We haven't updated in a while, but are still hard at work. We have reached a new milestone with a finished sample product of Runbell. The below picture is not a prototype, but rather a manufacturing sample.
The manufactured Runbells are light! The Runbell prototype was heavier than the actual Runbell. The Runbell weighs in at 30 grams for the men's Runbell with two silicone inserts (as advertised). The ladies' Runbell is slightly lighter.
The Bells
The bells are looking great. We approved the brass plated and the copper plated bells this past Monday. They are now being mass produced. Both sound excellent. We will upload sound clips soon.
The Grip
The grips are looking great as well. We confirmed the size matches our requirements and that all components fit together. Mass production started this Monday as well.
The Pouch
The pouches for Runbell are finished and we will be receiving them this week or next.
A Surprise for all Supporters
All orders of Runbell will come with a cleaning cloth to take care of your Runbell. For all our Kickstarter supporters, we have designed a special edition cleaning cloth.
The Boxes
The boxes are finished and we should be receiving them next week.
Challenges
No project is complete without surprises and challenges. We have had our fair share as well. In general, our project is behind our original schedule. We added contingency in order to accommodate any possible delays, and can still meet our September shipment deadline. We are staggering our initial purchase order of 3000 Runbells so that our Kickstarter backers and all preorders will be getting their Runbells first and on time.
Another major challenge has been the text stamping on our bells. We originally planned to stamp the text on our bells, but moved to a laser engraving system instead. The laser engraving allowed us to engrave more creatively. Unfortunately, our supplier cannot do the engraving as planned.
We have found a second supplier who we will be working with instead. We will update you on our discussions with them moving forward. Hopefully, we can resolve any issues without delay.
Schedule Update
We plan to mail out the first shipment of Runbells in September. We are looking at a late September shipment and will keep you updated as we progress further in production.
Until the Next Update
Thanks again for all your support. We can't want to have you running with Runbell.
Cheers,
Kevin, Tomoko, and the Runbell team
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