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box still in limbo... no update on the tracking number yet.... mail has come and gone 
One case tool to rule them all!
- Thread starter Mattyo
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You have the worst luck with mail!!box still in limbo... no update on the tracking number yet.... mail has come and gone
twinstaged
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yeah I’ve been watching it. I don’t see how the box hasn’t been scanned at some point to atleast say it’s safe at a certain building.... it’s just “on its way to destination”.
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....and no scan or anything today....weird....
This project has bad luck. That's all. And this package has insurance
This project has bad luck. That's all. And this package has insurance
gduvic
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Hang in there Matthew...the package will show you be ok; holiday mail has things slowed down.....and no scan or anything today....weird....
This project has bad luck. That's all. And this package has insurance
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yeah, nuthin I can do. everyone's envelopes are already addressed and ready to go. soon as that box gets here i'm gonna sort stuff and they will go out!
Derf
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Are you still using USPS?
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i'm trying ... but its quite the trick to keep track of all this
Derf
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USPS failed again?
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limbo as of right now, no scan even since it left Medina...
gduvic
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I know you must be frustrated but this will all work out; blasted mail so slow and sometimes unpredictable.
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the box is here ...and it seems to be intact.... will post a vid in a bit
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PogoInTheWoods
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Forgive me if this question has been asked already and I've just missed it...
Given the minimal overall travel required to draw a case together, is there any particular reason these tools are so long? Seems to me twice as many tools could be made from the same amount of stock with no discernable difference in the effective/desired function..., maybe even three times as many. Really doesn't need to be a whole lot longer than one of the Stihl threaded flywheel pullers. More machining cost overall, but it would easily be offset by double or triple the sales from the same investment in materials. Could maybe even find a more friendly price point while still maintaining reasonable margins.
Just seems like a lot of wasted material involved for what these tools are actually designed to do.
Given the minimal overall travel required to draw a case together, is there any particular reason these tools are so long? Seems to me twice as many tools could be made from the same amount of stock with no discernable difference in the effective/desired function..., maybe even three times as many. Really doesn't need to be a whole lot longer than one of the Stihl threaded flywheel pullers. More machining cost overall, but it would easily be offset by double or triple the sales from the same investment in materials. Could maybe even find a more friendly price point while still maintaining reasonable margins.
Just seems like a lot of wasted material involved for what these tools are actually designed to do.
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well, the longer they are, the more error can creep in and not mess ya up.
believe me, i've worked on this a bunch (read....many many hours of R&D) and I like having the extra length here.
also, the majority of the cost here isn't the materials, its the machining. literally I'd save a few cents by shortening them. no point.
also, with regards to the price point. I don't disclose prices in this thread just to keep sales private. but with that said, I think my price is about 1/3 what stihl charges for their tools, and I think my set is easier to use and more universal. no matter what I save on materials, assuming my cost is zero (which it obviously isn't), I still can't see lowering the price. frankly, it just isn't worth it for me to put the time in to put together these sets unless the price point is at least where it is.
speaking of that, not trying to be a jerk about it... but I didn't get a patent on this. I probably could have. my design is free for anyone to copy ( and I'm sure some have ). yet for some reason, most of the comments I get about it involve people not wanting to bother copying it... they just want to pay me for a set. with all the $$ I have in the special taps, it makes sense to buy it from me vs trying to make the whole set yourself.... but still. I think I've been pretty generous with the design, so I don't feel bad keeping the price where its at no matter what the materials cost.
also.... If you notice in the box I have some 372 specific rods. so for those people looking to hit a certain pricepoint, its probably cheaper to buy my 372 kit than it is to buy the husky branded toolset from hlsupply (assuming you include shipping).
believe me, i've worked on this a bunch (read....many many hours of R&D) and I like having the extra length here.
also, the majority of the cost here isn't the materials, its the machining. literally I'd save a few cents by shortening them. no point.
also, with regards to the price point. I don't disclose prices in this thread just to keep sales private. but with that said, I think my price is about 1/3 what stihl charges for their tools, and I think my set is easier to use and more universal. no matter what I save on materials, assuming my cost is zero (which it obviously isn't), I still can't see lowering the price. frankly, it just isn't worth it for me to put the time in to put together these sets unless the price point is at least where it is.
speaking of that, not trying to be a jerk about it... but I didn't get a patent on this. I probably could have. my design is free for anyone to copy ( and I'm sure some have ). yet for some reason, most of the comments I get about it involve people not wanting to bother copying it... they just want to pay me for a set. with all the $$ I have in the special taps, it makes sense to buy it from me vs trying to make the whole set yourself.... but still. I think I've been pretty generous with the design, so I don't feel bad keeping the price where its at no matter what the materials cost.
also.... If you notice in the box I have some 372 specific rods. so for those people looking to hit a certain pricepoint, its probably cheaper to buy my 372 kit than it is to buy the husky branded toolset from hlsupply (assuming you include shipping).
twinstaged
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I’m so happy that box showed up.
PogoInTheWoods
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Relax, Matt. No reason to get defensive.
I'm not complaining about what seems to be a very reasonable price compared to the OEM tools. Only suggesting that you could make twice as many tools with the same amount of material. A more friendly price point would be nice for some of us, too. But I get where you're coming from and respect that.
The point would be to have two sets of tools, two sales, and double the profit for the same material used on one set of tools. And for me, the length of the tool just seems excessive for the purpose, that's all.
That makes no sense whatsoever and would make absolutely no difference whatsoever! When it's bottomed out it's bottomed out.
Anyway...,
I hardly wanted to stir up a debate on the subject. Just thought I was asking a basic question and offering a possibly productive observation.
As you were.
I'm not complaining about what seems to be a very reasonable price compared to the OEM tools. Only suggesting that you could make twice as many tools with the same amount of material. A more friendly price point would be nice for some of us, too. But I get where you're coming from and respect that.
