HeyI never said that I wouldn't buy a couple!
They have turned out really well Vidar It’s still difficult to grasp just how small these are. I know you have them shown next to SAKs and other tools, but maybe a comparison to a matchbox will also help. These tools are really tiny!My preference is the folding tool.
Both of them are sweet. I think I prefer the cross driver over the folding one because of budget concerns. But I can see the usefulness of the folding one.
And maybe one can open the opposite driver to 90 degrees for extra torque?
That's eenyweeny
Eenyweeny problems
Brilliant-looking!
Super neat!
Just a suggestion: make the centre hole a 1/4" hex so it could be used as a bit driver as well (might as well add more functionality)
Thank exactly what I was itching to write
Thank you! I think they would look better polished, but the grip would be worse off. Maybe some middle ground. Either way, these are just for proof of concept and adjusting tolerances so not sure how much I'll put into looks at this point. I thought about matchboxes, but my matchboxes around here were different sizes. So I figured not a good reference? Either way the folding one is 35 mm long, while the cross one is 19mm. Next time I'll put them next to a ruler..
Like the folding one. I'd go for the rough / stonewashed look. It's perfect to be carried in a keychain. Being polished, it would get scratched in no time and end up looking bad.
They are both silly expensive for what they are! Then again functionality is far from everything. The folding one is clearly the winner for usefulness. The drivers having reach, torque and being at the centerline do make a difference.
I do think if it can come down to their price levels it would be marketable. Still some way to go to get there. There was just no concern about costs when I made this. Just getting the springs for the locking mechanisms in place is quite the trick. To some extent this one is to me as I suspect avant garde is for fashion designers - made more for the process itself and where it can lead to later rather than a marketable end product. I picked up quite a few tricks with the locks and springs making this one, and I can certainly see those be used elsewhere too later. I could have this factory made within a few weeks, but the costs as of now just doesn't make sense. The costs are coming down though. We'll see where it goes eventually, but hopefully I have the more serious EDC designs ready well before then.
Have you thought about size variations? Slightly bigger tool, stronger, longer reach, more torque...Would this make the cost change in the same degree? Increase in 10% size of tools = ??% in production cost?
Sorry, didn't notice the new posts here. Vacation time so less online these days. I guess an update is well overdue though. These were really just fun side projects from the development of the more proper tools. That said they work pretty well so I'd consider doing some in the future although pricing would have to be in the exclusive region. (Being fun projects these were not designed with much consideration concerning costs). The flat 4 way one can certainly be mass produced at a sensible price anyway, but in low volume that is still basically prototype costs. There were basically two main issues that paused these and other development. Covid to some degree in various ways, and material technology. Screwdrivers have official standards describing not only their exact sizes and shapes but also their hardness. At the time that hardness could not be achieved with the way these were made, and I certainly don't want to sell a screwdriver that doesn't actually work as well as it should. Around the same time I was offered to do another rather interesting project so I said yes to that while biding my time. These days the issues mentioned above are mostly solved or manageable. I have been revisiting these projects regularly, and they still make a lot of sense to me. I will hopefully have time again this autumn to finish the more proper tools for production and maybe look at these fun ones again too.