- 9 months ago
Category
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TechTranscript
00:00Ten months ago, I spent $10,000 of my own money buying the most futuristic tech products from Kickstarter.
00:05But because it's Kickstarter, only half of them actually arrived.
00:09The other half have ended up a combination of companies who've clearly run out of money trying to build their products or just
00:15straight-up scammers who are trying to rob people. We'll get to that.
00:17But the question is, are the products that did arrive so incredible that it was still worth paying that
00:22insane amount of money to Kickstarter? Or are they actually just a kick in the teeth?
00:28Kicking things off with the very cheapest one, the Roll Order, and I can't actually believe this.
00:32I backed this product thinking, oh cool, a decently fast charger with a 90 centimeter retractable cable baked inside of it.
00:39So you can always have everything you need without the cable taking up extra space or getting tangled in a bag.
00:44I paid around $40 for this and I got nothing. If you back a product on Kickstarter,
00:48there is no guarantee that you receive that product. And you're probably thinking, Arun, it's right here.
00:53What are you talking about?
00:54This is the crazy part. After nine months of hearing absolutely zero from this company, which by the way is enough time
01:00I could have had my own child. I was like, let me just look online. They listed the thing on Amazon.
01:05I tried buying it and that is the product that's standing here. If you can even call this standing,
01:10I mean, this is actually how the thing arrived. Looking a lot less like Roll Order.
01:14A lot more like rolled over.
01:17But honestly, this just sucks as a company practice.
01:21Because clearly they've decided we didn't make as much money as we wanted to on Kickstarter.
01:25So they tried selling what stock they did have on Amazon.
01:27But while their paid supporters who have been sitting there right from the very beginning are still waiting for their product like a year later.
01:34Also, I'm not saying this just because I'm vexed right now, but this just, this just wasn't worth it.
01:39The product itself, I would say feels, ah, flip.
01:43I was going to say it feels fine. It feels like a decent quality charger, but just with a bunch of small red flags.
01:50Like for example, this retractable mechanism doesn't work all the time.
01:53Because you're pulling in the same direction that your plug faces,
01:56there's a pretty good chance that you will also pull the plug out in the process.
02:00It uses a USB-A port on front, which is giving 2019.
02:04And I think most fundamentally, products like this have already been made by other companies and I think they've done it better.
02:10So we're not exactly on a roll with Kickstarter right now, but let's keep track of the success rate, which so far is zero.
02:17But maybe the X-cutter can save it.
02:20So this is the ultimate multifunctional box opener.
02:24Sounds a lot more like a Pokemon move to me, but that's not actually why I paid for it.
02:27I'm constantly, when I'm opening up boxes, accidentally also slicing the thing inside those boxes.
02:33But this is claiming to be a box opener that never cuts contents, which we have to test.
02:39So this is what you get for basically $40.
02:43Well, you can tell they didn't spend all of it on packaging.
02:45And inside is some ink.
02:46This is for the overlay pen on the other side of the thing.
02:49And then the cutter itself.
02:55The thing's apparently got 10 functions in one.
02:57Utility knife, saw, and packing tools.
02:59Oh.
03:01Oh, that doesn't count.
03:02It's kind of like they ran out after number four, but management said they needed 10 on their desk by tomorrow morning.
03:07Last time I checked, made of titanium is not a function.
03:10So first impression, the mechanism does feel very responsive.
03:14I really like that the blade automatically retracts unless you're actively holding it out.
03:18It makes the default setting it tucked away, which feels like a good safety feature.
03:23Although, to be fair, you can actually touch it with your fingers and it doesn't feel sharp.
03:29Okay, let's put their no cuts claim to the test.
03:31So there's two boxes here.
03:33That didn't feel good.
03:35And now, X-cutter.
03:40Ooh.
03:41Actually did a lot more dragging of the card inside.
03:44I'm not sure that was good for either.
03:46So for the traditional knife,
03:48Oh.
03:50That's quite bad.
03:51There's a very blatant mark on the back of the knife.
03:54I don't know why.
03:55I don't know why.
03:56I don't know why.
03:57I don't know why.
03:58I don't know why.
03:59I don't know why.
04:00I don't know why.
04:01I don't know why.
04:02There's a very blatant line right through the middle.
04:04And now the X-cutter.
04:06Oh, dear.
04:08I mean, it's not better.
04:10This is too much pain for one video.
04:13Okay, and then on the other side of the X-cutter,
04:15we've got this redacting pen,
04:17which is made to basically conceal your address details before throwing out these boxes.
04:22Uh.
04:24Okay.
04:26I mean, yeah, it takes a little bit to get going.
04:29And you can kind of see how obscuring this ink actually is.
04:32But it's also not a one-swipe-and-your-problems-disappear kind of situation.
04:36So is this actually straight up better than the $100 knife
04:40that I use for pretty much all of our unboxings so far?
04:42Or is the only thing this company has actually cut are corners?
