New Atwood on his site. FlatBabies

[Mr. Whippy]

Take a look, they'll be gone soon!

http://atwoodknives.blogspot.com

[nuphoria]

Hmm, quite like those although I'd miss the sharp bit of the regular prybar.

[Mr. Whippy]

Hmm, quite like those although I'd miss the sharp bit of the regular prybar.

Yes.  That's why I passed on them.  I also suspect that it would be pretty easy to bend them during prying, which may be why no pry end was ground.

The Roid Renches are quite awesome however and I beat the heck out of mine.

[Syph007]

Mr Atwood sure has a energetic and loyal fan base...  Seems like he could make anything, put his name on it and sell.  What were his first tools or offerings that originally won over his customers?  I never heard of the guy a few weeks ago, then I got to reading in the keychain tool forum...

[Mr. Whippy]

Mr Atwood sure has a energetic and loyal fan base...  Seems like he could make anything, put his name on it and sell.  What were his first tools or offerings that originally won over his customers?  I never heard of the guy a few weeks ago, then I got to reading in the keychain tool forum...

Knives. Small fixed blades and folders.  And his key piece, the prybaby.

Take a look at his Past Work

and his One of a kind work

[Nikos]

Heh, a couple of years ago I had emailed mr. Atwood wrt. the possibility of producing some of his tools with "lower-grade" steel (154cm etc.) so as to somewhat lower their cost. Quoting his response: "No, I use high grade materials period in my tools". Now I see atwoods made of 420 steel but still being sold at a (relatively) premium price... Interesting how things go, eh?

[Gadget Guy]

Heh, a couple of years ago I had emailed mr. Atwood wrt. the possibility of producing some of his tools with "lower-grade" steel (154cm etc.) so as to somewhat lower their cost. Quoting his response: "No, I use high grade materials period in my tools". Now I see atwoods made of 420 steel but still being sold at a (relatively) premium price... Interesting how things go, eh?

Very sad, but very true.    The new Flatbaby in 420 should be no more than $20. I can buy a beautiful PocketToolX Brewer for $15 and they just raised their price by $3. I still love Atwood tools but the prices are out of line these days...

[Syph007]

I guess I was confused by his business model.  The demand seems so high.  Is it the rarity and low production count that creates the demand?  I mean why not crank out thousands in a waterjet and sell to all who want them?  Pick your shape, material and finish and submit your order.   What do I know though, I guess they wouldnt be as collectible then.

[Seamaster]

It got out of hand round about 2007 when the collecting hype started, functionality took a backseat and the fanboys annihilated availability. Haven't seen a worthwhile design since. Call it burnout or sellout. Admittedly, it is difficult to improve upon the original Prybaby and the G3.

This one, once again, disappoints. The new 1/4 hex driver is redundant. Elongating the original 1/4 hex driver in the wrench to make it more userfriendly is not something the artist considers. Hinted at it often enough.

It would be a smart business move and a win-win for all parties involved if he licensed his G3/G5 in a premium steel to e.g. PockettoolX.

[Syph007]

It got out of hand round about 2007 when the collecting hype started, functionality took a backseat and the fanboys annihilated availability. Haven't seen a worthwhile design since. Call it burnout or sellout. Admittedly, it is difficult to improve upon the original Prybaby and the G3.

This one, once again, disappoints. The new 1/4 hex driver is redundant. Elongating the original 1/4 hex driver in the wrench to make it more userfriendly is not something the artist considers. Hinted at it often enough.

It would be a smart business move and a win-win for all parties involved if he licensed his G3/G5 in a premium steel to e.g. PockettoolX.

Ah ok, that clears it up and is about what I figured.  I look at this stuff and the price and just dont get why anyone buys them.  I can see a small pry bar might be handy, but at that price... no friggin way.  I could make my own and have it be jsut at functional.

[Mr. Whippy]

It got out of hand round about 2007 when the collecting hype started, functionality took a backseat and the fanboys annihilated availability. Haven't seen a worthwhile design since. Call it burnout or sellout. Admittedly, it is difficult to improve upon the original Prybaby and the G3.

