Production and Shipping!
11 months ago – Tue, May 30, 2023 at 09:02:23 AM

Hey everyone!

Over the past few weeks, I have spent a considerable amount of time perfecting the machining process for the NST Carabiner. I am thrilled to report that, at this point, I am extremely pleased with the results. The new carabiners are easily ten times better than the prototypes we showcased in the campaign, and I believe you will all be very satisfied with the outcome.

Production

Production is starting this week, potentially today or tomorrow, depending on the whims of FedEx. Theoretically, everything should go smoothly, although I have been doing this long enough to expect a few snags along the way.

I will be producing carabiners in batches of 28. Each morning, I will machine a batch, tumble them in the evening, and then finish, inspect, and ship them the next day while a new batch is being machined. This method allows me to reduce the time between machining and final inspection/shipping, which generally helps in producing better parts (if you're interested in the details, you can Google "Lean Manufacturing").

Shipping

With a production rate of 28 carabiners per day, we should be shipping an average of about 18 packages per day, with fulfillment expected to be completed in approximately 10 workdays, give or take. If you have filled out your survey, you should expect to see your reward shipped sometime in June.

Once we print a shipping label for your package, you will receive tracking information via email. Please note that we often print labels a day or two in advance, before your package is actually mailed. So, don't be surprised if you don't see immediate tracking updates.

Backer Survey

Everyone should have received a backer survey via Backerkit. We have received responses from about 70% of you, which is actually quite good at this stage. If you haven't responded yet, please do so within the next week or so; otherwise, your carabiner will miss the first batch of shipping and may be delayed by a few weeks. If you haven't received a survey, please send me a message, and I'll provide you with a link.

If you used an Apple Privacy email address and are unsure which email address you used, please also send me a message, and I'll assist you in sorting it out.

If you are in the process of moving or would like us to hold your package for any reason, please send us a message, and we will make the necessary arrangements for you.

Thank you once again for all your support!

AJ

BackerKit surveys are coming soon!
12 months ago – Thu, May 18, 2023 at 01:28:10 PM

Hey everyone! Strap in, because this is a long one, please read carefully so you know how to receive the rewards you pledged for during the campaign. We're using BackerKit to make sure your rewards reach you smoothly. BackerKit is the place where you can choose your add-ons, pay for shipping, provide your shipping address, and more. Don't worry, it's designed like an online shop, so it's user-friendly. And if you run into any trouble, we've got your back!

Smoke Test

The BackerKit surveys have been approved, which means it's time to conduct a Smoke Test. We will send these out tomorrow 5/19. Keep an eye on your email, 5% of you will receive surveys. This helps us catch any unforeseen issues before sending them out to everyone.

Everyone Else

Expect an email from us with a special link to your personalized BackerKit survey. It's crucial that you respond promptly as we need this information to fulfill your rewards. You don't need to create a BackerKit account to complete the survey. When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey link to respond. The survey will ask questions about your reward preferences, shipping information, and give you the option to purchase add-on items if you're interested. If all goes well with the Smoke Test, the survey link will be coming your way next week via email!

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

In case you need to review your information or check your pledge status, you can easily return to your survey by clicking on the link provided in your survey email. If for any reason you can't find the email, you can request your survey link by clicking on "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page, which you can find HERE.

A quick FAQ section:

• If you're using a mail relay service like Apple Relay to hide your email address, please note that you won't receive your BackerKit link. But no need to panic! You can retrieve your project by visiting our BackerKit page HERE. Just a reminder that if you click on the link right now, it will indicate that your survey hasn't been sent yet. Please be patient, and we'll make sure you receive it.
• If you logged in to your Kickstarter account using your Facebook credentials, the BackerKit survey will be sent to the email address associated with your Facebook account. If you prefer to use a different email address, reach out to us at [email protected], and we'll take care of it for you.
• We kindly ask for your patience and suggest checking your Spam/Junk folders for an email from Design The Everything. If, by May 27th, you still haven't received your email, please search for your link HERE.

We want to assure you that BackerKit will remain open for a while, allowing you plenty of time to add additional add-ons and complete your purchases. We'll send you another update well in advance of the BackerKit closing date, so no need to rush.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out. We're happy to help.

-AJ & Scott

p.s. Bonus production update picture.

NST process improvements are coming along nicely.

The Calm Before The Storm
12 months ago – Tue, May 09, 2023 at 11:40:47 AM

Hey all!

It's been a few weeks since the last update, and we're still waiting on Kickstarter to process payments at the moment. However, everything is suddenly starting to come together, and a lot of things will be happening this week.

