"no moving parts" $140 lightweight slider - kickstarter page

[wgzn]

well dylan, you can dislike me or my manner if you want to. but i have to wonder how you'd react if a bunch of people called you a scammer and made a bunch of wildly inaccurate assumptions about something you were doing?

let me give you the following equation, then you can go on thinking whatever you want about me personally:
1. materials: just under $50
2. tablesaw $500
3. routertable $400
4. drill press $300
5. the space to set all of that up
6. time to build each one: about an hour lets call that $30
6. shipping cost (which im including in the price) + or - $20

now. tell me again about that 300% markup?

you know what? fuck me for creating something that works really well at a very decent price and wanting to make it available to the filmmaking community.

[koolpenguin89]

well dylan, you can dislike me or my manner if you want to. but i have to wonder how you'd react if a bunch of people called you a scammer and made a bunch of wildly inaccurate assumptions about something you were doing?

This is exactly my point. ONE GUY called you a scammer (a guy that's known for being a troll (no offense B&F)), the rest were just people asking questions and responding to your arguments. And you can try to justify your overhead all you want, all your doing is reinforcing my point, which is that you are selling a product.

you know what? fuck me for creating something that works really well at a very decent price and wanting to make it available to the filmmaking community.

::sigh:: Some people just don't learn.

Dylan

[wgzn]

all your doing is reinforcing my point, which is that you are selling a product.

and whats wrong with that? i wasnt aware that this was a socialist website?

what's wrong with wanting to be compensated for my time? do redrock, zacuto, jag, etc not make money on their products?

i guess maybe im just not understanding the problem you're having

[koolpenguin89]

If your just going to take my statements out of context and not refer to any other posts, it's going to be very hard to have a conversation with you. The point I was making before is that you are selling a product, you need to be a salesman. You can't just go around cursing at people and having a shitty attitude and expect people to want to back your project

Dylan

[wgzn]

im not going to try to talk people into wanting something just to sell it. if people like it, great. if not, thats cool too.

if any of you guys were making valid comments like "the $100 savings doesnt justify not being connected to the track" or "im just not down with wood in my gear" it wouldnt bother me.
but all im hearing is a bunch of nutty crap like being called a scammer and a bunch of completely inaccurate financial assumptions. if not rolling over and taking that makes me a bad salesman. im a bad salesman.

[cgbier]

I have the feeling that some folks here are in an urgent need for some crash course in business in regards to calculate a 300% markup.

The attacks on wgzn are more than unwarranted, and I have to apologize that I have defended you guys in a PM to him. Seems I was wrong.

[HueyNRolf]

The attacks on wgzn are more than unwarranted

I agree. That slider looks very reasonable for the price.

[Dr. Benway]

The attacks on wgzn are more than unwarranted

The Internet is a harsh place. I think a prickly manner begets hostility.

Aplomb and diplomacy would be a useful asset to anyone embarking on such a venture - acumen, another. Though wgzn has shown enough of that.

Really, this forum is like a lot of the Internet: grumpy, negative and critical. But then again, doesn't that help? Listen, pander to, and perfect products and ideas.

Critique should be approached with trepidation - you are seeking feedback from experienced people. Learn from it. However it may come.

[wgzn]

thanks guys, i guess my frustration is in the short-sightedness of people - or at least their willingness to make accusations and assumptions without accurate information.
(i had one guy over at the frugal fimmaker say "why would anyone pay $140 for a slab of birch and two metal angles? Just askin'" - really man, are you truly THAT myopic?)

is my slider offering perfect? absolutely not
are there things it doesnt do that others do (regardless of cost?) certainly.
but iT does provide rock solid basic slider moves. as or more so than any ive used at any price.

but i have seen people on other forums invest tons of time in shopping around to save $10 on sd cards or not buying something because they simply dont have the additional $60.

so i thought hey, i have something that provides excellent basic slider shots at a very reasonable price. why not attempt to share it with folks who may not have the tools or time to do it themselves - and be compensated for my time and effort.

people are more than welcome to have and voice their feelings as to whether its something they would use or not.
and add suggestions on how to make it better (keeping in mind the target price)

but if they arrived at their conclusion through erroneous logic, or are just being a tool - im not the kind of guy to not point that out ; )

[koolpenguin89]

...or are just being a tool - im not the kind of guy to not point that out ; )

I'm hoping that this was intentionally ironic.

