We have a handful of things to cover today...

There are a few titanium things I'm "selling off" ...because recently we've been coming up with new designs and new products (and so some of the older products we naturally stop producing).

Long story short:

There might be some titanium bargains below for you.

​Also in this post I'm also going to share some NEW products and designs we've been working on in the background.

Let's get straight into it...

"V3" Titanium Tweezers ​(BARGAIN!)

We've been making the "V2" and "V3" Titanium Tweezers for ​coming up on three years now.

A couple of weeks ago I launched the NEW TiTweezers™ "Pocket Edition" - Folding Tweezers.

​Whilst we're currently making these I thought it was a good time to re-visit the "V3" version and see if we can improve these (and, well, make the "V4" version).​

But, before we get into that...

​Because ​we're making this "V4" version, then I'd like to wind-down the "V3" version. We have 11 x pairs of the TiTweezers™ "V3" left and I'm slashing the price so I can make room for the new, "V4" version.

​These 11 x tweezers will likely sell quickly - so click here right now​ (I'll tell you right now you're getting almost 50% OFF - be quick!).

​The NEW "V4" Tweezers

Here's the thing...

I first made the "V1" Titanium Tweezers a long time ago. Each newer generation I made - there were big improvements in tips and the ​attention-to-detail in the final design.

However...

Over the years I've had lots (LOTS!) of people ask me to bring back the original "V1" Tweezers ...because of how they looked.

I've finally listened to YOU.

These new "V4" Tweezers are a combination of ...the tips we now have dialed-in to function like a beast ...BUT, also going back to the original overall design (which is the main thing people liked about the original design).

​I almost have some ready - here's the fixture on the milling machine I'm currently using to make them:

("Op1", "Op2" etc. refers to the order of operations to machine the tweezers)

​I have some photos ​of prototypes below.

A ​few things to mention... (because these prototypes are not the final version)

#1 - These are thinner than the final version (the tweezers in the images below are 3.8mm thick ...but the final version will be closer to 5mm thick)

#2 - The DEEP CHAMFERS along the finger grooves (blue arrows) are not going to be on the final version because they don't function well (they cause the tweezers to "roll" ​when squeezing them with your fingers).

#3 - The tips are 90% ​finished in the version below (so there ​is some aesthetic "weirdness" there)

​The above photos are not great - so here's a quick look of the 3D CAD model (it should give you a better idea of the final design):

​CandyCan™ "XL" (BARGAIN!)

​We're not going to be making the CandyCan™ "XL" for a little while - and so I'd like to move the last few we have off the stock shelf.

​There are 7 x left as I type this.

I've just slashed the price on these so you can grab yourself a bargain right now - CLICK HERE (and scroll down to near the bottom).

​Prototype Titanium Prybar (...with a difference!)

​Okay, this is a little different ...and needs some "backstory"​!

My son, Julien (10 years old), sometimes helps me in the workshop - just to help out. And, occasionally, he specifically asks to "work" (i.e. for payment) - and I am happy to do this with him.

​Long story short:

A week or so he asked me if there was another way to make money (I think he was not looking forward to cleaning the stairs/machines ...again ...on a per-hour basis).

I said, "sure there is ...there are loads of ways to make money".

Julien said: "What ways?"

Me: "The best way, and only way really, is to provide value to people."

Julien: "Oh."

Me: "So, for example, in my business ...I come up ​designs that are minimal ...made from titanium ...and that people want. Making something that people want is a great way to provide value to people."

Julien: "Dad, I want to make a prybar." (yeah, I know, he doesn't mess around, right? :-D)

Me: "Fair enough. You need to do the work though ...and I'll help you where you need help."

Julien: *runs off to get a pencil and paper*

​So, as you can guess by now, what I'm about to show you is not my design.

In fact, Julien designed this on paper himself ...and then opened-up the CAD software and created the 2D CAD sketch himself (he has done a little of this in the past).

I helped him with two things:

#1 - Adding the main "slope" at the front

and

#2 - Moving the key-ring/lanyard hole a little (because it was too close to the edge and ​it looked a little wonky)

​Once the design was done Julien had it 3D printed so we could get a feel for it (size, etc.).

