Tag: tool

Categories
Arts

Pika portable tattoo device gets ink done on the run

Tattoo artists are only as good as their tools. For them, the vibrating needles they use to infuse ink into skin must be sound, clean and accurate in order to deliver the best results.

Pika takes the traditional tattoo gun and adds portability. This battery-powered device allows artists to give tattoos wherever they’d like. It’s also a great way for artists to switch between colors more easily. The cordless unit allows the artist the ability to adjust the speed, throw, and depth of their needles. Pika offers customizable plate design too, so that the artist’s personal taste can shine through their tool.

While Pika isn’t the first of its kind, it does offer the type of convenience a freelance tattoo artist may crave. Unfortunately, the offered customizable plates are fairly lame. Still, backers can have one of their own for a donation of £65 (~$98) by April 2015. Pika is looking to raise £5,000 (~$7,600) on Kickstarter by March 25.

Categories
Fashion

Hook Me Up provides scratching relief for those with weaves

Many women weren’t born with the luscious locks of, say, a Farah Fawcett type. As such, there are many options for taming that do’ including braiding, chemical straightening, wigs and the ever-popular weave. A weave, for those who don’t know, is when the original hair is tightly braided and pieces of fake hair are woven through these braids to create a longer, straighter look. Weaves look great, but can be itchy, somewhat painful, and hard to remove without professional help.

The Hook Me Up is a tool for those women who sport a weave. On one end is a small hook, slightly resembling a crochet hook. With this end, women can undo their weave on their own and remove the thread holding everything together. It also features a razor inside of the hook that can cut through thread if need be. Removing the hook unveils a small straight metal rod. This can be used to scratch underneath the weave without damaging the quality of the hairstyle.

The other side of this little tool is a two-pronged fork. This is for the knot starting each weaved row, which, according to the campaign, is the tightest and most difficult knot to undo. By wiggling the fork in there, it becomes much easier to undo the knot.

For the scores of women with weaves, this little tool is just the thing. It’s small and completely portable. Not to mention that it provides relief for the common itching problem that goes along with weaves. One can be had by backers for a donation of $150 for estimated delivery in July 2015. Hook Me Up is hoping to raise $13,500 on Kickstarter by mid-February.

Categories
Home Tools

CaulkKnocker makes home repairs more smooth; not as dirty as it sounds

Roofing sealant, caulk and other sticky substances used for home repair or construction are often a pain to work with. It’s often difficult to manipulate them into where they are supposed to go.

CaulkKnocker was created with the do-it-yourselfer in mind. The smoothing tool has a head made of ice, so sticky substances stick to the proper surfaces and not the tool. The product consists of a handle that is attached to a reservoir and mold. Water gets poured into the reservoir and then the product gets placed in the freezer so that an ice mold is formed on the head of the product.

This seems like a great idea, though if one is on a roof or is not close to a freezer, a cooler may be necessary to help keep the ice head from melting too quickly. To keep this product cold, ready to use and at one’s fingertips, backers may also be interested in Icebuddy. This campaign seeks to raise $55,000. For $100, backers get one kit with an expected delivery of August 2015.

Categories
Automotive

SCIRT keeps snow and ice out of vehicle wheel wells

Some outdoor enthusiasts live for winter. Skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, ice skating and all the other snowy sports that are fun for winter lovers mean a car or truck is often necessary for getting to the best spots to enjoy the snow and ice.

While these are all fun, putting chains on tires is often a necessary evil. So SCIRT (Snow Chain Instillation and Removal Tool) was created to make said evil a bit more bearable. Even four-wheel drive vehicles need snow chains when traveling to mountainous and icy areas in the winter. The tool is specifically designed for diamond-pattern tire chains, and helps with the removal of snow and ice in wheel wells. The product seems to be aimed at more experienced outdoorsmen than hobbyists, and there is not a great deal of detail available on how the product works. This product seeks to raise £2,000 (~$3,120). For £17 (~$27), backers get one product with an expected delivery of January 2015.

Categories
Cycling Kids/Babies

Dreisch Leaning Trike preps little ones for a two-wheeled ride

Dreisch Leaning TrikeTricycles are a great way for children to enjoy cycling safely, but don’t always prepare kids for a real bike. The Dreisch Leaning Trike mimics an actual bike with the same kind of necessary leaning for turns, but still has three wheels. With this trike, young ones can ride safe while also developing the necessary skills to learn the fundamentals of bicycle riding. While not completely necessary, the Dreisch Leaning Trike has a noble aim and is a great tool for children, much like the Jyrobike. One Dreisch Trike costs $299 on Kickstarter with estimated delivery in September 2014. This leaning trike hopes to raise $10,000 in two months.

