limited production :: hand crafted :: high performance :: rechargeable :: premium flashlights

This is my blog about creating a startup LED flashlight business. I'm a designer, fabricator, and strategist and I'm passionate about making ideas real. I believe that products are about people, that they should be built to last, deliver real value, and that we need to do a better job than we have in the recent past.

Most of my career has been contract or freelance work and I've crafted products and strategies for both big international companies and startups. I also used to work in the "industry" fabricating special effects for film and TV, along with the occasional hot rod. Bottom line, I love making things.

I'm starting this blog so you can follow along, from day one, and see what it's like to start a business, or fail in the process. Only time will tell, but I hope you find this interesting enough to stay tuned, comment, link, like, tweet, and (most importantly) participate in turning this idea into something tangible and valuable.

For a good place to get started with general info about who, what, why, etc., check out the "Stickies" on the left side of the page. Thanks for stopping by and please don't hesitate to ask questions and get involved!

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Sunday, February 15, 2015

Awesome Kickstarter Wallet: Ending Soon (not mine)

Hi all,

Sometimes I like to share cool things from other makers. Jens Anso is a very famous knife maker from Denmark. As expected, his work is clean and elegant. At auction, his knives go for thousands of dollars. If you want to buy one, expect to fork over a lof of money on the secondary market, or wait...and wait (don't forget to wait). He's also designed knives for two of the largest knife manufacturers on earth, Spyderco and Boker. I'm impressed. Like me, Jens likes to dabble in other things as well.

I'd like to introduce you to his new titanium & carbon fiber credit card holder, which is currently live on Kickstarter and ending in 4 days on February 20th. (link to the KS campaign and video)! 



I know Jens from the "makerverse" because we like to make things and there aren't that many of us doing unique work with an obsessive focus on quality. Notice my Alpha pen in the photo above? This cool credit card holder is (of course) made from titanium on the front, carbon fiber on the back, and holds 1-6 credit cards. The colored inserts are made from "G10" which is a reinforced fiberglass composite commonly used to make knife handles. I'd personally use it as a business card holder and impress the pants off anyone I give my card to.


Ah but where is it made? Jens makes most of his knives in his own shop, but this project is being contracted out to the same US company that waterjets all of my pocket clips. See, small world. In case you missed the first link to the Kickstarter campaign, here it is again! Even if you aren't interested yourself, please forward this on to someone that might. Us makers live by word of mouth. if you don't spread the word, we don't eat, so just take a second and click your mouse on one of those share buttons :)

If you want to check out his knife work, here is the link for his website and a photo below to wet your whistle. This is my favorite, and of course a one-off. I like how it arches its back like an angry shark when it's open. Sadly, I don't own it. Probably couldn't afford it either :)





Cheers,

Jason