Personally I think this is a solid design and, since I currently don't have any prybars available for sale (all sold out), I think there is a chance we make this ...possibly next week because of school holidays (yes, we homeschool Julien, but still follow the school terms roughly - seems to work well):

​The design above looks a little unfinished because of the lack of chamfering.

​If you have any thoughts on Julien's prybar ...then please do comment below (don't hold back with feedback ...Julien is a well-balanced kid and he will take negative criticism like a champ :-)).

​NEW Titanium Design (possibly Kickstarter project)

​We're ​testing something NEW here... (not only that, but it might be your chance to get on-board before everyone else)

​I'll try and keep this short (but it's tricky... so bear with me):

As you know, we've launched a lot of new Titanium products on Kickstarter.com ​over the years (almost 20 in total I think).

Now, one of the things we've learned over the years - rather painfully I might add - is that there is a big difference between coming up with an initial prototype design ...and then actually manufacturing it in a run of a couple of hundred or more.

If you've backed one of my projects on Kickstarter.com, then you've probably experienced a delay (sometimes small ...sometimes big). The delays are, more often than not, because we have problems during production.

We've recently figured out (and I'm surprised we didn't see this earlier) that a big part of the delays that occur is because we only went as far as the fully-functioning prototype stage ...and then launched (typically making 500+ when in full production).

​We need to stop this happening.

Our "obvious" solution:

What we are starting to do is, after the final prototype had been made, we're doing a short run of somewhere between 10 and 20 of any new design.

Now, a couple of things...

​Firstly, what I'm about to show you is the first product we are doing this with (yes, there is a chance you can get your hands on it ...so read on...)

​Secondly, I'm hoping that, in addition to making around 10 to 20, we will sell these (almost certainly at the same price that it will be on Kickstarter for) ...and we will get feedback from these "EARLY BIRDS" before the Kickstarter project ramps up into full production.

​Here's why I think EVERYONE wins here:

#1 - The "Early Bird" customers who buy the first 10 or 20 here on the website get the latest product before anyone else (and should they discover an issue(s) that, say, warrants a replacement ...then a new-and-improved full-production is right around the corner with the Kickstarter project)

#2 - Kickstarter Backers are more likely to experience a project without a delay ...AND once they receive the Reward they pledged for, it's ​far less likely to have issues or such (which, admittedly, does happen from time to time)

#3 - We here at Magnus Industries also gain because we (hopefully) won't have the production problems when there are 500+ to be made (because the "little issues" will likely have been sorted during the initial run of 10 to 20 pieces)

​Hopefully everything I said above makes sense 🙂

​I'm not messing around here...

​I want to try this new method right now (yes, NOW!)

​We've almost finished the new prototype ​McDangle™ "Double" Titanium Carabiner - and, because we're planning to launch a Kickstarter with it very soon, I'd like to offer 10 or right now (and I'd like to mention now, if you're lucky enough to get one, shipping won't be for a couple more days ...so a little delay)

Here's the aluminum fixture we're making for this short run of 10 (for Kickstarter production we will re-make this fixture out of steel):

There is no "sales pitch" for this (because, frankly, I know these are going to get snapped-up fairly fast) - I have just put together a short page with an image and an "Order Now" button - CLICK HERE to go there now.

​If you see "SOLD OUT" on the order page ...then they're gone (but, on the plus side, you will of course have a chance to get it on Kickstarter).

And I think that's all I have for you today. 🙂

​A whole load of updates for you this week... so let's get straight into it!

Black Pens

​I thought we had none of these left. But totally forgot I had sent some away to be "experimented" on with a laser.

However, we ended up not doing the laser-engraving thing ...and so we now have them back and available.

There are only six of these available. They are, of course, Titanium ...but we have given them a Matte Black Cerakote​^™ coating.

One more thing...

​I'm going to slash the price of these all the way down to just $149 (click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page for the "Blackout Edition")​

Titanium Pocket Folding Tweezers

​The self-​hosted crowdfunding project just ended for the TiTweezers™ "Pocket Edition".