I have the feeling that some folks here are in an urgent need for some crash course in business in regards to calculate a 300% markup.

Perhaps, but their are others in need of a crash course on customer service.

The Internet is a harsh place. I think a prickly manner begets hostility.

This pretty much sums up my position.

Dylan

[Janke]

The Internet is a harsh place. I think a prickly manner begets hostility.

[wgzn]

This pretty much sums up my position.

hey man, YOU'RE the one who tried to call me out with unsubstantiated and erroneous accusations... e.g. "for cheaper"
i'm trying to sort out who's prickly and who's hostile here...

but their are others in need of a crash course on customer service.

customer service means supporting those who support you. not just lying down and taking whatever inane horse shit random imbeciles foist upon you.

but at this point we're both looking like a couple of jackasses - so im just going to bow out, as nobody's going to win this.
so, anyone who's interested, you have the kickstarter link. check it out or for more info drop me a line at:
wg at handyvices dot com

[Almohada]

It's legit:

http://handyvices.com/projects-featu...vingboard.html

[koolpenguin89]

customer service means supporting those who support you. not just lying down and taking whatever inane horse shit random imbeciles foist upon you.

Ok, now I'm convinced you need a lesson is CS. It's not just about supporting people who have already bought from you, it's about answering questions and giving information and generally helping past and prospective customers (and since your product isn't actually for sale yet, all your customers are prospective customers). This is coming from someone who has worked in customer service for an online company. Cursing and calling people imbeciles is not the way to go.

So I'll address your issue directly:

hey man, YOU'RE the one who tried to call me out with unsubstantiated and erroneous accusations... e.g. "for cheaper"

I asked a legit question about the advantages of your slider over the indieslider. At that time, I had no feelings one way or another about you or your product. You gave me this answer:

...but the $99 indislider is 24" so my first answer to your question would be "another foot" ; )
and their 36" is $219 +shipping. mine via kickstarter is $140 shipped.
that doesn't look like "for cheaper" from where im standing...

Perfectly acceptable answer, got right to the point. Then you followed with these sentences:

so far, it seems you guys here are hell-bent on disqualifying my concept. and i embrace your right to do so. but i do wish you'd give me the respect of comparing apples to apples, as well as getting your facts right before making accusations.

Why was this necessary in your response to my questions? How was this supposed to help convince me to back your project? Can you really not see the flip in attitude here?

but at this point we're both looking like a couple of jackasses - so im just going to bow out, as nobody's going to win this.

Win what? There's nothing to compete over. The argument? I'm not trying to win an argument, I'm trying to get you to see this from my point of view. You come to this forum having never contributed anything to the community, just using it to sell things, and then you get upset when people ask questions about the things your selling. And then you call them a jackass, a tool, an imbecile. Surely you can see how that comes off?

Dylan

[movielighter]

I have owned and used about every sub $400 slider I could find.
One thing I learned is that they are all differentm just like the people (flawed humans) that use them.

Right now I have been using what I call my "Lunchbox" slider (locking wheels on a pelican case). This is not because it is the best, but it is because I like the way it slides and it fits my workflow very nice. I can get some really nice results out of it.

I looked on Kickstart and saw the design and thought if a guy made this who is a camera guy, this is worth a look. It fills a need he sees, as well as his own.

All of the stuff we use on a movie set came from such innovation.

This is his starting point, there will probably be some changes to the design, etc. down the road.

Personally, I would see about some type of finish on the wood. It might add something to the cost, but will open up more of the market. I know several that will not walk into a clients location with a DIY type device. Black and Gray lacquer would look very nice.

Mechanically - The shots from it do not have any noticible friction or hesitation, looks darn smooth! Which is what people want when they buy a slider. 36 inches is a BEAST for the money as well.

[wgzn]

ok, im about to take the slider out for a test / testimonial / review shoot.

and i have 1 question:
what is your biggest complaint about the current design:
1. that its made of wood
or
2. that the sled is not connected to the base

i have come up with a securing mechanism that doesnt add much to the cost (and none to the final cost) and not too much to the profile. but my fear is that the simple fact that its made of wood makes it a non-starter for several folks right out of the gate...