produced?  I'm not saying you're wrong, but your cost model just doesn't get into enough detail on all the expenses to justify your conclusion:

"The point still remains that they are overpriced, either from stupidity, or due to poor business management."

For me, the bottom line is that I'm mostly in agreement with you - $1000 is more than I'm willing to spend on a cabinet (now, if that included shipping, I would seriously consider getting one, hint,hint,hint  ).  Can Slik-Stik sell it for less and still make a profit?  I think they could, but I don't have (and haven't seen) any data that indicates they can.  Since I don't have experience in operating a small business, the best I can do is compare the Slik-Stik cabinet to the competitors products.  It's certainly a fair price compared to the X-arcade unit - of course, that could just mean that the X-arcade is even more over-priced  , but Slik-Stik shouldn't be single out as being gouging/incompetent in their pricing.

Regards,
I-Liang

[)p(]

(Sorry to all vegetarians for my steak = high quality metaphor)

ok as a veggie (am i the only one here?), I forgive you...this time...

peter

[Frostillicus]

I like to think of my cab as a fresh cut of veal that died of loneliness  

[Tommy Boy]

...but if you knew how many 1 time visitors come through BYOAC, stumble on a post or a review of our product line and then buy a product from us then you would understand why we as well as other commercial vendors post here.

That's exactly why threads like this are so unfortunate.  First-time visitors are going to conclude that 1) We're a bunch of jackasses on this board, and 2) SlikStik is (might be) ripping the community off.  And neither point is fair.

Everyone knows what they are willing and able to spend for a product.  Some here have pointed out that the SlikStik cab is out of their price range.  That's fair.  Tell Christian and Jerry what you'd be willing to spend and what you'd expect in return for that money.  If you don't think the cab is a good value, then that's a valid perspective and SlikStik should be glad to get the honest feedback.

But no one has a right to say or imply that SlikStik is ripping anyone off.  That's not fair.  No one has complete enough information to say anything of the sort.  And besides, if I want to spend $1,100 smacks on a "steak", isn't that MY choice?  Isn't that choice as valid as the one that finds the cab to be a poor value or out of range?

Of course SlikStik and others should advertise here.  Don't we want this board to continue to be an important information resource for the hobby?  Everyone can see what they're getting for the money, let everyone make an informed choice.  I think we should be very honest but also fair in what we say.  Afterall, these discussions COULD be an influencer in some noob purchasing behavior.  

Let's be supportive of OSCAR, SlikStik, and the other small businesses in this space.  These guys are kicking out some quality products, most of which I'll never buy for one reason or another.  But what's the downside to having a variety of quality products available -- even if I can't afford or don't want all of them?

[TheGameAh]

As a side note, I used to think this board was a bunch of snobs when I first visited.  I know now that's not true.  But whenever someone mentioned buying a panel there were usually a few posters that would throw little snide comments out there about being on the wrong board, just build it yourself, why are you here, etc.

I love this board now though  

[Inaba]

When I first saw the SlikStik site, and looked at their CP's, my immediate reaction was that they were overcharging something fierce and ripping people off.

After doing the math on the parts, and the labor (wiring is tedious, even if you have a pre-built harness) - they don't have such a huge margin as I first suspected.  After building my own panels, I have a new respect for the prices they offer, and I no longer feel their panels are over priced in anyway.  I feel they are right on target for the quality of the workmanship + the price of the controls you get.

I'm not really sure how I feel about the cabinet.  On one hand, you can get a used arcade cab (not a classic, just one of the newer hunks O' junk) and modify it for your purposes.  This will frequently costs you anywhere from "Haul this thing away and you can have it" to around $300 - $400.  Either way, it's cheaper than any cab I've seen on the net for sale, and you sometimes get a working machine/electronics. (I recently "hauled away" a perfectly good Dragons Lair, complete with Laserdisc!  Laser unit is out though... but everything else works.  No, I'm not going to butcher the cab... I'm going to put an emu in it running DL and leave it in all it's Dragon's Lair glory).  

On the other hand, the SlikStik cab is custom built for exactly what you want it to do, and it comes with working coin mechs.  I won't say it's a bad deal, and I won't say it's over priced, but I do think it's more than _I_, personally, want to spend on a cab w/o a monitor.  But for someone who isn't electronically and/or power tool inclined, it's not that bad of a deal, all in all.

Now, if they have a "bundle" deal, where they sell a SlikStik and the cab for a lower price than either of them together, that might be something I'd be interested in.

[Todd H]

I'm not sure why everyone is coming down so hard on Christian.  His cabinet looks like a great product.  And while the price may be a bit out of my range, I'm sure that it will find a place in the market.  So lighten up guys.  All this means is now there's another option for those wanting to get into this wonderful hobby.  Let's show others that we can be both helpful AND respectful.  

[xar256]

Sorry, I gotta chime in here...

I simply said it was Overpriced (because it is), you can fight all you want, but the fact remains that the cab it not meant for majority of the people on this site... so why put it here?

Why put it here?  Like any good entrepreneur Christian is taking advantage of free advertising.  If even one person from the board here buys a cabinet from him, it makes all the time he spent making his original post <about 1 min> more than worthwhile.  In the mean time, with all the posts since then about it, just how many people know about it now? And how many more are telling other people about it.  Word-of-mouth is a powerful ally in any business, and I can