​This is the first project in a little while where I've done all the machining myself (to get to this stage at least).

Nathan did the CAD work to take it to a stage where could just start working on the CAM (that's Computer Aided Machining ...where you figure out and select how the milling machine is going to cut the metal away).

Truthfully, ​I can ​work through a design in my head ...but it's a struggle to get it from there to a 3D CAD model. Luckily Nathan is turning out to be a bit of a CAD Ninja and so working together with him seems to be an effective workflow for us.

50% of McDangle™ "Mini" Done

​Customers who bought a McDangle™ "Mini" received an update from me yesterday on ​these.

We ended up selling way more than I expected (who knew they would be so popular!) - I think we're up to near 500 now.

As of right now we are 50% of the way through making these ...and producing a solid 30+ each day (so not long until they are all done).

​It's taken a TON of tweaking as we ramped up production ...but every one is coming off the CNC functioning incredible well (the machining process does require a little "baby-sitting" to keep that consistency - but Yngvar, who has done 100% of the machining on these, has that totally under control).

​There are two versions: the "​Loop" and the "​Standard"

​We will have finished all of the "Standard" Version by lunchtime today as I write this ...and will have some to spare so those are now essentially IN STOCK.

​If you're after a "Loop" Version, then you'll have to pre-order that one (machining of them is going damn well and so it won't be much of a wait).

Click here if you've still not grabbed yours yet.

​Flipper Knife

​Every now and again I talk about the flipper knife we're making...

​This knife is called Project ZERO and is a pre-order for the "Holy Grail" ​folding knife.

I do "Buyer Only" Updates ...but, from time to time, I mention the knife here as well.

​Project ZERO has progressed a lot recently. ​Over the last few weeks Nathan took the original CAD model ​and totally re-built it from scratch.

​We have now started work on making the scales. There are many different parts to work on and figure out (definitely not under any illusion that it's going to be easy ...but I know we can do it and confident it will be worth the patience and effort).

Below are some images of the progress on the design side...

​The first image is of a cross-section of the pivot of the knife:

Here's a little more detail on the rear of the knife. The back-spacer you see below will end up looking something like this ...but we kind of have to leave this design open a little as we get around to testing how the blade sits when closed, etc.

​Here's a cross-section of the rear as well:

​And here is how the knife is currently looking as of right now (the blade will likely get a few more minor tweaks before production):

​I go into a lot more detail in the official Updates section (if you pre-order Project ZERO then you get access to that ...while everyone else misses out :-D) ...but the above gives you an idea of what we're doing and where we're at with it.

​A few things for you in today's post...

First up (in case you missed it), the crowdfunding for the new Titanium Folding Tweezers has ​just 24 hours left as I type this.

Click here to grab yours right now if you're not already on board.

​Aluminum Wheels

​Last weekend I spent some time with my son and made some aluminum wheels to go with the EpicMake™ Aluminum Construction Sets (sorry, I don't have any of these sets left - all sold).

I had Julien design the wheels himself (I helped him a little). He helped with the water-jet cutting ...and I did the cnc milling (because, truthfully, it was a little tricky). I think they turned out pretty good.

Here's some of the making of them...

First thing was to water-jet cut a blank from 20mm thick aluminum (I don't have a lathe ...so the machining has to be done on the mill):

​Next thing is to fixture the blank securely for machining:

​After the first operation the blanks look like this (kind of look like yoyos :-D):

​Here's what the second machining operation looks like:

​A close-up of the wheels starting to take shape (only the final, third operation to go after this):

​Here's the full set:

(​those are bearings in the middle ...so, yeah, the wheels spin for a loooooong time :-P)

​Finally finished and on the "car":

​Unfortunately, these are not available for sale because they need more development.

​Knife Prototype

​In the previous blog post I showed you an initial knife prototype.

Well, since then, we've spent some more time evolving the design ...and we're getting very close to something we will be making soon.

It's a fixed blade design and will look something like this:

​I'll go into more detail about this knife soon (because there have been a TON of very specific design choices for this knife ...so there is quite a bit to talk to you about).

