One last hiccup
11 days ago
– Tue, Nov 12, 2024 at 11:54:28 AM
Hey folks,
To date, we have shipped about 200 Keens. This is well below the number we expected to have shipped by now, and this is why: in the latest update, we expressed how our Cerakote guy was struggling to coat the Keens, due to some tolerance issues. We thought we had a solution worked out, but it turns out he was still really struggling to get a reasonable yield. After exploring all options, a couple weeks ago we made the difficult (and expensive) decision to have all of the doors for Keen remade. They are being machined at a slightly smaller size, which will solve all the tolerance and mating issues we are seeing, and allow the Cerakote process to go MUCH faster.
It’s a real bummer to have yet another delay, and a bummer for us personally to have to sink thousands of dollars into remaking parts. But, it was the right thing to do. Live and learn.
The parts are currently being finished up and will ship to us in 1-2 weeks. At that point we can send them to our Cerakote guy and he can resume coating them. So the current timeline is to get back to our planned 200-300 per week shipment cadence by early to mid December.
To those that already received Keens, rest assured that there is nothing “wrong” with them. Because there is variability part to part (hence the word “tolerance”) we were able to assemble some that were good to go. And the feedback so far has been universally positive!
Thanks, as always, for hanging in there. We are looking forward to getting these shipped as much as you are!
Until next time,
—Tom & Dan
And now… shipping!
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Oct 11, 2024 at 08:30:48 AM
Hey folks,
Milestone alert! As of today, we shipped the first small batch of Keens to our warehouse. This means that Keens will start shipping to backers early next week! Yahoo! Due to the amount of time it takes to assemble each Keen (more on that below), it is going to take several weeks to get all of the Kickstarter orders shipped. A conservative estimate is shipping roughly 200-300 a week, which means it will take 6-8 weeks to get every last order shipped. We appreciate your continued patience, as always.
It took us a bit longer to start shipping since the last update. We thought we had the Cerakote problem solved, but another issue arose that involved the Cerakote going on too thick in some places and causing some tolerance issues. However, we have worked through those issues and are now receiving good parts from our Cerakote guy. The process of coating the Keens is a tedious one, that involves masking off some areas, and our Cerakote guy has expressed that Keen is by far the most challenging part he has ever had to coat. However the time and effort is paying off, and their processes continue to improve as they learn the best way to get the parts coated.
Since receiving the first batch of parts earlier this week, Dan has started assembling Keens, which will be a somewhat slow process at first as we learn what methods, techniques, and jigs are necessary to speed up the assembly process. But he is enjoying feeling like a watch maker, working with tiny screws and precision machined parts. Here is a little video showing the assembly process:
We are so excited for you all to start to receive your Keens! We will post another update next month to give an update on how many orders we’ve shipped thus far.
Until next time,
Tom & Dan
Solving Problems!
3 months ago
– Thu, Sep 05, 2024 at 05:49:40 PM
Hey folks,
This wouldn’t be a Kickstarter project without some strange production issue coming up at the 11th hour, and we’ve got an unusual one for you today. We had hoped to be assembling the first batch of Keens by now, but this issue cost us a couple weeks, but thankfully we have resolved it and are back on track.
Tom describes everything in this video:
If you prefer to read instead of watch, keep scrolling!
Here is what happened. Two of the Cerakote colors, blue and orange, have a subtle metallic flake mixed in with the color pigment. In order to properly coat something with Cerakote, you need to design a fixture that holds it stationary so you can spray the coating on evenly. The fixture we designed looks like this:
It’s a bent piece of metal with a magnet attached to it. The magnet is there to keep the back door attached, so the outside of both pieces can be coated at once. What our Cerakote guy discovered is that the magnet was actually drawing the metal flakes in the Cerakote mixture towards it, creating a strange mark. You can see it here:
Needless to say, this was something we definitely did not foresee. Thankfully, we have worked out a solution. By putting a blade inside the body along with the fixture, it “spreads out” the magnetic field to such a degree that the metallic flakes in the Cerakote are no longer drawn to the magnet.
As annoying as it was to have the delay in progress because of this wild issue, it is actually a perfect illustration of what it takes to bring a product into existence. You never quite know what the problems will be, but there is ALWAYS something.
