100% Shipped: Happy Holidays!
almost 11 years ago – Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 06:57:20 PM

Hi folks,

I'm excited to say this project is 100% fulfilled! It was actually 100% shipped last week, but by now everyone should have received their shipping notice and tracking information. 

I'm going to be out of town for the holidays. I do not plan to respond to emails during that time. Although I'm sure I won't be able to help myself on occasion. Obviously I will not be able to do any more shipping until 2014.

See below for more details: 

Fulfillment Fun Facts:

• Backers (Packages Shipped) ~ 1,835
• # of Lights Shipped ~ 3,000
• Total Fulfillment Cost ~ $10,500
• Miles of shipping labels printed ~ 0.35 miles
• Pounds of padded envelopes shipped ~ #240 
• Campaign End ~ October 21 
• Estimated Delivery ~ December 2013
• Shipping Begin/End ~ Dec 5 / Dec 11
• Shipping Days ~ 6 
• Packages Shipped per Day ~ 305
• Days Late ~ 0

Some notes on tracking numbers: 

First, I have shipped many thousands of packages with the USPS over the last three years. I have never had a single one go missing. Sometimes a package will get confused and arrive late (even several weeks), but they always get there :) Actually who knows, maybe those packages are just lazy and not confused. Anyway...

Please keep in mind, because of the holiday shipping rush, the USPS appears to be quite behind on updating tracking information. You may receive your shipment before the tracking number is even activated. Since I actually finished shipping about a week ago, I hope this "shouldn't" be an issue!

If your package hasn't arrived, you can email me if it will make you feel better. However, there is no one I can call, and nothing I can do once I leave the package at the post office. If it "never" arrives, we'll work something out. But I can't physically do anything about a package that is already in the mail. 

If your tracking status is "delivered," but you don't have it...

• Check with your family members and/or the pile of mail in your hallway. I have had "lots" of people contact me about a missing package that was (in fact) inside their home :) 
• Contact your mail carrier (the actual human that delivers your mail) because going through official USPS channels will take forever. The longer you wait, the less likely they will remember your package. 
• Log into BackerKit and make sure you provided the correct shipping address. I've had several people (oops) give me the wrong address.
• Check with your neighbors. This time of year the postage volume is extremely high, which increases the error rate. Honestly it's a miracle anything arrives anywhere considering the logistics involved.  

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If you'd like to email me about a missing package, please use the subject line "missing Beta QR" so that I can filter and track these emails. Please do not use KS messaging. Email me: [email protected]

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If you did not receive a shipping notice...

The most likely reason for that is: 

• Your credit card could not be charged by Amazon at the close of the campaign, and Kickstarter canceled your pledge. Sorry, that's just how it works. 
• You did not provide your shipping address via BackerKit, so I don't have any idea where to send your reward. Just log in and update your shipping address and I'll ship your order as soon as I get back! 

If you fall into either category, please email [email protected] and use the subject line "Beta-QR: no shipment" . 

Known Issue: "always on" condition

I have heard several reports of lights that have an "always on" condition. Basically the light will not shut off. It should not turn on until the head is screwed (gently) all the way on. If you have an "always on" issue, this is covered under my warranty policy. 

This issue should not affect HAIII Black or KS Limited Edition lights, only the EN and Solid Copper. Please submit your information through this link and I will ship out a replacement. Please return the defective light so that I can inspect it and attempt to determine the problem. At this time I have no idea what the cause might be.   

Domestic backers will receive a pre-paid return label. You can just open the replacement package, put in the light you are returning, and put the label on the same package. The USPS does not allow pre-paid international labels, so we'll have to work something out. 

You have until January 14th to submit your information. After that time, the backer will be responsible for return shipping and will have to return the light before I will send out a replacement. This is my standard return policy. 

Thanks to everyone for your support and happy holidays! 

Jason

BackerKit Invites Just Went Out!
almost 11 years ago – Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 09:32:03 PM

Hi folks,

Hope all is well. I just sent out your BackerKit invite emails a few minutes ago, so they should be landing in your inbox shortly. If you don't see the email, please make sure you are checking the correct email account (the one you use for Kickstarter) and that it didn't get caught in your spam folder! 

Things you should know: 

• You have until November 2nd to complete the BackerKit process
• On November 2nd, all orders will be "locked-down" and no further changes can be made to your account. This is done because once the fulfillment process starts, there cannot be any changes. It will take a couple weeks to get everything organized before I'm ready to start shipping...that and the product will need to arrive. Shipping should begin in mid to late November. 
• If you don't complete BackerKit, then you won't get a reward, because I don't have any information about your pledge until you complete the process. 
• Amazon has been unable to process a number of credit cards. This is normally because they have expired. If your payment "failed" then Amazon has already sent you an email alert (spam folder again :) . If you don't update your account information before November 4th, Amazon will abandon your pledge and you will not receive your reward. If you have questions about this, you'll need to contact Amazon. I don't know how their system works, nor do I have access to any useful information :) 
• If you have issues with using BackerKit, please email [email protected]

Thanks again and I'll be in touch soon! 

