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Ergo Kiwi: A Better Knife for Designers and Makers

A precision cutting tool designed to reduce stress, strain and promote prolonged productivity.

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Ergo Kiwi: A Better Knife for Designers and Makers

Ergo Kiwi: A Better Knife for Designers and Makers

Ergo Kiwi: A Better Knife for Designers and Makers

Ergo Kiwi: A Better Knife for Designers and Makers

Ergo Kiwi: A Better Knife for Designers and Makers

A precision cutting tool designed to reduce stress, strain and promote prolonged productivity.

A precision cutting tool designed to reduce stress, strain and promote prolonged productivity.

A precision cutting tool designed to reduce stress, strain and promote prolonged productivity.

A precision cutting tool designed to reduce stress, strain and promote prolonged productivity.

Sean Riley
Sean Riley
Sean Riley
Sean Riley
1 Campaign |
Boston, United States
$80,453 USD by 1,520 backers
$63,423 USD by 1,203 backers on Feb 18, 2016 with another platform

Finally a better craft knife for everyone! 

The Ergo Kiwi is an innovative ergonomic cutting tool designed to reduce stress, strain and promote prolonged productivity. The idea came about in my first year of architecture school. Our instructors had us using standard pen knives that kill your fingers after using them for hours.

After a huge success on our Kickstarter, raising more than $62,000 from 1200 backers, we have decided to extend our offering here on Indiegogo.

CNC milled plywood Kiwi
CNC milled plywood Kiwi

 project video thumbnail

Changing blades has never been easier, it's almost as easy as the Kiwi is on your hands! 

The shape of the handle eliminates the hyperextension in your distal interphalangeal joint (that’s the first joint in your index finger) and its organic form allows you to hold it in any position that is most natural for you. This reduces the stress and strain of making dozens of cuts allowing you to work for longer periods of time. It’s essentially your hand’s new best friend.

CNC milled Bocote Kiwi
CNC milled Bocote Kiwi

How it works!

Embedded in the handle is a magnet which allows you to pick the blade up off of any surface safely, reducing the risk of injury.

The magnet also holds the blade in place and makes for easy storage. The handle will stick to pretty much any metallic surface (table legs, magnet strips, refrigerators, car doors, etc.). There is also a latch integrated into the handle which utilizes the prefabricated holes in the blades to lock them in place, preventing the blade from getting stuck in thicker materials. This patent pending design also allows for easy blade changes and reduces the amount of moving parts in the handle. No more tightening the blade in place just to have it come undone after a few cuts.

the magnet in action
the magnet in action

Crafting the Kiwi!

Prototyping Handles
Prototyping Handles

A thoroughly tested design that is the result of more than 100 prototypes!

We spent 2 years and made over 100 prototypes and wanted to make sure the form and function was perfect before we asked for funding. We sketched, carved, and 3D printed more than 100 prototypes to test and refine the ergonomics as well as the magnet and fastening mechanism.

Blades that are compatible with the Ergo Kiwi
Blades that are compatible with the Ergo Kiwi

Partnerships!

We've partnered with Excel blades to bring you the highest quality blades on the marketMade in the USA, but all brands work! Quality and craftsmanship are of utmost importance to us and we have endeavored to source all of our components from US-based manufacturing facilities. Each of our rewards comes with a minimum of a 5-pack set of Excel blades.

Choose your Kiwi!

The Kiwi is available in 4 different finishes: injection molded white plasticplywood, and two exotic woods: Padauk and Bocote. The wooden handles are CNC milled and hand finishedwith the utmost attention to detail and craft ensuring a long life span. Each wooden handle comes in a handmade canvas storage bag along with five Excel blades. All of the materials and components that go into the Kiwi are sourced and manufactured in the United States. The wooden handles are handcrafted in Boston, MA.

Each wooden Kiwi comes with a handmade canvas bag! 

We want to provide both affordable injection molded Kiwis for architecture and design students as well as beautiful solid wood Kiwis for the discerning craftsman.

Padauk Kiwi
Padauk Kiwi

.Why we need your help!

Despite how awesome the wooden handles are we really want to make the affordable injection molded plastic handles available to every art and architecture student. We've picked out high-quality US-based manufacturers that can produce the injection molded parts but the upfront tooling costs for manufacturing are quite expensive. Your contributions will put the Kiwi into mass production and help us get better tools in the hands of designers, architects, students, artists and makers around the world!

Plastic injection molded white Kiwi with black latch
Plastic injection molded white Kiwi with black latch

Plastic injection molded white Kiwi with black latch
Plastic injection molded white Kiwi with black latch

Solid Wood Kiwis are carved with a CNC machine from solid wood
Solid Wood Kiwis are carved with a CNC machine from solid wood

Risks and challenges

We have a team that is experienced in design and digital fabrication and have done as much work as possible in the past 2 years to minimize the risk and maximize the satisfaction for our Kickstarter backers but we are not perfect and unexpected hurdles are not uncommon in manufacturing.

To minimize the risk:

We have built more than 100 prototypes and prior to launch have made more than 40 fully functional CNC carved wooden handles. We have vetted multiple manufacturers for the injection molded handles and elected to go with a leading US-based company known for high quality and the quickest turnaround in the industry to ensure that communication and oversight is maximized. We anticipate that wooden handles should be delivered well ahead of the promised dates but have made conservative estimates so as not to overpromise.

We spent thousands of dollars out of our own pockets to pre-order and 
test all the critical components that will be in your Kiwi so that we could test and improve quality before we make your Kiwi.

Shipping:

Production is already underway and our manufacturing partners are already on the line. We are adding shifts to our production schedule to make sure we hit our delivery dates.

We will keep our backers updated about any delays in the manufacturing or shipping process.

International shipping:

We want Kiwis to be available to designers and makers everywhere but shipping internationally can be costly. If rates fluctuate we will notify you immediately.


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Choose your Perk

Plywood Kiwi

Plywood Kiwi

$120 USD
For your $120 pledge you will receive: (1 Plywood Kiwi) (1 Canvas Bag) (5 pack of Excel blades)
Estimated Shipping
October 2016
3 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Bocote Kiwi

Bocote Kiwi

$140 USD
For your $140 pledge you will receive: (1 Bocote Kiwi) (1 Canvas Bag) (5 pack of Excel blades)
Estimated Shipping
November 2016
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Bocote/Plywood Combo

Bocote/Plywood Combo

$240 USD
For your $240 pledge you will receive: (1 Plywood Kiwi) (1 Bocote Kiwi) (2 Canvas Bags) (10 Pack of Excel blades)
Estimated Shipping
November 2016
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Pro Kiwi Package

$900 USD
For your $900 pledge you will receive: (50 White Plastic Kiwis) (250 pack of Excel blades)
Estimated Shipping
November 2016
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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