04:46Let's keep it with us and see how it fares over the course of this video.
04:50So this one, I'm like bursting to get inside of.
04:53The Pencilin Apple Pencil Tips,
04:55which I get doesn't sound particularly interesting.
04:57Except at the very start when I misread the name
04:59and I thought it would allow your Apple Pencil
05:01to start dispensing antibiotics on the fly.
05:03Then I looked at it properly and I realized,
05:05wait a sec, these guys are claiming to
05:07not just have made a better version of the Apple Pencil
05:09than, like, Apple themselves
05:11with these replaceable tips that reduce slipping and noise,
05:14but also tips that can transition straight
05:17from writing on an iPad to writing on paper.
05:20So it comes in this very protected,
05:22almost homemade-looking outer packaging.
05:24It's a ribbon on the outside. Let's get rid of that.
05:27Okay, there's another layer.
05:31Sticky tab on top.
05:33Jeez Louise, there's more security steps here
05:35than my bank account.
05:37All right, there we go.
05:39This is a very unique-looking product.
05:41So this is what it's like to write with a normal Apple Pencil.
05:43And I really like it, to be honest.
05:45It's very hard to say when using this
05:47that there's, like, a problem that needs fixing.
05:49I guess you could say it's a little on the loud side.
05:51Okay, let's swap out the normal tip
05:53for a Pencilin Hybrid Tip.
05:55I mean, on the bright side, I wouldn't say
05:57that anything is particularly missing.
05:59On the downside, I also wouldn't say
06:01that this adds anything.
06:03Even though the tip is slimmer,
06:05it doesn't feel more accurate because of that.
06:07And if anything, my handwriting
06:09has actually gotten worse with this.
06:11But then this should be the crazy bit.
06:13So, a real piece of offline paper.
06:15And because this tip is made
06:17of a carbon composite material,
06:19I should be able to transition straight
06:21from writing on the iPad
06:23to writing on the paper.
06:25Holy cow, that actually works.
06:27That's, like, one of the coolest party tricks
06:29that I've ever seen a tech product do.
06:31But I hate to be this guy.
06:33Is it actually a great pencil?
06:35So this style of ultra-compact nib,
06:37which is not like a pencil that you can just keep
06:39sticking through a sharpener,
06:41it's never going to be as bold.
06:43It kind of looks a little bit faint.
06:45It's got higher friction on the paper
06:47than a normal pencil and also feels
06:49just, like, a little bit blunt.
06:52So to draw a conclusion,
06:54I think all things considered,
06:56this is a pretty good product,
06:58taking us to a 50% success rate so far.
07:00But I also wouldn't quite call it
07:02a best of both worlds.
07:04This one I thought was pretty cool.
07:06So six AC outlets, four USB ports,
07:0815-watt charging, light sensor,
07:10portable Bluetooth speaker,
07:12magnetic wireless charger, wall mount
07:14for $49. Basically, someone made
07:16a real-life AliExpress listing.
07:18It's the weirdest thing because
07:20it's the support that's made all the difference
07:22and helped us reach this milestone.
07:24But then they didn't send a product.
07:26Did they forget that part of the process?
07:28And then the entire comment section is just people saying,
07:30where is it? I want a refund. Give me an update, please.
07:32And no one's getting anything back.
07:34It just feels crazy that this is the current
07:36best system for supporting upcoming
07:38products in 2025.
07:40So I've actually been on the hunt for
07:42the perfect sliders for quite a long time.
07:44I've been through Adidas. I've been through Nike.
07:46I've been through Crocs.
07:48There's something. Either it chafes your feet
07:50a little bit too much or it keeps coming off
07:52as you take your steps. And that's why I was
07:54also really drawn to this one.
07:56This is the most comfortable 3D-printed
07:58shoe. I paid $69
08:00for these, which
08:02first off, nice, but
08:04also, that's a lot for a pair of sliders.
08:06So they're going to have to be quite
08:08mind-blowing to be worth that.
08:10Oh, God.
08:12I'm having box cutter problems.
08:14Not a good start for this thing.
08:16The blade has just come out. Bear with me a sec
08:18while I try and piece this together. So the blade
08:20rests in here. The pen at the other end
08:22goes in there. And then this
08:24slots back in. Okay, well this does make it somewhat
08:26better. At least when it does go wrong,
08:28everything seems designed to be fixable.
08:30So, inside our shoe box,
08:32we've got a branded tote bag.
08:34No way.
08:36A key ring, but it's like a tiny,
08:38miniaturized version of the slippers I ordered.
08:40Actually, Drisha can use these. What a weird
08:42but cool extra. And then
08:44the shoes themselves.