A couple of quick things...

The blade will most likely not be smooth like in the above CAD drawing - but will have cnc-machined lines in it (we've never done this before - so it's going to be interesting).

The ​scales will likely be G10.

​"Secret" Project

​I've been working on this for a little while now...

​...and it's been fairly "challenging" to say the least.

This project is for a super-compact bobby-blade knife. The plan is to use a standard #11 Hobby Blade (since they are very common). Also, I've been asked for this a lot - so that's another reason to have a go at this :-).

​I'm still not 100% sure we can do it (actually, that's a lie ...because we pretty much tackle anything ...but, time is always an issue, and there is only so much time you can spend on something​).

​I plan to keep working on it becuase, if we can do it, then it's really going to be a super-slick ...super-compact ...super-minimalist ...super-EVERYTHING hobby-blade knife for your keychain.

And I think that's all I have for you today.

​P.S. Remember to check out the Titanium Folding Tweezers because you've only got 24 hours left!

Let's get straight into it...

I've been working on some new Titanium Tweezers for a little while now - and they are pretty much ready.

I've been carry a prototype set on my key-chain for a while and, honestly, they are fantastic (yes, I know, super-arrogant!). Although these new Titanium Tweezers look kinda long ...it's really more of an optical illusion because of the slimness of them. I don't even notice them on my keys when I carry them around - which, personally, can be a deal-breaker as I'm fairly minimal in what I carry.

Here's a ​couple of photos of the making of the ​TiTweezers "Pocket Edition":

​Below are some photos of the latest (and finalized) prototypes. They are "raw" straight off the cnc machine this afternoon (so no tumbling or surface finishing has been done):

​Now here's the issue...

I don't have a lot of raw titanium on hand - so I definitely can't make many right now (although I am almost setup to make them - just a couple of very minor tweaks to go).

However, I thought I'd see what you think of doing a "crowdfund" project here on my website (I did one a year ago for a small knife ...which worked out very well).

What this will do is allow me to (fairly quickly) buy in the ​titanium and start making them. The upside of this is that YOU will definitely be able to get hold of a set. If we only make them with the current material I have on hand, then I'm only going to be able to make a couple of dozen sets (so that means only a small number of people will get them initially).

​Please do let me know what you think. Also, I can probably do a special deal for you if you want a few sets (I could be wrong here but... are these not the ultimate Christmas gift?!).​

Titanium Bricks

​I have just 8 of these Titanium Bricks left - they have been hugely popular:

​I don't have any more of the 11mm thick titanium it takes to makes these - so these are the last available for at least a while.

​A Little "Teaser"

​​In the background we've been designing a compact knife. It's still at the early stages - but here is a little preview of where we are with it.

Note: This is still early-stage and so there are lots of "little details" still to be added:

This is a fairly short blog post today... (and, truthfully, it's going to be a blatant "sales pitch" :-P)

Last week I showed you an aluminum construction kit.

I also showed you some of the things I had made with it. These things here if you recall:

​Well, quietly in the background, I've been developing the project a little more. It's quite different making these compared to the titanium products we typically make.

The aluminum is more forgiving in terms of machining and surface finishing. But, there are a lot more components ...and so more attention has to be paid to the process of making them (otherwise the cost to produce them gets really high).

​I've put together a selection of parts to make a few of these kits ...and I'm hoping to make a few more kits over this coming weekend.

Long story short:

I have some for sale right now (and they will ship next week ...around 4 or 5th of September as I type this).

​>>> Click Here <<< to ​see the order page and find out more (if the kits all sell out ...then you can enter your email ​address on the order page to be notified when there are more available).

​A few things in today's post...

Firstly, I'​ll give a little run-down of stuff that's in stock right now ...because I'm getting asked this a lot recently (which, unfortunately, is a result of selling out and not being able to keep up).

Products In Stock

​We have one product right now that is (shamefully) late ... and that is the McDangle "Mini" Titanium Carabiner. We are manufacturing it right now - but is taking a little longer than anticipated (nearly there though).

​In stock:

TiCut™ - Titanium Utility Blade Knife (2 different versions available)...

