The Internet age gave us amazing speeds, worldwide communication, e-business and more cat memes than any sane person ever wanted. However, it has its downsides. For all the unregulated communication, users have to navigate the net with an air of skepticism. The truth is: everyone wants your money. It’s no secret that the net has become a minfield of soothsayers and scam artists, but even well-meaning projects can fall apart from biting off more than they can chew (or from plain bad luck). Nowhere is this truer than Kickstarter.
Previously, we interviewed Michael Armani, CEO of M3D, on how he became one of the early Kickstarter success stories. He openly stated his dissatisfaction with how Kickstarter operates with regards to tech start-ups. It’s easy to see why. Kickstarter hasn’t facilitated any meaningful mediation in the matter, leading to many wrong-headed campaigns that have devalued the overall image of the site.
Since there is no real quality control measure, users are left to dry. There are still ways in which we can be more discerning. This article will try tackle the tell-tale signs for when you should walk away from a kickstarter campaign.
Background Checks
A major red flag is if you can’t find anyone willing to vouch for their Kickstarter. Check the name of the poster and their social media networks and always learn more about the company. It might sound obvious, but many people either don’t do it, or they don’t do it properly. Find out whether this company has launched a product before. It doesn’t mean that they’ll fail but it is an indication of their work ethic. Similarly, find out who the heads of the project are. Have they been involved in other work? If so, what happened?
The next step is to find out where their postal address is. Ordinarily, Kickstarter lists it with their information. It will give you insight into whether they are operating out of a garage or an office. While many people can form perfectly functional devices from their garage, it depends on just how complex their promises are.
Start-up or Veteran Company
The status of the company is important. Trusting a new company has the obvious problems. Start-ups can over-promise and not deliver. They might go bust without any liability. On the other hand, veteran companies also use Kickstarter.
Veteran companies often post a campaign to test the waters and advertise a new printer or tool they’re working on. This allows them a leg up when it comes to getting the word out there and establishing some buzz. These companies can be trusted with the more outlandish, bigger ideas because they have sufficient reputation and the financial security.
Is the Promo Material Indicative of the Final Product?
Do not get hyped up by early promo images and videos. A lot of them are mock-ups and concepts. Instead look for trial videos with the functional devices. If someone is promoting a new technology, they should at least have a prototype.
Another thing to look out for is whether the sample shapes they show are representative of the type of printer they aim to build. Since it’s in their best interest, companies will obviously showcase prints that invoke unrealistic expectations from the consumer. Look for a range of shapes and sizes to see where the printer does or does not excel.
If a campaign is showing you similar print models all the time, it might be bad at printing other configurations. It would be suspicious if all the prints were easy to do, minimum support structures. Likewise, DLP printers find certain shapes easier than others. Anything with a large bottom surface area should be a good indicator of whether the curing is consistent. For FDM printers look for the usual stuff like overhangs and smoothness around curves.
Some more devious Kickstarter campaigns actively promote their product by using prints from a different machine. This sort of deception is difficult to track but it can be done. It just requires a keen eye. Look out for laser cut prints and overly perfect finishes. They may have been post-processed. Also look out for photo-shopping or touched up pictures.
Over-ambitious Promises
If they’re demanding too little money, they haven’t got their numbers right. The price war in 3D printing had far too many casualties simply because they kept racing to the bottom. At some point it becomes unsustainable for a company. Cobblebot promised 400 °C temperatures, a heated bed and a 15 cubic inch build envelope for $299. The Kickstarter buckled almost immediately.
Quality is another can of worms. It might sound cynical, but if someone is promoting perfect prints with a “new” technique, it’s too good to be true. Generally, you wouldn’t be on Kickstarter if you had the funding to create a new method of 3D printing. Although, most of the time it’s an old tech with some new tweaks marketed as entirely new.
