Open Sourced tool design

[GOAT Tools]

I'm curious how useful it would be if a company posted basic CAD files or PDFs of their tool blanks (mainly the dimensions for the pivot and locking points). As well as general dimensions or hardware spec so users could make their own handles or replace small pieces.

Would you like to be able to carve or 3D print your own handles/scales? If you had design specs for their tools, would you use it to design something that isn't available on the market?

[Vidar]

The more available specs and rights to use them the better I figure. Great for anyone who wants to use them, and those who don't doesn't have to.

On a similar note finished individual parts might be interesting or needed; say sale of springs that matches the specified parts.Or ready parts so one can build up ones own setup just where needed. Even blanks for parts might be of interest? For instance already hardened blanks with pivot and locking points already done - most can grind, but few can heat treat.

One could take it one further and sell especially successful mods to others on Etsy or what not.

All that said I've noticed that all the traditional manufacturers follow a quite protective policy, and seem to build and protect behind as large a patent wall as they can. A quality alternative might be interesting for users, but maybe not as lucrative for the manufacturer.

[Yadda]

Interesting idea.

[Wspeed]

That would be nice but changing any
tool like with a Leatherman MT you void the warranty
The only one I know that don’t have
a problem with you changing tools is SOG
They even have a list with how many slots the tools take up

[Wspeed]

Here is the link for the list :
https://www.sogknives.com/knife-tool-care.html

It’s under HOW DO I CUSTOM CONFIGURE MY MULTI-TOOL COMPONENTS?

[CallsignBadger]

I’d absolutely love this, but the companies involved would never incourage it.

[ReamerPunch]

So what about SOG's new models? 
Could you mod them? Do they offer components for those?

I know SOG's warranty for PowerLock covers only the pliers and handles, but not the implements. What about their PAD etc?

[Wspeed]

As far as I know it’s the same with all their models 

[pfrsantos]

I'm curious how useful it would be if a company posted basic CAD files or PDFs of their tool blanks (mainly the dimensions for the pivot and locking points). As well as general dimensions or hardware spec so users could make their own handles or replace small pieces.

Would you like to be able to carve or 3D print your own handles/scales? If you had design specs for their tools, would you use it to design something that isn't available on the market?

General Dimensions!

[pfrsantos]

The more available specs and rights to use them the better I figure. Great for anyone who wants to use them, and those who don't doesn't have to.

On a similar note finished individual parts might be interesting or needed; say sale of springs that matches the specified parts.Or ready parts so one can build up ones own setup just where needed. Even blanks for parts might be of interest? For instance already hardened blanks with pivot and locking points already done - most can grind, but few can heat treat.

One could take it one further and sell especially successful mods to others on Etsy or what not.

All that said I've noticed that all the traditional manufacturers follow a quite protective policy, and seem to build and protect behind as large a patent wall as they can. A quality alternative might be interesting for users, but maybe not as lucrative for the manufacturer.

 

When you spend lots of time working on a successfull MT, you probably don't want to give that away for free to someone else who might use it to create an assembly line with those blueprints.

 

[Don Pablo]

 

When you spend lots of time working on a successfull MT, you probably don't want to give that away for free to someone else who might use it to create an assembly line with those blueprints.

 

And yet they still do it. 
See: Chinese Tread clones.

[Vidar]

When you spend lots of time working on a successfull MT, you probably don't want to give that away for free to someone else who might use it to create an assembly line with those blueprints.

 

I do agree with myself  ... But I also think there are some more nuances to this as well. Actually maybe the most important parts, and reasons why open source just might work.

Reality is that anyone can buy the product and basically make a quite exact blueprint from that - and they do, and they do so very quickly. Thus the lack of blueprints is not what keeps the copycats away. In many markets patent or design protections don't really make a difference either.

I believe the primary protection of a product and brand is recognition in the market for quality and delivering value. Copycats tend to just copy what they see in a hurry without understanding or knowing the analytics, reasoning or priorities made during the development. They might not realize what the critical areas of production are, or if making any changes, why those choices were different in the original. And lets not forget - cheap copies usually have to cut corners to be cheap, so there will be changes.

The construction of Victorinox SAKs have been known for ages, and countless copies have been made - and most are cheap and useless and thus don't deliver value even at a lower price.

Victorinox knows how to make proper SAKs, and they have the manufacturing experience and massive volume savings. Anyone trying to outdo them at this point with a low volume copy of equal quality will likely end up without the brand value, lower pricepoints and with higher manufacturing costs to boot. (The logic might very well be different for a start-up which might find itself trying to compete with larger and more effective copycat factories).

With that backdrop I'm not sure if giving out specifications or blueprints and opening for personal mods is much of a commerical risk? Maybe just the opposite as enthusiasts like us might find that useful and value added?

The blueprints are effectively out there once you sell a product - the competitive edge needs to be somewhere else. This is a subject I've thought about a few times earlier without reaching any conclusion. I'm sure there are more angles to this, and it would be interesting to hear them. 

[GOAT Tools]

Reality is that anyone can buy the product and basically make a quite exact blueprint from that - and they do, and they do so very quickly. Thus the lack of blueprints is not what keeps the copycats away....

With that backdrop I'm not sure if giving out specifications or blueprints and opening for personal mods is much of a commerical risk? Maybe just the opposite as enthusiasts like us might find that useful and value added?

This ^^
100% of 'cloning' companies can get the measurements they need. A much much smaller percentage of people will take the time and figure it out for their own personal needs. Somewhere in the middle are the people who will jump on the opportunity to customize/mod their tool once the tedious part (researching dimensions) is already done

[CallsignBadger]

  +1