We appreciate your patience, and we are glad to be back on track. We assembled a whole bunch of fixtures and shipped them to our Cerakote guy earlier this week (see a timelapse of this at the end of the video above). Current timeline is to start to receive parts from him next week, and beginning (at last!) to assemble Keens.
Thanks as always for continuing to hang in there with us. We continue to use our prototype Keens literally every day; it's an invaluable tool we can't wait to get into your hands.
Until next time,
—Tom & Dan
Update!
3 months ago
– Thu, Aug 15, 2024 at 08:39:26 AM
Hi folks!
Just a brief update, we had hoped to be assembling and starting to ship Keens by now but are running a couple weeks behind. Our Cerakote guy in Dallas is a bit backed up, but the first batch of Keen bodies are currently in their coating queue and we hope to receive them by the middle of next week. If they are good to go we can assemble them and begin shipment, at last!
To set expectations, we have over 2000 Keens that need to be assembled to fulfill this Kickstarter campaign, and it will be a bit slow going at first as we learn the best and most efficient way of getting them assembled. It will take several weeks to get those all out the door, but we plan to do rolling shipments and ship them as we make them. We appreciate your patience!
We are going to be locking addresses in Backerkit soon, you should receive an email from them that will give you a 48 hour window to make any changes, in case your address has changed since you first filled out the survey.
That’s all for now, thanks for hanging in there with us. Almost there!
Until next time,
—Tom & Dan
Important Update!
5 months ago
– Fri, Jun 21, 2024 at 08:13:11 AM
Hi folks,
We’ve got an important update today, so please take the time to read through to the end!
We are beginning to send out the Backerkit surveys, so be on the lookout for those in your email inbox over the next couple days. The email will come from Backerkit, and the subject line will say “Response Needed — Get your reward for Keen: A compact, durable, and retractable utility knife.”
Backerkit is a third party tool we’ve been using for years that allows us to do 3 things:
- Collect your shipping address so we know where to ship your Keen to.
- Collect your color choice for your Keen(s).
- Allow you to add any additional items to your order, if desired.
So, please fill out the survey promptly when you receive it, otherwise shipment on your order might get delayed!
Regarding the third point — adding on additional items to your order — we have a few bits of exciting news there.
Replacement Blades
You can add on a 10-pack of blades to your order. These blades are made with SK2 steel, which is an “upgraded” steel choice that allows for a sharper edge than SK5 steel (more commonly used for utility blades). It’s good to be flipping and then changing your blades fairly often, so it’s a good idea to always keep some on hand.
Mark One, Mark Two, and Mark Three in Keen Colors!
We liked the Cerakote colors we chose for Keen so much (blue, orange, and green) that we have decided to make them our permanent “Studio Neat” colors, and to offer them on all of our writing instruments! We haven’t officially announced this yet (shhhhh….), but we wanted to give you all first crack at ordering them. You can select any of them in the add-on section of Backerkit when you're filling out the survey. If you are unfamiliar with our writing instruments, here is the Cliffs Notes:
Mark One - Our retractable rollerball pen, with a satisfying click mechanism. Comes in an aluminum or steel (heavier) body.
Mark Two - Our super compact pocket pen. Made of steel, supports a mini version of an awesome rollerball refill, and has a satisfying magnetic closure.
Mark Three - Our mechanical pencil. Think of it is the sibling to the Mark One.
All of our writing instruments are machined from metal and coated in Cerakote, just like Keen.
Everything is Discounted
As a thank you for backing Keen and sticking with us through this production journey, all of the add-ons are discounted to various degrees. So now is a great time to scoop up some of our other stuff if you’ve been wanting to try it. Or if you want to get a pen that color matches your Keen.
Also worth noting, this will be your last chance to get Keen at the heavily discounted Kickstarter price. So if you think you might want another one, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else, now is a great time to do so.
——
Ok, that should pretty much be it, thanks for reading through to the end! In terms of shipping timeline, we are hoping to begin shipping to backers starting in about a month, at the end of July. The body parts are currently in Dallas, being coated by our Cerakote guy, and we’re currently finalizing the jigs that will assist with assembly here in Austin. Exciting times!
Until next time,
—Tom & Dan