Titanium Mechanical Pencil (only TWO left as I type this)

Flixx™ - Titanium Friction Folder Knife (also just TWO left as I type this)

​HookUps™ - Titanium ​Clips For Your Keychain

​More On The "Construction Set"

​I'm still not sure what to call it - but...

I've done a little more testing with the aluminum construction set I showed you a few days ago.

​This afternoon my son made a "Picnic Table & Bench":

​My attempt at something functional is this cup/drinks holder that attaches to your desk:

Without any additional parts or such I was able to construct the cup-holder so that it clamped onto the desk (and, not only that, it was clamped on super-strong ...which is cool!).

​So, yeah, this construction set is really proving to be awesome fun ...and functional too!

​Project ZERO Update

​This full-on Friction Folder Knife is fully underway (albeit with a late start)...

​We're starting to really get into the "little details" putting together this ultimate, minimalist knife.

This is a cross-section of the pivot of the knife (you can see the pivot, bearings, scales, etc.):

​And I think that's all I have for you today. 🙂

​A few interesting things for you today...

First up, we've finished shipping the TiCut™ Titanium Utility Blade Knife (a bit of a delay - but they are all done and shipped now) - and we have a few left over so they are in stock as I type this.

We did a little experimenting over the last couple of days and did a short run of a different version of the TiCut™. While the original TiCut™ is clean and minimalist (which is my typical design style) ...this other version is more "aggressive" looking.

Here what it looks like:

​The slider works like a dream. However, if I'm honest, it's perhaps a bit too aggressive with regards to the finger "grooves".

Here's what we have available right now (CLICK HERE to check it out):

Titanium Pencils (FINALLY In Stock!)

We've been asked a lot for Titanium Pencils recently. They've been out of stock for many, MANY months.

The good news:

We've got some in stock right now.

The bad news:

We only have 18 of them.

The great news:

​I'm going to discount them and make them just $199 right now.​ Click h​​ere to grab yours.

​A few months ago we did a small run if Trinity CandyCans™ (these were triangle-ish shaped titanium containers).

​We just designed and made new, more compact version. We've made a few that are ready right now (I think we only have 6 as I type this ...but should have some more tomorrow).

​They are slim and compact (so I know these are not for everyone as most people seem to prefer the "chunkier" versions of these CandyCans™).

​Here are the dimensions...

Diameter: 50mm (around 2")
External Height: 9.5mm (0.37")
Internal Height: 7.5mm (0.30")

Click ​here (and then scroll down to near the bottom) to get your NEW CandyCan™ Trinity "Mini".

Last week I posted that we had some Flixx™ - Titanium Friction Folder Knives available again.

​I totally screwed-up and forgot to mark them "in stock" on the website for the first 14 hours or so. My apologies!

You would have seen "SOLD OUT" ....when, in fact, I just handn't yet made them available (it's not often I make mistakes with the website side of things - so when I do it's frustrating for both of us!).

If you thought you missed the Flixx™ Knife ...then click here to (hopefully) grabs yours this time.

​Another Random Design...

​If you recall in yesterday's blog post...

I revealed to you a new project I've been working on (a "contruction set" of sorts I made for my son). I showed a handful of designs I had made with it.

Today I was just playing around and made this:

​Now, honestly, I don't quite know what it is - it's just a "thing". Perhaps a table for a hamster or something.

Anyway, that's all I have for you today!

Okay, I don't know how this will go, ​so I'm just going to put this out here and see what you think...

​First, a little back-story...

​​Since my son Julien was very young (he's 10 years old now) I've bought him LEGO. While I certainly never bought every single kit ...I did buy many thousand of dollars worth.

Julien still plays with LEGO ...a lot (in fact, he even started his own Instagram ​account where he posts his unique creations).

​Long story short...

I started to see the limitations of LEGO with his development. Now, don't get me wrong, LEGO is probably the #1 best toy to have ever been invented for kids - it's fantastic. But one of the downsides is that it just ...a toy.