Categories
Kids/Babies Tablet Accessories Toys

DiDi puts an iPad in a teddy bear’s tummy

The Premise. Stuffed animals are a staple for any child’s box of toys. Most, however, are limited in the interaction that they have with children, showing them how to cuddle but not much else.

The Product. Powered by iPad, DiDi is an interactive teddy bear system. Using an app, an iPad, and special touch toys, DiDi teaches kids the fundamentals of eating healthily, brushing their teeth as well as the fundamentals of reading. The iPad fits right into the body of the bear so that kids can use the touch screen to play or cuddle with DiDi without the iPad at night.

The Pitch. The DiDi video shows a little girl playing with her bear and all the different ways that the bear can be used.  The rest of the campaign shows the myriad of accessories that the bear comes with how they help kids with their reading skills. DiDi is shooting for $25,000 in 30 days on Kickstarter.

The Perks. The limited reward tiers offer early backers the DiDi package for only $25. This includes the teddy bear, Magic Touch toys and another stuffed bunny. The regular price is also $25 but doesn’t include the extra toy. Each teddy bear comes with the app needed to power it. Estimated delivery date is currently set at August 2014.

The Potential. We’ve seen a lot of these super teddy bears lately. The ZiBear is similarly powered by a device, though it isn’t directly connected to the bear. The ZiBear lets parents program what they want the bear to say. DiDi is interesting in that the touch screen is directly on the bear, giving kids the added visual aspect of the toy. It is also specifically a reading tool, which is a perfect way to get kids to learn how to read by incorporating their reading into playtime. One crawback to DiDi, though, is that only kids in iPad households can use the toy. However, the cost of the bear, app, and related accessories is relatively low which partially makes up for needing an iPad to use it. All in all, DiDi seems like a fun learning tool for kids and will certainly be entertaining as well as educational.

Categories
Toys

IKOS construction set offers arced pieces, tells other sets to hit the bricks

The Premise. Building toys are, at a first glance, perfect for young children. Somewhere along the way, however, adults began picking them up and using them to create and design new things. They offer kids a way to learn spatial patterns and adults a way to create and experiment with prototypes for their inventions.

The Product. IKOS is a building tool comprised of small pieces that lock together to create new shapes. The pieces are larger than typical building toys and come in different colors. IKOS used a modified geometrical polygon to come up with its design. These building blocks are curved and spherical, unlike most building toys which are typically flat.

The Pitch. The long campaign video shows how the adult mind behind IKOS, Mike Wong, enlisted the help of three high school students to help him create IKOS. His vision was to find a new kind of shape to create with, “How are we supposed to think outside of the box, when that’s all we have to design with?” Wong asks in the video. Despite the fact that two of the three high school students are women, the video boasts that the building tool is great for everyone including girls, hmm. The rest of the campaign shows a few of the million different things that can be made using IKOS pieces. IKOS hopes to raise $21,000 in its 32-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. As with other toy building products we’ve seen the past, IKOS offers different packages for different amounts of donations. The lowest priced Young Innovator package costs $22 and comes with 40 IKOS pieces in two colors. The Innovator package comes with 120 IKOS pieces at an early-bird price of $40 and regular price of $50. Other packages offer up to 2,500 IKOS pieces for keen future or current engineers. All have an estimated delivery date of July 2014.

The Potential. IKOS’s unique quality is that it offers a building block that isn’t flat like other building tools, presenting even more building opportunities to kids, professionals and adults alike. The company hopes to branch out by manufacturing the set using recycled materials which will give it even more of an edge in the future. We’ve seen lots of fun building tools on crowdfunding sites like Strawbees, Snaak and CubeCraft that offer designers the chance to dream up new creations easily. IKOS is a different kind of tool because of its curved shape and breathes new life into the building block market.

Categories
Tools

Mini Sleek offers portable hair straightening, heat-resistant case for hotheads

For lots of ladies on the go, hair can be aMini Sleek bear to maintain. Mini Sleek offers portable hair care as a wireless straightening iron. The battery plugs into the wall and, when done, offers 30-45 minutes of life while heating up to 375 degrees. This hair tool is compact enough to fit in a purse and comes with a heat resistant box cover so that waiting for the straightener to cool down isn’t an issue. One Mini Sleek goes for $85 on Indiegogo. The creator hopes to raise $50,000 in her 60 day campaign.