08:46So here's a question
08:48on my mind. Why actually
08:503D print a shoe at all? Because on first
08:52glance, I was like, oh, maybe they'll like custom
08:54mold it to my exact feet shape, but
08:56they didn't do that. What these guys would say
08:58is the benefit of 3D printing is the
09:00ability to create this 3D
09:02lattice structure. Basically,
09:04360 degree breathability,
09:06washability, but then also
09:08the fact that the structure will kind of shift
09:10as you're walking on it to eliminate
09:12the pressure points that would build up as you're
09:14walking on a normal set of sliders, since
09:16they are just basically flat
09:18planks of solid plastic. So these
09:20are the best sliders that I have yet to
09:22find so far. And
09:24I'd say they're very comfortable. Like, they're quite well
09:26contoured around my feet. They do make a little bit
09:28of noise. A light thud every time
09:30your foot hits the floor and
09:32a little bit squeaky. So now, our
09:343D printed shoes. Ooh.
09:36That's different.
09:38I'm walking in 3D.
09:40No, but seriously,
09:42like, you absolutely feel the way that
09:44the structure moves. You can actually really
09:46feel the part of the shoe that you're
09:48exerting the most pressure on, kind of
09:50flexing around that pressure,
09:52which feels good. Oh yeah, and they're also
09:54significantly quieter. This is actually
09:56so therapeutic. It's like there's
09:58a thousand tiny, really soft
10:00springs just pushing me upwards
10:02with each step. It's kind of
10:04like I'm floating.
10:06The only thing is, I have pretty wide
10:08feet, and so this part of the structure
10:10is digging into them a little bit, which
10:12is a problem they could have fixed if they actually
10:14did allow you to custom make them for
10:16your feet. But still, pretty mad that for
10:18a lot of people, I could actually see this being the
10:20ultimate slider.
10:22We didn't get this one, did we? Nope.
10:24Damn. So this
10:26is Solar Energy S, which
10:28to me sounds an awful lot like a low
10:30level Dragon Quest spell, but
10:32in reality, it is a 40,000 million
10:34power power bank with the ability to
10:36unfold it, revealing a solar
10:38panel that can be used to charge it up.
10:40Am I disappointed that it didn't become a thing?
10:42Yes. Am I surprised?
10:44No. Like,
10:46not even in the slightest, even though the thing
10:48raised $40,000.
10:50The number of times in a conversation someone has
10:52suggested to me, oh, we should make this
10:54thing solar powered because why
10:56not? It's free and it's always there.
10:58Endless. But the reality of solar
11:00is that it's just too inefficient for day-to-day
11:02charging. And so, I'm guessing they probably
11:04got far enough along in the process
11:06of this to realise that it sucked
11:08and then also realised that without
11:10the solar charging, this product
11:12already exists. And the comment section is even
11:14more brutal. It looks like everyone's trying to invoke
11:16some sort of clause to get their money back under
11:18Kickstarter's terms of use, but
11:20I don't think it's gonna work.
11:22Kickstarter's current stance is very much
11:24like, if you have a problem, it's not
11:26our problem. So,
11:28more like Solar Energy L.
11:30So that was $79
11:32down the drain. Here's another
11:34$89. Just gone. This one's
11:36particularly annoying just because of how cool
11:38it could have been. So, it's a transparent display,
11:40but unlike the transparent
11:42TV that I've already reviewed before, this
11:44one has a dedicated space behind it
11:46so it's kind of designed around
11:48what you're using that transparent TV
11:50to display. And this is one of those ones where
11:52it doesn't look like it's a scam. They say they're preparing
11:54to ship, even if they have had to
11:56remove the LED light strip from all units
11:58due to manufacturer issues.
12:00But how long? Everything's so vague on this platform
12:02that if you're someone who likes certainty
12:04like me, then it makes it very
12:06hard to plan things around. So,
12:08I don't know, I kind of wish they'd be a little
12:10more transparent.
12:12But now we're really
12:14kicking things up. So this product had over
12:16$100,000 raised. The
12:18Pison 140W Mega
12:20Charging Hub. Supposedly the charger
12:22reinvented. If I had a
12:24penny every time a company said that. Oh yeah.
12:26I remember why I backed this thing. So this charger,
12:28it really genuinely looks like
12:30the level 1000 Alpha
12:32Chad version of the Anker
12:34Cube that was like my favourite
12:36charger for a full two years. So this
12:38product came, but that's also not the
12:40least bit surprising because Pison
12:42is already a very established company.
12:44I always find it a little bit weird when this happens, but
12:46you can also see why it makes sense.
12:48Like, even if you are a big company
12:50who knows there is demand for a product,
12:52why not also just list
12:54it on another platform where people can
12:56buy it? Especially if it's going to attract
12:58extra eyeballs like Kickstarter
13:00often does. And like, clearly it works.
13:02This product managed to hit
13:04600% of its funding goal
13:06in one day. Anyway, right off the
13:08bat. Hot damn, this is a cool finish.
13:10Whole thing looks almost holographic.
13:12Ah, right.
