My knife design [ pics ] - is it worth to start a Kickstarter?

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I've seen the success in the arcane design, I really dont like that knife, I like your design, but I would like to see the materials being use in the knife. I dont like the lock it has, but other than that its ok, you're really stepping into Protech territory with the looks of the design, so you need a marketing strategy to give you and edge over them or offer something different in the same design, I wish you good luck and all the best
 
Kickstarter is for challenge coins and other side projects, once you have name recognition. You send people to KS, from your website, and that's where you park things like moral patches, custom standoffs and backspacers, pocket clips, and so on.
Not really, there are plenty big money projects on KS ($500>) and the majority of projects in general are specifically from people without any kind of recognition, the kind of people who can't get a bank to bankroll their business plan (if they even have one).
 
How well do you understand the automatic knife market? Are you familiar with federal auto knife laws at least, if not in the majority of individual states? Are you going to end up in prison for shipping a knife to the wrong city or state? Do you have tens of thousands of dollars ready to hire a team of attorneys to research every legal question that pops up or keep you out of prison?

As a buyer, my answer is I have zero interest in automatic knifes of any type because they are illegal to carry in my state. I purchase tools I can use, not decorations to make my safe look cool.
 
I've backed a few (non-knife) kickstarters, got a few good deals, got burned once or twice too. I try to look at this from a backer's perspective.

Your first few posts already raises a couple of red flags:
  • You're an unknown person (with all due respect, but you're not exactly a celebrity and you've got 4 posts). Your prior experience with projects like these is either non-existant or highly disputable at best. That's a huge risk.
  • Furthermore, it's not immediately clear what's special about this product when compared to other (risk-free) offerings in the market.
  • The only reason you seem to have to make this knife is your own enthusiasm. Why would you make this knife? "Because, why not". But kickstarters are an arduous road. When the initial enthusiasm inevitably fade, will you keep going?
GB&U has some pretty bad stuff about kickstarters gone south on it. It makes people wary. And it takes a lot of effort on your behalf.

Look, all this negativity is not about you. I actually admire your enthousiasm. But when you ask for people's money upfront, you invite some very critical attention. And I don't think you're in a position to hold up to that kind of scrutiny right now.

So to answer your question: No there is not enough demand for this sort of knife to start a kickstarter. It will be a waste of your time.

However! You do have some other options, which I think would be better suited to your situation. I think you gotta start small and organically grow your business. You could:
  • Get a few prototypes and approach a dealer for a collaboration/cooperation. A few of the dealers that contribute to this forum have done such collabs before, if I'm not mistaken. (Like, maybe, Knifecenter?) Or maybe a site like [the one where multiple users buy a certain product together, with a gravity-related name]
  • Make a few knives, sell them (get a knifemaker's membership here), generate some buzz, make a few knives, sell them, generate some more buzz etc. etc. Start small and grow in increments.
  • Collaborate with a more established / well known maker for exposure and experience.

Edit: I meant a knifemaker's membership, not a dealer's membership, d'oh!
 
I did work with manufacturers in China on previous occasions. I am sure I can get this one done, too. At this point I am trying to understand if there would be enough market demand for such design...

You would have better sales and backing with a manual folder I bet.
 
A rendering of the opening/locking mechanism would help immensely. That rendering of the exterior does nothing to convince me that you have any idea how the "guts" of the knife would work, or that they would work.

Without that, I wouldn't touch it.

Its like having a cool rendering of a car with "vroom" behind it and asking people to invest in it.
 
A rendering of the opening/locking mechanism would help immensely. That rendering of the exterior does nothing to convince me that you have any idea how the "guts" of the knife would work, or that they would work.

Without that, I wouldn't touch it.

Its like having a cool rendering of a car with "vroom" behind it and asking people to invest in it.

Seeing a pic of a real knife you have made would also help.
 
Get rid of the safety and the horrible jimping. There is no need for it to be so aggressive on a folder like that.
Entrek has the same type and it’s only good if you are wearing gloves.
 
kickstarter for me has always been a complete non-sequitur - I've laughed at how clueless the world is via kickstarter... like the blind leading the blind (in general & I know exceptions exist)

but thats just imho
 
I dont agree with kick starter.

I dont agree with taking others money to build a business or product. Take out a loan if you need $.

Invest in yourself. In fact part them out and make them in the USA.

I wouldnt ask for approval to market my knife design. I would roll with it .

There are alot of plunge lock autos on the market. Time tested , solid designs and I'm still not buying most of them.
 
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To say that I'm not a fan of Kickstarter and Gofundme is an understatement. Both are contrary to the way I think of doing business. If you have a good idea, build it. If you don't know how to build it, sell the idea to someone who does. If you can't do either, maybe it's not such a great idea to begin with.

Seeking investors is certainly a legitimate avenue of completing any big project, but it usually involves real contracts with well defined goals and expectations. These "crowdfunding" strategies seem more like the multi-level Ponzi schemes that have been popular since the beginning of commerce.
 
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