This one, once again, disappoints. The new 1/4 hex driver is redundant. Elongating the original 1/4 hex driver in the wrench to make it more userfriendly is not something the artist considers. Hinted at it often enough.

It would be a smart business move and a win-win for all parties involved if he licensed his G3/G5 in a premium steel to e.g. PockettoolX.

I would slightly disagree.

The Croconut and Doubleheader are both excellent tools that benefit from being open ended.   In the case of the Croconut, I've used the wrench in the handle as a tap handle and been very impressed.  His whistles are excellent and only slightly more than similar whistles made of similar materials.  His shot glasses are outstanding and very similar in price to those I've seen from other manufacturers of heavy gauge SS shot glasses.

Is there a fanboy effect? Absolutely. 

Does he benefit from selling out almost instantly?  I'm not sure he does.  He's neither maximizing profit per item (just look at ebay) nor volume of items per sale (hence the less than 1 hour sales window).  I believe he's decided how much he wants to profit per item and sells what he can comfortably make.  The fact that he can control every aspect of the business (what to sell, its quality/materials, the final finish of each individual item sold, timing of the sale, the quantity to sell) seems to indicate to me he'd rather have complete control of the Atwood experience than maximize profits or exposure.

Much more akin to an artist who works in print, silkscreening or jewelry.

jmo

[Seamaster]

I believe he's decided how much he wants to profit per item and sells what he can comfortably make.  The fact that he can control every aspect of the business (what to sell, its quality/materials, the final finish of each individual item sold, timing of the sale, the quantity to sell) seems to indicate to me he'd rather have complete control of the Atwood experience than maximize profits or exposure.

Much more akin to an artist who works in print, silkscreening or jewelry.

jmo

True. He actually explained it just like that on his blog some years ago. Sound reasoning. He has every right to do as he pleases.
But the licensing of one of his basic tools would open another market for him without alienating customers and without interfering with the artistic side of his work.

[Gadget Guy]

I would also like to add that Peter hand finishes all of his tools. They just don't magically go to the waterjet guy and come back an Atwood tool. His fit and finish is what sets him apart from the competition. PocketToolX makes a fine tool but their fit and finish is not where it should be. Good for the $$$ yes, but not Atwood quality. Peter does what he wants and I respect him for that. I would like to see one Atwood tool cranked out in high production runs to keep everyone happy. 

[Gadget Guy]

I bought a G5b and it is perfect for a backup tool. Fits perfectly in my wallet.    I still think the price is a little high for a 420 stainless tool.    I was also a little frustrated that the pry tip was blunt and not tapered like the original flat Prybaby. That to me is just being lazy on Peter's part.

Anyway, still a cool tool to have for a backup situation.   

[Mr. Whippy]

I was afraid it would be too thin to be useful.  I worried I'd bend it trying to pry with it. 

[Gadget Guy]

I was afraid it would be too thin to be useful.  I worried I'd bend it trying to pry with it. 

I wouldn't do any heavy duty prying with it because I don't really know if I trust the 420 stainless.  For opening paint cans and light duty prying it should be fine. I really bought it to keep in my wallet so I'll always have a very basic tool on me in case I leave my gear at home for whatever reason. 

*** And it only weighs 0.6 oz.     Pretty nice for a steel tool.   

[Mr. Whippy]

Yea...

I'm a "Any port in a storm" sort of guy, so if I needed to pry something, and it ended up in my hand....     

[jzmtl]

Consider what most atwood tools are used for, it'll be plenty strong. 

[Gadget Guy]

Consider what most atwood tools are used for, it'll be plenty strong. 

     Sitting in a drawer doesn't  tax the tool too much!   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I would also like to add that Peter hand finishes all of his tools. They just don't magically go to the waterjet guy and come back an Atwood tool. His fit and finish is what sets him apart from the competition. PocketToolX makes a fine tool but their fit and finish is not where it should be. Good for the $$$ yes, but not Atwood quality. Peter does what he wants and I respect him for that. I would like to see one Atwood tool cranked out in high production runs to keep everyone happy. 

Very important point and well worth emphasizing.

Def