13:14So, one extra thing to bear in mind
13:16for this X-cutter is it's also
13:18not going to prevent damage to boxes
13:20if you're cutting the plastic right on top of
13:22those boxes. One more sticky tab over here
13:24and now we're in.
13:26It's always a bit of a lottery which side
13:28contains the goods and which one just has the cables.
13:30Well, let's go for this one.
13:32Yay!
13:34Oh.
13:36Well, that's directly connected to the
13:38other half of the box.
13:40Why do I even bother?
13:42So,
13:44it definitely doesn't have portability
13:46on its side. We've got one MagSafe connection up
13:48here, so that's for your phone, and that is
13:50completely adjustable. Same as the Anker
13:52Cube at this point. One thing I do really
13:54like is they give you one of these magnetic rings
13:56in the box. So, I could attach this to the
13:58back of a phone that doesn't have magnets on
14:00and make anything MagSafe. Now, obviously,
14:02it's designed for more of a power user than
14:04this. You know, you've got three USB-C ports,
14:06you've got two big old main sockets
14:08on either side. This is made for someone who wants to
14:10power every single thing on their desk all at once.
14:12But, I also
14:14can't help but feel like they could have learned a thing
14:16or two from this. Because there is nothing
14:18here to be able to charge a set of earphones,
14:20like you have embedded inside of the Anker.
14:22And while there is a charger for your watch, that you can
14:24even unscrew, take out, put on
14:26your desk and use it to charge like that.
14:28Then you follow that up with a USB-A
14:30to C cable there.
14:32I'd actually argue that's more of
14:34a negative than a positive.
14:36Because with this kind of watch strap, you kind of have
14:38to remove it every time you want to charge your watch.
14:40And this is not a very elegant solution.
14:42So, I would say the product is
14:44okay. It's exactly what it says
14:46on the tin and nothing more. But,
14:48I would also say this is a prime example
14:50of one of the benefits that you do get on Kickstarter.
14:52But if a product you're backing does
14:54take off, there's a pretty good chance you're going to
14:56pay less than you would at retail.
14:58Like, I paid $99 for this one
15:00and the RRP now is
15:02$179.99.
15:04Okay, two more that didn't arrive.
15:06The first is this $100
15:08Foley smartphone expansion
15:10slash new life partner.
15:12Because one of those things
15:14definitely follows from the other. And why have
15:16they crossed out smartphone expansion?
15:18Like, did they change their mind
15:20halfway through? To be honest, I can kind of see
15:22why. The idea doesn't make any sense.
15:24It's like a power bank, but one that's
15:26also trying to become your second
15:28screen. So they built their own applications
15:30inside of this, like a dialer,
15:32like a remote control for your phone's camera,
15:34like a voice recorder, even maps.
15:36But like, not to be mean, but
15:38who asked?
15:40Is there a single person on this planet
15:42who's doing any of these things on their phone who's ever
15:44said, God, I just wish I could kick back
15:46and do this on my freaking power bank.
15:48Anyway, the latest update here is just
15:50we're working hard for mass production.
15:52We still have some issues to solve.
15:54Yeah, you do. And then my second L
15:56was even more expensive. The
15:58Hootie AI pillow at
16:00$200, which
16:02just makes me really want to go lie down.
16:04Except I can't
16:06because I don't have my pillow.
16:08So the concept is this pillow
16:10stops you snoring, which is not
16:12itself new. Like you can already buy
16:14pre-existing pillows that detect snoring
16:16with a microphone and then move your head to
16:18fix it. But this was meant to be better because
16:20instead of a mic, it's using bone
16:22conduction, which should be more accurate
16:24because it's only going to pick up those noises
16:26if they're specifically coming from you,
16:28not like your rickety old fan
16:30in the corner. But again, in hindsight, looking
16:32at this listing, you can see the
16:34red flags. A new generation of
16:36anti-snoring pillows helps you
16:38deal with snoring problems when you sleep.
16:40The definition of like
16:42Adobe stock footage combined with
16:44text-to-speech engine.
16:46H-O-O-T-I-I
16:48They can't even say their own
16:50brand right. And it's not just the voice,
16:52it's like they never actually show a
16:54working demo of the app itself.
16:56The only thing they show is the pillow, but like
16:58I understand how a pillow works.
17:00The only footage of the app in this trailer
17:02is footage of the app
17:04not working. These are the kinds of things
17:06you should be looking out for if you're deciding
17:08whether or not to back a project.
17:10This next one is almost a little bit
17:12hard to believe. So the Olight
17:14battery charger and checker, which
17:16just to give you some perspective, while the Apple
17:18pencil tips raised $30,000 and the
17:20X-cutter raised $69,000
17:22very nice, this battery
17:24charger raised a million
17:26dollars. So this is the packaging.
17:28Just one
17:30little sticky over here.
17:32Ah, so this is another issue
17:34with the X-cutter. It's not quite
17:36thin enough to easily get into all the nooks.
17:38Starting to feel a little more situational than just
17:40the knife that solves knives.