​Julien has tried to make real objects that can actually be used - but, unfortunately, because of the nature of LEGO ...there is no strength or rigidity. Similarly... there is Meccano, which is good for building stuff, but again there is no structure or ability to make something real or usable.

So, I thought it was time to roll-up-my-sleeves:

​It's taken a little while and quite a bit of testing and tweaking - but I think what I've created is something special (yeah, I know, that sounds arrogant - but hear me out! :-D).

​Starting with a solid billet of aluminum:

​Next up I did some milling:

​After a little more machining:

​And finally after even more machining ...and some tumbling:

​The cool thing about these is that they are STRONG!

​Now, of course, I needed a few more shapes and sizes so Julien and I had something to actually build with. A few days later and we have this:

The first thing I did was hand these pieces to Julien and just see what he did.

​A little while later and he comes down to the workshop and shows me this:

It's a little plane ...which I thought was pretty cool for his first go!

​Next he made what he called a "screwdriver" and a "stand" for it to sit in:

​I decided to try my hand at making some things that were more practical - and so here are a few creations I made yesterday and today...

Pen stand:

​Yeah, I know, it's so over-built it's ridiculous. But, hey, at least it's never going to break!

​A cellphone stand:

​After making the cellphone stand I thought a tablet stand was the appropriate next thing to make (since making the above stand I machined a new component to act as a "base").

Tablet stand:

​This stand is not adjustable - but it should be easy enough to design and make a component that will allow this functionality.

Lastly, something I made this morning...

​A full-on, 100% functioning (and super-powerful) slingshot:

​So, yeah, that's the "crazy new invention" I wanted to show you.

It's only been a couple of days and I've already made a bunch of very functional and 100% usable things.

Take a look at these three parts:

Now, believe it or not...

​Each construction above was made from just these three ​different components (apart from the tablet stand which used a fourth component as the base). I find that amazing!

​Imagine the designs that could be made as new component designs are added? 😀

​Now, I know, I'm usually "The Titanium Guy" ...but I think there is something special about what is happening in the photos above with these aluminum parts.

I'm going to make a few sets (not decided how many parts are in a set yet) and offer them to you here. Let me know if this is something you'd be interested in.

Do you have any thoughts?

What would you envision yourself making?

​It's been a little quiet here on the blog lately ...but that's only because we've been busy cranking out products.

Now, a quick confession:

If you've been waiting on a McDangle™ "Mini" Titanium Carabiner or TiCut™ Titanium Utility Blade Knife - then my sincere apologies for the delay. I really have no excuses.

​I've totally dropped the ball on getting these out in a reasonable time-frame - and they are late.

The good news is:

The TiCut™ is shipping now (and we're getting loads of them off the machine every day). The McDangle™ is proving trickier in production than I thought it would be - but we're nearly there (so, if you're waiting for it, then please hold in a little longer - I really appreciate your patience - it will be worth it I promise!).

We sold way, WAY more of the above two products than I thought we would ...and so it's taking longer than I initially thought to get them all out. I have no excuses though - shame on me for being late.

TiCut™ (Behind The Scenes!)

​I'm going to show you some photos below of the making of the TiCut™ Utility Blade Knife.

Here's a look at the "fixture" that holds the TiCut™ parts on the CNC milling machine:

​...and here's some part before they are finished and tumbled:

Titanium LEGO

​A few weeks ago on a Saturday morning...

I had my son Julien design and make a piece of Titanium LEGO from scratch (although, of course, I helped him with water-jet cutting and the actual milling part ...be he did 100% of the designing).

We google and found the dimensions of a standard 2x4 brick and sketched-up a 3D version of our own (we kept the inside plain as we wanted to keep things simple):

​We then cut a water-jet blank to machine the Lego piece from:

​Next we did the CAM work (so the CNC machine knows how and what to cut):

​The titanium block is then clamped and machined:

​And that's it pretty much done:

​Now, you're probably wondering...

Does it fit onto normal Lego?

The answer is ....sort of. We didn't skim off enough on some of it so it's a little tight. A few tweaks and we'd have it sorted. In saying that - it was just a fun project for Julien. 🙂

​​We've been asked to get these back in stock... (many of those who asked have already bought one already, and even two in some cases, but wanted another one - which is very cool indeed!)