Jason

Thank You, BackerKit, and Spy Shots!
almost 11 years ago – Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 09:31:51 PM

Dear backers,  

I'm sorry for the delay in my official yay thank you email! We arrived in Hong Kong a couple days before the campaign ended and the family stayed up to watch the final seconds tick away. It was kind of like New Years! Many, many thanks and I'm humbled to have the support of so many backers on my little flashlight project :) 

After looking at lots of other projects, I've come to realize a project's success is about the number of backers, not the total funds raised, and definitely not the percentage over the funding goal. There seems to be a magic number (around 1000 backers) that makes a project a genuine success. So what I'm really excited about is CRUSHING the 1000 backer barrier! I can only moonwalk in my mind, so you'll have to picture me doing that.

BackerKit invites = Getting your rewards

Please Please Please read the following carefully, from the beginning to the end. Your help is absolutely critical in getting orders fulfilled accurately and shipped quickly.  

BackerKit is an order management platform that will make the remainder of the process easier for everyone! Participation is mandatory or you will not receive your rewards, because I won't know what you pledged for or where to mail your package.  

• Surveys: You will not receive a survey from Kickstarter
• BackerKit Invite: Instead (in about 24 hours) you'll receive an invite for BackerKit where you can confirm the items you pledged for, provide your shipping address, and add extra lights if you would like to do so.  
• BackerKit Account?: You do not need to create an account to enter your shipping address or confirm the rewards you pledged for. However, if you want to purchase "add-on" lights, you'll need to sign up and provide credit card info.  
• If you use your Facebook login for your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit invite will be sent to the email you used for your Facebook account. If you have another email you prefer, please email [email protected]  
• "Lock-Down" Date = November 2nd: You may make changes to your order and shipping address until Nov. 2nd. On that day, all orders will be "locked down" and no further changes can be made. That is roughly one week from today. If you don't accept the BackerKit invite, confirm your pledge, and provide your shipping address by this date, you probably won't get your rewards before Christmas.  
• Shipping for Christmas: I made the crazy commitment to ship 1000 lights in time for the holidays. Unless there is a major manufacturing snag, this should be possible. I will try to ship as many rewards as I can (all of them if possible) before the holidays. You will receive a shipping notice when your order is mailed.  
• What happens if I never accept the BackerKit invite to confirm my pledge and provide my shipping address? Unfortunately, you'll never receive your rewards, because I won't know what to send you or where to send them. I'll post another update when the BackerKit invite is sent out. Please check your spam folders!

Arriving in Hong Kong: a bit of nostalgia

(Above) A shot from my Dad's apartment window at around 7AM the day we arrived. I was born in Hong Kong, and this is actually the same apartment where I spent the first few years of my life, before moving to Montana to grow up in the mountains. Huh? Don't worry, the story only gets more complicated :) Even in my lifetime this city has grown immensely. You can still see a nursery in the center of the photo. When I was a kid this was all open space and farm land.

Spy Shots!  

Okay, enough chit chat, you want to know what's going on right?

I'll post some better "beauty shots" when I get back home to my photo studio, but check it out! I'm really pleased to say the samples look fantastic! I'm a bit of a critic since, you now, I make flashlights for a living :) You can see the laser marked logos on the KS Green and copper samples. The black and EN will feature the same mark, but these samples had not been zapped yet. The anodize creates a white mark, and the EN and Copper will pretty much be the same color as the material. 

(Above) I am very pleased to see that manufacturing is well under way. Our first stop was at the corporate office. This is a tray of KS Green and Black anodized bodies prepared for my inspection. Thumbs up :) 

(Above) These are the drivers for the Beta-QR. Very tiny! Each board is assembled by an automated SMD (surface mount device) machine, but the two boards are assembled together by hand. Very familiar work for me. Right now the total order size is north of 3000 pcs. If I had to solder these by hand, it would take me...I have no idea...forever. The factory has 8 people doing the assembly. The component assembly and final assembly takes place in the corporate office. They even have a clean room for doing the final assembly when the glass window, reflector, and LED are installed into the head. 

 (Above) Custom solder masks. Blue for the two mode drivers and Black for the 3 mode drivers! :) 

(Above) After we visited the office we headed over to the machine shop. This tray is about 12" wide, 24" long and 6" deep. It's filled to the brim with aluminum bodies coming out of the CNC. The shop is pretty old school and pretty typical of an old shop. I'd say the machines are from the 80's, but still running strong. The floor is cleanly swept, material is neatly stacked, and finished parts well organized. It doesn't matter how a machine shop looks, it matters how it's run. 