17:42Oh,
17:44this right here is my
17:46favorite type of anti-static bag.
17:48You know when you see this stuff you're about to have a good
17:50time. Listen to this.
17:58Exceptional.
18:00So,
18:02I've got a dozen or so
18:04batteries here that are all somewhat
18:06used. And the idea is
18:08you just plop those into the top here.
18:12Let's go a little nutty.
18:14And then those batteries get funneled
18:16down into the middle section, which is the charging
18:18station. And this is the really cool bit.
18:20It can charge four of those batteries at any
18:22one time. It can charge from empty to
18:24full in two hours, which is
18:26about an hour quicker than most battery chargers.
18:28And it doesn't matter which way around that you put
18:30the batteries in. It can charge both
18:32orientations. Okay, look, so this is
18:34the app in action. It will tell you the exact
18:36battery percentage that each of the
18:38batteries that's currently charging is on.
18:40You can schedule the charging, and you
18:42can also switch between standard and fast
18:44charging.
18:46Oh, and then when you go fast, you can really hear
18:48the fan kicking. And then when the batteries are done
18:50charging, they should just fall down into this bottom
18:52section here, ready to collect and
18:54use again. I don't think
18:56when I bought this, I, like, fully appreciated
18:58how cool that is. Because it's not just that this replaces
19:00all of your different battery chargers.
19:02This also replaces any kind
19:04of organization that you might normally have.
19:06And I love how easy they're making it to switch over
19:08from single-use batteries to rechargeables
19:10like this. Because, I mean, that's cheaper
19:12and it's better for the environment. So it's
19:14looking very good for the Olight. This is definitely
19:16a Hall of Fame contender.
19:18But let's see how it goes over the course of this video
19:20before we conclude.
19:22Right, are you ready to see the single most
19:24dead-on-arrival product to exist?
19:26So this, and I actually love the
19:28idea, is a portable rig that
19:30upgrades the Nintendo Switch from outputting
19:32in 720p to instead
19:34outputting at 1080 by
19:36adding in a new external display that
19:38basically tricks the Switch into thinking it's displaying
19:40on a TV. And it's not even just that.
19:42It makes the controllers feel a bit more controller-like
19:44and it also improves the speakers.
19:46I actually think this thing could have killed
19:48if it launched in 2017.
19:50But the microsecond that the Nintendo
19:52Switch 2 was announced, this
19:54makes zero sense. I mean, that's
19:561080p with none of the hassle.
19:58It has better controllers, it has better speakers
20:00along with about a hundred other benefits.
20:02Here's the thing I'm finding really irritating
20:04about all of this though. If you go onto the
20:06updates, they have specifically said
20:08six months ago, by the way,
20:10thanks for all your support, we're going ahead with
20:12shipping as planned. But
20:14nothing. I have received nothing.
20:16So, so far at least, Kickstarter's
20:18success rate is not looking
20:20great. And then I also backed this
20:22Yumily portable shower.
20:24I don't know why. I can't
20:26speak for year-ago-Aran, but
20:28I spent $250
20:30and this one says, funding suspended.
20:32Which is good in the sense that
20:34I didn't get charged, but still.
20:36Feels a little, uh,
20:38Yumily-ating.
20:40In better news, this is the
20:42Unihertz JellyMax, which is apparently
20:44the world's smallest 5G smartphone.
20:46Although it says the smallest 5G smartphone
20:48with a question mark.
20:50So, is it? I actually doubt it, to be honest.
20:52Isn't this also on first glance a little bit
20:54baffling? In the sense that, why is it
20:56that one Kickstarter company can't seem to make a
20:58tub and a hose, and this one's out
21:00here making entire smartphones? And
21:02I feel like the answer to that is there's actually
21:04two very different types of companies on
21:06Kickstarter. There's the companies who I guess
21:08actually need the funding, and those are the ones
21:10for which, clearly, there's a very decent
21:12chance you'd never actually get the product.
21:14But then there's also this huge wave of companies
21:16like this Unihertz one, who
21:18aren't like that, but just use the platform
21:20for extra visibility. So given how
21:22small they're bigging this phone up to be,
21:24the box is a little on the chonky side.
21:26Oh no.
21:28Even more box cutter issues.
21:30It just can't seem to handle cutting things
21:32at anything but direct 90 degree
21:34angles. You know what, I think
21:36we've tested this enough. I don't think this box
21:38cutter is quite the revolution I was hoping
21:40it would be. Anyway, back to this phone.
21:42So,
21:44we take the top layer off.
21:46Oh, okay.
21:48Yeah, it's a bit bigger than I was expecting
21:50and... Damn!
21:52Why is it so thick? I mean, actually, there is
21:54a case pre-installed on there, but even without that,
21:56these are very stodgy proportions.
22:00Okay. I stand by the
22:02stodginess comment, but at the same time,
22:04why is this, like, the most
22:06comfortable phone I've held in years?