Design Revisions:

We decided to revise our production process to give us more flexibility in design and manufacturing. Long story short, we are switching from laser plus mill to 100% mill. This will give us a better-looking product and a more controllable process at the expense of processing time and some added material costs. Our old clasp design was based around laser cutting and will not work when machined, so we had to make some minor changes there. Most of the changes are hidden under the scales, so most people won't notice any difference.

To get into the nitty-gritty, here is a list of design changes we have made so far:

• The full carabiner will be machined, leaving no raw laser cut edges.
• All corners will be more rounded than the campaign pictures show.
• The core will be 0.220 inches thick instead of 0.190 inches (5.6mm vs. 4.8mm), providing a stiffer spring and more lateral stability.
• The clasp will be redesigned for milling instead of laser cutting.

Almost all of these changes are very difficult to notice. Most people would never notice the differences even if they were holding both revisions at the same time. By far, the most visible change is the surface finish on the outside of the carabiner. Overall, these changes make a much better product, and I'm sure you will like them.

Backer Survey:

In the last update, we said we would be sending the backer survey last week. We were wrong, sorry about that. We didn't realize that BackerKit doesn't let us send that until Kickstarter collects all the pledges. The pledges should be collected sometime this week, which means the Backer Survey will follow shortly.

If you signed up for Kickstarter using an Apple Privacy email address, Apple will not allow us to send you emails, and you will, therefore, not receive your backer survey with everyone else. We will send you a message via Kickstarter with the link. Please note that you will have to sign into BackerKit using that same privacy email address.

Shipping:

We are still aiming to start shipping small batches in early-mid June. We expect to be machining up through Mid-June and shipping through the rest of the month. These dates are dependent on everything going perfectly, so don't be surprised if it gets pushed back by a few weeks, but I am an optimist 😅. We will be shipping in small batches on a daily schedule, so if one of your friends gets their carabiner before you, don't worry, yours is on the way.

Thanks for your patience and support!

-AJ

163%! Woohoo!
about 1 year ago – Mon, May 01, 2023 at 09:25:04 AM

Hello all!

We did it! Over the weekend the Kickstarter ended at 163% of our goal! The last two days were the biggest two days of the campaign other than the first day! That last little boost really made a big difference!

Production Timeline

Over the next week I will be finalizing the manufacturing process. We already have most of the infrastructure in place from our last carabiner project, but we learned a LOT during production last time and we are making some modifications to yield a better product. 

• Now-15 May - Work on production design and process improvements
• 15 May - We receive the Kickstarter money and then order material
• 30 May - The materials arrive and production begins
• Sometime in June - Shipping starts

Shipping Schedule

We are going to be shipping rewards in the order that we receive your Backer Survey.  The survey will be sent via BackerKit sometime later this week.  We are going to avoid bulk shipping as much as possible and instead ship a small number of carabiners every day. That means some of you will receive your carabiner way ahead of schedule and some of you will receive it just a little ahead of schedule.

Our current goal is to ship 20 carabiners per weekday, which means it will take us two or three weeks to fulfill all the orders once shipping has begun.

Next for DTE

We have a few plans for the near future. We have been developing a new product (don't worry, it's not another carabiner 😅) that will be launching after all fulfillment is complete on this current campaign. We already have a design finished and are just sorting out the last production details.

We are also discussing releasing a very small, limited run of generative coins with a new algorithm while we are waiting for materials to show up. Shoot me a message if you want to be put on the waitlist for those.

We are of course always publishing new Youtube videos and we are continuing to send out experimental products to our Patreons . Depending on the reward tier, our Patreons either receive our new products for free or have the opportunity to grab them at a discount before everyone else. And they get access to some secret products that are only available in our Patreon Only store.

There's also our normal webstore. Don't forget that. You can find that HERE.

Fidget Things

Also, don't forget about our friend over at Fidget Things! His stellar campaign has less than 3 hours left as of right now! He makes awesome stuff and now is your last chance to check it out! You can find that campaign HERE.

Thanks everyone!

AJ & Scott

We Did It!
about 1 year ago – Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 12:40:22 PM

Woohoo!

We reached our funding goal! This means the world to AJ and me. We both recently quit our jobs to pursue DTE full time and your support continues to make it possible. We are working hard to deliver the best possible carabiner. We hope the NST carabiner improves your day every time you use it. If you have any keychain, work, or tool related frustration (no matter how small) you think we could help solve, let us know in the comments. 😊

We have even more cool stuff in the works we can't wait to show you. Once again, thank you for your support and for helping us turn the NST Carabiner into a reality.

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We're not done yet!

The Orange Slice Keychain Organizer. We've sold these previously, but thought you'd enjoy a great way to organize your keychain. Customizing your keychain experience is easy with the Orange Slice - it allows you to personalize your keychain and provides a convenient spot to attach your new carabiner and keyrings.

Now available as an ADD-ON! You can choose from titanium (our favorite), stainless steel, brass, or copper.