You might be inclined to think a shop with new machines is a "better" shop. I've been in Chinese shops that have brand new $250K machine tools. They look pretty, but it takes years to get really competent with a machine. It can also be difficult to get tech support and spare parts from "foreign" manufacturers in the US, Japan, Germany, etc. One thing machine shops can never afford is "down time" from waiting on repairs or spare parts. On old machines, these guys have been running them for decades and know every square inch of the thing. They can run them and they can fix them. I'm much more wary when I walk into a shop full of new equipment.

(Above) Another bin full of about a bazillion copper bodies. These are not separated by foam like the aluminum bodies, because the copper is actually tougher, and they go through two different polishing processes. Well, that's about it. The next photos you'll see should be DHL boxes full of finished product!

Well, that's all for now! Thanks again and I'll be in touch very soon! 

Cheers,

Jason

Roughly 800 rewards already shipped!
almost 11 years ago – Sun, Dec 15, 2013 at 07:05:04 AM

Hey Folks,

As usual I'm really behind on the update, but in this case, it's good news. The 9 boxes arrived from China, split into two shipments. Six on Wednesday, which caused a little panic since it was one shipment. Fortunately the three missing boxes arrived on Thursday afternoon. Shipping commenced on Thursday night with the 100 Limited Edition lights. 700 orders followed between Friday, Saturday and Sunday (today). 600 are actually in the mail now. 200 are sitting in my office and will go out Monday AM. 

BackerKit in the House (literally) 

I also wanted to send a shout out to the good people at BackerKit. They are so awesome 3 of them came to my house to help troubleshoot software issues and stuff envelopes on Friday! They wanted to get a better handle on what the fulfillment process is like "on the ground." We also spent some time talking about my previous Prometheus Writes project, Stamps.com VS. ShipStation, what worked, what didn't, and what they might improve. 

BackerKit has been absolutely instrumental in both of my projects. A few backers complain about it, but the tools Kickstarter provides to help manage fulfillment once a project is completed...oh wait...they barely provide anything at all. Fulfillment isn't sexy, but it's (always) harder than running the campaign (the easy part) and also harder than actually getting the product made (hard even if you know what you are doing). 

Next Steps: 

Pretty straight forward, I will continue to ship as fast as I can. I'm excited to say that I've already achieved my stated goal of 1000 lights shipped before the holidays! It looks like the entire campaign will be 100% shipped before Christmas. I'm awfully excited to join the tiny percent of KS campaigns that actually get fulfilled on time...but I'm not counting my chickens until the last one is shipped out ;) 

Tracking Numbers: Please, please do not message or email me about your tracking number status right when you get it, even if there is an "error" when you check it. 

Sometimes it will take up to 48 hours for the USPS system to be correctly updated. This means you may get an "error" if you check your tracking immediately. It may even say that your package was delivered to some other location...because tracking numbers (apparently) get recycled. 

Email will not make your package arrive sooner, but it will mean that other people will get their packages later, because I'm typing email instead of stuffing envelopes ;)

Domestic Backers: most backers in the US will get their lights by Christmas. The official cutoff for First Class Mail (domestic) to be delivered before Christmas is Dec 14. Yay! 

International Backers: The ultimate delivery date is totally up in the air. Normally (not around the holidays) First Class International is less than 10 days. Sometimes it's much faster. Sometimes it's much slower. Packages usually leave the US within 2 days of being shipped. Then it's up to your country's mail service :) In any case, there isn't anything I can do on my end besides put it in the mailbox and hope for the best. 

Some beauty shots...

I posted a group shot in my last update, but here are some individuals :) Now, I'm going to get back to work! 

Shipping This Week? (Fingers Crossed!)
almost 11 years ago – Sat, Dec 14, 2013 at 05:16:04 AM

Hi Folks,

Hope all of you are doing well! I'm excited to let you know a bunch of big boxes are currently on the way from the manufacturer. I'm not going to stop wringing my hands until all the boxes are on my shop floor though. Assuming there aren't any issues with transit times and customs the lights should arrive this week, and shipping should commence as soon as the goods arrive and can be inspected! 

The time line was/is/will be exceedingly ambitious, and there is still room for error, but things are looking good at this point. Assuming the lights arrive this week, getting the first 1000 shipped in time for the holidays should be doable. Obviously there are a lot more than 1000 rewards that need to go out, and I'll try to get them all in the mail as quickly as possible. 

Now some photos I've exchanged with the factory over the last few days: 

 3500 Solid brass quick releases! I can't decide if it looks like a little or a lot :) 

Bags of 25 Type III HA black Beta-QRs. Every light will also come with 2 spare o-rings. 

Every Solid Copper Beta-QR will come sealed in this vacuum bag to help prevent oxidation while in transit. The light in the photo is obviously the KS Green edition, but this is just a test sample. Only the Coppers will be vacuum bagged. 

Well, that's all for now! Hopefully my next update will have photos of all the boxes in my shop :)

Cheers,

Jason