22:08There's something about this shape that actually
22:10feels way more
22:12human hand designed than
22:14this shape. Holding both of these
22:16side by side makes you realise
22:18how much, with a normal phone, you're actually
22:20stretching out your palm.
22:22I also did get a pretty decent discount
22:24supporting on Kickstarter. Like, I paid
22:26$259, but if you were
22:28to go onto the website and buy the phone now, you pay
22:30$330. So, it's not just one
22:32of those discounts that's not really a discount
22:34that gets thrown around willy-nilly.
22:36And for $250, there's actually quite
22:38a lot going on here. Like, very decent
22:40mid-range specs all round, pretty large
22:424,000 mAh battery, customisable
22:44key on the side, which you can make one
22:46press do one thing, a double press do another thing,
22:48and a 100 megapixel
22:50camera, which does smell
22:52an awful lot like number bragging, but
22:54let's try it. So, you take that,
22:56and then take an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
23:00You have no spare hands. Okay, you take an iPhone
23:0216 Pro Max. And then let's take the same shot
23:04on Jelly Baby over here. Oh, wow,
23:06yeah, it's not quite there, is it?
23:08God, processing really is everything
23:10these days. So, I would say there's nothing
23:12particularly mind-blowing about this, but
23:14it does what it says it would do without any
23:16major real red flags. So, now,
23:18welcome to the next, and thankfully
23:20final chapter of Arun Loses
23:22a Ton of Money. So, I paid
23:24$289 for
23:26a wind tunnel, essentially a
23:28miniaturised version of what engineers would use
23:30to test the aerodynamics of
23:32cars and planes. And so, this would allow
23:34you to do those same tests, but using
23:36model cars and planes. It got super delayed
23:38and then they started asking for more money, which
23:40happens on Kickstarter, so
23:42I just dipped. And then, the
23:44Kung Fu Turtle. So, this is one of those
23:46desktop robot pets that it feels like
23:48we see around all the time. It looks like this one
23:50will eventually be released, but it was
23:52meant to ship in November last year, so
23:54there's a point at which it becomes an elf.
23:56I seem to remember a different Kung Fu Turtle
23:58who once said, there are no accidents,
24:00but this is one.
24:04Hey, look at that! If I want my battery,
24:06I just put a little pressure here. The Lean
24:08Pixcut S1. So, this is another
24:10one that raised almost a million dollars,
24:12and we got this one, although we kind of
24:14had to get this one because they're sponsoring this video.
24:16And as far as sponsors go, I don't
24:18think we've ever had a cooler product,
24:20because this is essentially
24:22the first at-home machine in the world
24:24that can both print and cut
24:26any sticker that you want to make.
24:30So, let's say that I wanted
24:32to keep people away from my sliders,
24:34because we are actually having a bit of a
24:36free-for-all situation in this house right now.
24:38Can it make me a label for it?
24:40Okay, let's see if that looks good to go.
24:42Make it. So, first it prints,
24:44and it prints in multiple layers to make
24:46sure that each color comes out right.
24:48It applies a protective film onto the sticker.
24:50Oh, and then it just cuts.
24:52That is so incredibly satisfying.
24:54And so, all I need to do now is to
24:56peel off the sticker, and then
24:58stick it down.
25:00And the sticker quality feels really high.
25:02Like, this X-cutter isn't actually even
25:04scratching it. They're waterproof.
25:06I actually used this yesterday to print out
25:08my own dream phone skin.
25:10Moment of truth.
25:14Wow.
25:16I don't deserve this kind of power.
25:18Link below to check it out. Oh, boy.
25:20I am so glad that this one came.
25:22So, this is apparently the world's most compact
25:24full-range vibration speaker,
25:26which doesn't look like it's capable
25:28of doing very much at all.
25:30The company is saying that this is the best of everything,
25:32because it uses vibration sound transfer
25:34technology to turn the surface
25:36that it's sitting on into the speaker,
25:38instead of having its own specific inbuilt
25:40sound chamber, which makes the audio completely
25:42360 degrees, and the thing
25:44a lot more portable.
25:46So, you peel the sticky pad off.
25:48And that's going to just mean that you get the best possible
25:50connection with the surface you're putting it on.
25:59So, part of the issue here is
26:01it's making everything on the table vibrate,
26:03which is adding a lot of interference.
26:05So, that wasn't exactly a success,
26:07but let's try putting it on something else.
26:09Let's put it on the printer.
26:11Because that's the interesting thing about this speaker.
26:13The way it works, it's going to sound completely
26:15different depending on what object it's sitting on.
26:211930s, is that you?
26:23I think too many moving parts there.
26:25Let's just pull up the best-case
26:27scenario for the speaker.
26:29This IKEA cabinet has ended up being
26:31one of the most underrated investments
26:33we ever made. So, you go on there,
26:35and then I open it up, so we've got a big, wide
26:37sound chamber.