...and we finally have some (we were waiting on some new titanium hardware for them).

The good news is we have a few available here right now:

CLICK HERE to check out the Flixx™ - Titanium Friction Folder Knife right now

The bad news is:

​You're probably not going to get a chance to get this knife again (because I'm not sure if we're going to make it again). Despite it's simplicity... it is a challenge to make to say the least.

​PillPots™ ​(Almost Gone!)

​​As usual, we're stuggling to keep the PillPots™ in stock.

And I think that's all I have for you today. 🙂

Today I'm going to share a little of my "philosophy" on buying stuff - but before I do that...

​A couple of blog posts ago I uploaded a video of the making and developing of the Titanium Utility Blade Knife.

That video was Part 1 ...and here is Part 2 below:

There are another one or two more parts to this Titanium Utility Blade Knife series.

​But here's the weird thing...

The ​videos were made around 1 to two weeks ago (and I've had difficulty finding the time to edit them) ...and so I'm uploading them later than I hoped.

And so the crazy thing is:

The Titanium Utility Blade Knife is actually fully finished and available here right now.

So, yeah, these "Making Of..." videos are a little behind - but I'd still like to get them editing and out to you.

Titanium CandyCan™ Progress

​Although we offer the CandyCan™ on our website - we're bang in the middle of fulfilling a fairly large Kickstarter project for it (around 930 in total).

I made a short update video for the Backers of the project around a week ago - but thought you might be interested to see a little of the "behind the scenes" of the machining of the CandyCan™:

​The Joy Of Buying Quality

​I'll be honest here...

Before you are here reading about titanium stuff (and you're looking at the kind of stuff we design and make) I know you already appreciate quality. So I'm probably already speaking to the converted. But I'll continue anyway... 🙂

There are a few phrases that sort of explain something of my philosophy on buying products - here are a few:

"Buy it for life."

"Buy once. Cry once."

"Quality is free. It's not a gift, but it's free. The 'unquality' things are what cost money." - Philip B. Crosby

"​Buy the best you can't afford." - Magnus (yes, I said that. And, yes, I meant to say can't instead of can)

​​While I really love buying quality​ ...most times I tend to buy the best of what is available (as opposed to just quality) ...I still feel the intial pain of the higher price.

Take, for example, this little device:

​This is an Ultrasonic cleaner.

​When I first looked at purchasing one years ago I was hugely tempted by the generic, Chinese made ones for around $700. That would have been an easy purchase.

The hard purchase was this German-made one for $2500. The specification was the same as the $700 one. Maybe if I had bought the cheaper one, then it might still be working to this day and I'd be talking about what a bargain it was.

But, here's the thing...

That would be the exception as opposed to the rule. A cheaper one could (theoretically) last longer ...but, in my opinion, it is unlikely.

​This one also has an element in it to heat the water - and the time it takes to take the water from cold to don't-put-your-hand-in-that hot is crazy fast. This would not have been the case with the cheaper one.

So it's not just about longevity. It's about the experience too. The one we bought is a pleasure to use every time. The basket that drops in and out is extremely well made ...and I appreciate the quality of it every time I lift it in or out (yeah, I know, a bit geeky :-P).

​Even the buttons are nice to press (I'm a sucker for the "little details"!).

​Every single part that's come out of our workshop in the last 5 years has been through this ultrasonic cleaner (that's tens of thousands of parts).

The initial pain (and it was painful) of the purchase price ...now seems to be a bargain many years later.

And that seems to be the secret here:

​If you're thinking short-term ...then it's "expensive". But, if you're thinking long-term ...then it's a bargain (and it really probably is a bargain).

I don't believe I have every regretted buying anything that, at the time, seemed "expensive" (typically because it was the best one available).

BUT, I have bought things that are not great quality (more so years ago than now) ...and have regretted it almost every single time. Not always because it broke ...but just because, when using it, everything about it was a compromise (the quality, the function, etc.) - and it just makes you feel, well, regret really.

Maybe I'm odd? Anyone else feel this? Curious...