Sat, Feb 19 2011
Let there be light! Mantis is a versatile clip-on task lamp that brightens your workspace, with minimal interference to your surroundings.
Battery-operated and portable, it’s perfect for shining a light on your keyboard, bookshelf, worktable, or any other dark spot.
Plus, it kinda looks like a rocket ship. Beat that for awesome.
Catch Mantis for just $26.99 presale ($29.99 retail) in the Quirky store. Big congrats to ideator Clinton Fleenor and the 792 (wowza) community members who influenced this product!
Features:
Mantis includes two parts: a lamp and a clip.
Lamp:
– Functions either within the clip, or free-standing.
– Two light settings: press once for high light and twice for low light.
– 11 bright LEDs provide illumination.
– Two flip-out legs let Mantis stand up on any flat surface.
– Rubberized end pieces prevent slipping.
– Two AA batteries provide approximately 30 hours of light.
– Automatically shuts off after two hours of use.
Clip:
– Allows light to rotate, so you can shine Mantis in any direction
– Soft, non-slip pads for extra grip.
– 2.2in (55mm) wide clamp allows attachment to any monitor, laptop, shelf, or tabletop.
Dimensions:
Lamp – 9.1in x 1.0in x 1.0in (230mm x 26mm x 26mm)
Clip – 2.6in x 1.4in x 2.2in (65mm x 35mm x 56mm)
In December, we found what we thought was the perfect factory for Kōsoku, our new dog-friendly leash. The factory would take care of every part of the leash-making process — the metal, the plastic, the soft goods, the whole shebang. But we were encountering a couple of problems along the way, like disorganized workflow, confusion about product specs, etc. We want to cover our bases, so we’re also checking out other potential factories.
To learn more about this product, check out the Kōsoku product page.
The garage is one of the most versatile rooms in the house. Depending on your living situation, it’s home to your kid’s old toys, your DIY workshop, your summer wardrobe, or your collection of vintage Aston Martins (hey, we can dream).
Regardless of how you use your garage, you probably have a ton of stuff lying around. This week’s Quirky brief is about to change all that.
Let’s make a product that’ll organize all your garage junk.
For this brief, we’re looking for clever ways of utilizing, dividing, and manipulating space in your garage. And as always, we want solutions to real-life problems.
This week’s brief is co-sponsored by our friends at HSN. Submissions open February 14 and last until February 21… and did we mention they’re free? Submit your great idea now.
During this week’s staff evaluation, we did something that we haven’t done since the birth of Quirky: we did not select an idea for Product 96, our Cooling brief.
Ben explains the decision at the beginning of this week’s Eval Recap video, below.
To summarize: We recognize the problems with our existing system, and we’re committed to making it better. The solution is not going to be easy, nor is it going to take the form of a quick fix. It’ll be a rolling process, and an iterative one.
Over the weekend, we’ll be going into the forums and reviewing all the posts to get a feel for the problem, and check out the solutions you’ve all proposed. We’re also going to dive deep into the data we’ve gathered over the past 96 evals to see what that holds.
In short: We get it. We’re on it. And with you, we’re gonna make it better. Help us by joining the conversation.
Got a ton of plastic bags lying around? Quirky’s latest product is here to help. Portotrash is a portable clip-on wireframe for plastic bags, and it’s now available in the Quirky store for $20 presale ($25 retail) with a threshold of 1,000.
Ideator Jack Talbert and more than 626 influencers came together through multiple projects to develop this product. Congrats, guys — it turned out great!
Turn your extra plastic grocery bags into trash cans with Portotrash! Portotrash is a portable clip-on wireframe for plastic bags that lets you clamp a trash receptacle to any table or countertop. It’s perfect for the kitchen, the workshop, or anywhere with trash that needs to be quickly and easily thrown out.
The Portotrash set includes 2 plastic clamps, 3 metal support bars, and a pack for storing extra grocery bags.
Features:
– Clamps with ergonomic handles and rotating rubber grips, which can clip onto surfaces up to 2.5” thick.
– Fits standard grocery bags, so you can upcycle them back into use.
– Metal bars that offer additional bag support.
– Bag grabbers on the front, back, and sides to securely keep the plastic bag in the frame.
– Plastic bag container that opens for easy bag storage and holds approximately five medium-sized plastic bags.
Dimensions:
13 1/4” x 10” x 3” (336mm x 254mm x 76mm)
Jordan and Nikki give the latest update on Shower Station, our new modular shower organizer. We received T1 samples for Shower Station on February 3. The fit is great, and the baskets fit two bottles of shampoo, as promised. We still need to improve the curvature of the aluminum, the sturdiness of the clamps, and the suction cups that attach the back of the frame to your bathroom wall. The factory is just opening back up after Chinese New Year, and we’re expecting the next round of T2 samples to arrive in around two weeks.
For more info on Shower Station and to make a presale commitment, check out the product page!
Jordan and Nikki give the latest update on Switch, Quirky’s brand-new customizable multi-tool. The tool itself was awesome, but the box could use a bit more work. Watch the video, then check out how far we’ve come by checking out the previous Production Reports here.
You’re gonna have to run a little further for the Ultimate Liquor Run. After careful consideration, we’ve decided to bump the threshold for Luge Cubes from 300 to 2000. Extreme? Well, let us explain.
Luge Cubes was Quirky Product #10. It was submitted in July 2009 – basically, the Stone Age in Quirky time. We’ve since reconsidered if 300 units is really a reasonable threshold for this product. It has been sitting in the Quirky store for more than 500 days and is (let’s be honest) a little off-brand for Quirky at this point. Encouraging unsafe drinking habits is not something we really want to be doing as we go Back to College with our Community.
As you know, our end goal is to make the best decisions for our company and our community by only bringing to market the best products that are feasible, profitable, and in line with our brand. Thanks for your support!
Split Stick Classic was the very first product Quirky ever manufactured, and she was looking, well, a little outta date. So we decided to give her a makeover. Now she’s back as product 101, and she’s lighter, sturdier, and better-looking than ever. Truth be told, the catcalls are getting a little outta control. We really can’t blame them; that’s one hot double-sided USB stick.
Split Stick 2.0 features:
- Two separate, retractable 4GB USB drives built into one slim 8GB stick.
– Lightweight plastic construction — barely weighs anything!
– Plastic tab for easily extracting and retracting the two sides of the drive.
– Built-in lanyard loop, so you can attach your Split Stick anywhere.
– Available in black, with decorative home/work graphics on either side of the stick.
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