26:49Can we transition this off?
26:51Should we do some call?
26:53The other aspect of this that they keep talking about is that the
26:55vibrations are meant to be soothing.
26:57They compare it to one of those singing bowls,
26:59and they even write here, healing through sound waves.
27:01But honestly, I feel like that's getting
27:03into the territory of, buy this charger
27:05because the rounded corners
27:07bring serenity to your existence.
27:09Just buy a normal Bluetooth speaker.
27:11The price for them has come so low
27:13that you can get amazing sound
27:15for like $30 to $50.
27:17Also, if you needed any more signs, it literally has
27:19BS written on the box.
27:21Sums up the average state of the
27:23Kickstarter products so far.
27:25Okay, we can actually keep that there because
27:27the next product is the Chroma Plane.
27:29It's a synthesizer played using pickups
27:31that interact with electromagnetic fields
27:33to create different signals.
27:35Or, to put that another way, these mad lads
27:37have gone and created an entirely new
27:39musical instrument. Yeah, so this,
27:41this right here is exactly what
27:43the X-cutter was meant to save us from.
27:45But, for now at least, the knife feels like
27:47the lesser of two evils.
27:49So, at the very top, inspiration, machines,
27:51exploration.
27:53It's making me feel like I signed up to go to space.
27:55Not paid a ton of money to sit in my basement
27:57waving magnets around. We got a little postcard
27:59with a thank you. See, it's these
28:01kinds of personal touches that I imagine
28:03is what Kickstarter buyers are seeking.
28:05And then here is our very
28:07unusual looking product. It's very
28:09funny. It looks like one of those old DVD
28:11players, much more than it looks like
28:13any musical instrument I've seen.
28:15Ooh.
28:17Ha ha ha.
28:19I'm gonna take you to a special
28:21place.
28:23Not in a weird way.
28:33So the closer you get to these marked out
28:35dots, the louder the notes play.
28:37It's very therapeutic.
28:39And it's like, it's the most
28:41put together sounding experience
28:43for someone who's, like, never
28:45interacted with this instrument before.
28:47Give someone a cello for five minutes. It's not gonna sound
28:49like this. Kind of what I imagined heaven
28:51sounds like. Like a
28:53really good spa.
28:55Wait.
28:57Kevin is having connection issues.
28:59So one thing it's saying you can also do is feed in
29:03a song from your phone.
29:05That was magic.
29:07When did that appear? So the music's
29:09playing as I get closer to this one dot here.
29:11And then I can live remix
29:13that with all these other dots.
29:18It's not
29:20Martin Garrix, but you know,
29:22I think it's fair to say I'm not
29:24the target market for this.
29:26I don't really know who the target market for this is,
29:28but this is exactly
29:30what it said on the tin. I knew what I was buying and it
29:32has delivered that.
29:34So it's one of those rare examples of a good product
29:36that isn't from one of those big companies
29:38and was made possible by
29:40Kickstarter and Kickstarter only.
29:42So we've had some pretty strange
29:44stories already. This is the strangest.
29:46So this is the gym pad
29:48bench. It's one of those all-in-one boxes
29:50that's trying to take over your entire gym.
29:52So we bought it for
29:54$1,399, by the way.
29:56And the thing did actually ship and arrive.
29:58So we're all Gucci,
30:00right?
30:02That's not happening.
30:04Well, here's the issue.
30:06This product doesn't work.
30:08It's kick-stocked,
30:10if you will.
30:12So the idea is this part is your bench.
30:14It's very comfortable. It feels good.
30:16You lift that up and then inside
30:18you have to push this part out,
30:20which is slightly confusing because
30:22it actually says pull, but
30:24there's nothing to pull.
30:26Then you get to lift up this dual
30:28pulley system. It does have
30:30a little bit of a homemade feel to it, which is
30:32not exactly what you want when you're buying
30:34equipment designed to test
30:36your limits. And the idea is
30:38you raise these to whatever height you want, depending
30:40on the exercise you're trying to do.
30:42Okay, so that's locked.
30:44This all feels really stiff and not in
30:46an intentional way.
30:48And then pulling
30:50this system in various different ways is
30:52essentially what all of your exercises
30:54are based on, because underneath this
30:56it's got a way to create magnetic resistance.
30:58So I wouldn't say there's anything particularly
31:00wrong with the concept of the product.
31:02It's just that we can't power the thing.
31:04We've tried five different power sources
31:06that we know for sure are working,
31:08and if that wasn't already enough of a red flag,
31:10just look around the thing.
31:12Like these pulleys, for example, they're in the locked position.
31:16And now the entire bench is shaking too.
31:18The dial
31:20feels really horrible
31:22and plasticky. There's the fact that
31:24we specifically paid extra to have a rowing machine
31:26extension. Where is it?
31:28I have absolutely no idea.
31:30We thought we were getting weights.