The point would be to have two sets of tools, two sales, and double the profit for the same material used on one set of tools. And for me, the length of the tool just seems excessive for the purpose, that's all.
That makes no sense whatsoever and would make absolutely no difference whatsoever! When it's bottomed out it's bottomed out.
Anyway...,
I hardly wanted to stir up a debate on the subject. Just thought I was asking a basic question and offering a possibly productive observation.
As you were.
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Thanks for the clarification... but...lets see.
The longer the tool is, the further it can be off center and still drive the crank straight.
For instance... if you have a screwdriver that is short, and the handle is 1/2" off center, then the drive angle might be off 10 degrees. to exaggerate... if you have a screwdriver that is 10 ft long, and the handle is off center by 1/2" ... then the drive angle is only off by 1/10 degree. ie, the longer the tool, the more likely to get the angle correct, especially if you diy it...which I was doing at the getgo. there also is a considerable amount of variation in cranks. I needed to give plenty of forward/back play just in case something was weird...so its not all about the rod, but more about the sleeve in this case. An additional inch of rod only yields 1/2" additional play with the sleeve because the rod is double ended and there is a single handle hole in the middle
My initial tools were shorter. I actually lengthened them for the first run with Fred iirc.
With regards to doubling production.... obviously there is much debate in the commercial world as to what is better, high production /low cost ... low production/higher cost. Behind the scenes, HL supply has been (for some time now) looking into producing these tools and selling them. Obviously part of the goal would be to reduce cost. Plus, they have a better distribution network than I do. But. but but but. These tools aren't going to sell a million units. I went to all the shops in my area. None of them do more than 1 rebuild a year. I can't imagine too many pro shops using these tools. Therefore the tools are relegated to the DIY crowd. How many people in the world do you realistically think will use these? I figure 1000 .... maybe 2000. This is part of the reason I haven't patented this. why bother? ( its $5k for a patent at minimum. ) This is a super niche product that the bigger production places probably couldn't care less about. ALSO of interest... about 80% of people that contact me about the tools buy them. 20% I just don't hear back from. I can't think of too many that have even begun to complain about the price. So, the truth there is, even if I could double production (which has been SUPER rocky from the start lol) and sell double the units at half the margin ... I don't want to. It doubles the work for me for not much additional gain. ie, if ALL of those 20% that I don't hear back from would have bought at half the price, all that gets me is 10-15 more units sold, at half the price.
of another note... this is not a product that shows much sign of wear. ...so I don't get to sell it over and and over again.... these are one and done sales mostly
Now, obviously, I'm not an amazing businessman. This is not a business product, nor am I starting a business around this. Its just not a big enough product. I wish the whole thing was going to sell a million units, and in that case for sure I'd have HL supply distribute it etc. But I have invested a lot of time and piles of aggravation just getting this going....and I'm still not ahead on production!! Just can't keep up with demand so far.
so ...forgive me if i seem a tad defensive. this has been a hard fought battle to even bring the tools as is, and I assure you, there has been way more though and effort put into them than is obvious from an initial glance.
thanks everyone for comments, support and patients on this project!
The longer the tool is, the further it can be off center and still drive the crank straight.
For instance... if you have a screwdriver that is short, and the handle is 1/2" off center, then the drive angle might be off 10 degrees. to exaggerate... if you have a screwdriver that is 10 ft long, and the handle is off center by 1/2" ... then the drive angle is only off by 1/10 degree. ie, the longer the tool, the more likely to get the angle correct, especially if you diy it...which I was doing at the getgo. there also is a considerable amount of variation in cranks. I needed to give plenty of forward/back play just in case something was weird...so its not all about the rod, but more about the sleeve in this case. An additional inch of rod only yields 1/2" additional play with the sleeve because the rod is double ended and there is a single handle hole in the middle
My initial tools were shorter. I actually lengthened them for the first run with Fred iirc.
With regards to doubling production.... obviously there is much debate in the commercial world as to what is better, high production /low cost ... low production/higher cost. Behind the scenes, HL supply has been (for some time now) looking into producing these tools and selling them. Obviously part of the goal would be to reduce cost. Plus, they have a better distribution network than I do. But. but but but. These tools aren't going to sell a million units. I went to all the shops in my area. None of them do more than 1 rebuild a year. I can't imagine too many pro shops using these tools. Therefore the tools are relegated to the DIY crowd. How many people in the world do you realistically think will use these? I figure 1000 .... maybe 2000. This is part of the reason I haven't patented this. why bother? ( its $5k for a patent at minimum. ) This is a super niche product that the bigger production places probably couldn't care less about. ALSO of interest... about 80% of people that contact me about the tools buy them. 20% I just don't hear back from. I can't think of too many that have even begun to complain about the price. So, the truth there is, even if I could double production (which has been SUPER rocky from the start lol) and sell double the units at half the margin ... I don't want to. It doubles the work for me for not much additional gain. ie, if ALL of those 20% that I don't hear back from would have bought at half the price, all that gets me is 10-15 more units sold, at half the price.
of another note... this is not a product that shows much sign of wear. ...so I don't get to sell it over and and over again.... these are one and done sales mostly
Now, obviously, I'm not an amazing businessman. This is not a business product, nor am I starting a business around this. Its just not a big enough product. I wish the whole thing was going to sell a million units, and in that case for sure I'd have HL supply distribute it etc. But I have invested a lot of time and piles of aggravation just getting this going....and I'm still not ahead on production!!
Just can't keep up with demand so far. so ...forgive me if i seem a tad defensive. this has been a hard fought battle to even bring the tools as is, and I assure you, there has been way more though and effort put into them than is obvious from an initial glance.
thanks everyone for comments, support and patients on this project!