31:32And, like, it's not
31:34a crazy thought, given that they're literally on the
31:36frickin' box. It's not even called
31:38the Gym Pad Bench.
31:40They didn't even, like, deliver the name they said they were going to.
31:42Clearly they've run into some sort of trademarking
31:44issue, but the point is, what I have received
31:46is branded AdoPie.
31:48So I am just completely baffled
31:50that if this is the state of the product,
31:52why bother sending it?
31:54Like, why not just either take the time
31:56to finish it, or, like, scam me
31:58properly?
32:00Did we spend
32:02$4,899
32:04on a single Kickstarter product?
32:06Yes, we did.
32:08Should you spend $4,899
32:10on a Kickstarter product?
32:12Probably not, but let's find out.
32:14So this is the B6
32:16Swift Laser Engraver.
32:18It came to us in this
32:20massive box,
32:22which has, first of all, this big piece.
32:24This is
32:26the base and power supply.
32:28And then
32:30this smaller piece, which is the
32:32laser itself.
32:34I am a little
32:36overwhelmed by the possibilities here.
32:38In theory, this printer allows you
32:40to print anything onto
32:42pretty much anything.
32:44So just to give you an idea, yesterday we printed
32:46a Squirtle onto this dog tag, and
32:48look at it!
32:50The texturing, the detail,
32:52not to mention just how mad it is that
32:54you can actually print in colour
32:56on a metal using
32:58nothing but a laser.
33:00Like, there's no ink here. It's just essentially
33:02controlling the temperature, and therefore
33:04controlling the level of oxidation
33:06in the metal. One thing that would be absolutely
33:08crazy. So, we've already
33:10printed a skin for a phone,
33:12but what if we can just print
33:14onto a phone? So you
33:16line the phone up.
33:18This is so freaking cool!
33:20So we've inputted the MrWho'sTheBoss logo,
33:22and it's using its measuring laser
33:24to show you exactly where that logo
33:26would appear on the body of this phone
33:28before you confirm it. The software as well
33:30is super advanced, but it's not made by this company.
33:32It's just general use laser engraver software.
33:34So, three,
33:36two, one, go!
33:38Oh my god!
33:40That is absolutely
33:42insane! It's like top five
33:44coolest tech products I've ever interacted with.
33:48This is really impressive. The only
33:50thing is, it looks like something about the texture
33:52on the back of this phone has kind of interfered
33:54with the cutting process, so it's
33:56not as precise as it could be.
33:58I want to do it again.
34:00Oh, this is the life!
34:02And that actually
34:04looks, wow! That's like
34:06a factory finish. There's actually
34:08nothing on the surface that would even imply
34:10it's been tampered with. But just to
34:12laser in on how absolutely
34:14insane this thing is, this laser
34:16is so powerful that it can also
34:18cut metal. So let's say, for example,
34:20I wanted to make a necklace
34:22for Drisha. Pull open a photo of everyone's
34:24favourite cat, chuck it into the computer
34:26to create a depth map so the laser knows
34:28how deep to cut. And now we
34:30give it like two and a half hours and see what it
34:32comes up with.
34:37Until you end up with...
34:40Oh my god!
34:42What the f...
34:44I can't actually wrap my head around how
34:46insanely detailed this is.
34:48My eyes aren't good enough! It's cut
34:50to like a microscopic level with
34:52like every hair! It's like
34:54almost a bit too much detail.
34:56That right there has just rocked
34:58my world. This is one of those products
35:00that only 0.1%
35:02of the population should even consider buying.
35:04But its output is
35:06absolutely extraordinary. Deserving,
35:08I think, of
35:10Hall of Fame status. Now obviously
35:12it's not going to fit on the Hall of Fame.
35:14So we'll honour it instead.
35:18And then finally, what's the
35:20state of this O-Station? Oh look!
35:22Yeah, everything's at the bottom.
35:24So all of these batteries are now completely
35:26recharged. But, if you want to see
35:28the coolest bit, this tray right here
35:30in theory...
35:32Yes it does. It has
35:34all the batteries that are either unable
35:36to be recharged or just straight
35:38up dead. It's not a perfect product.
35:40Because obviously for a lot of people the era of
35:42AAA batteries is kind of nearing its
35:44close. And also this only does
35:46AAA batteries. So if you want it to be fully covered
35:48you'd need like ten different versions
35:50of this one machine. But still,
35:52what a genius product idea that
35:54actually makes your life better. So the question is,
35:56do I back Kickstarter?
35:58I would say generally
36:00no. If you're just backing
36:02anything random that you like the look of, you've got a
36:0450% chance of the product not arriving.
36:06And then even if it does, there's only like a 60%
36:08chance that it actually lives up to the
36:10lofty claims that the companies have had to make
36:12to have their product have a good chance
36:14of success on Kickstarter. Then if you are
36:16going for companies that have a great track record,
36:18then it can be an amazing way to
36:20get an actually sizeable discount
36:22and the product before anyone else.
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