So, what happened with Tom's new ShoeBox compressor?

[Smoothice]

I have understood from word of mouth that they haven't been holding up too well. Given that they were made pretty much from binparts from a supply house, rather than being designed straight out. Like BE said, they are supposedly very easy to fix and repair, but the feeling I got was the forum was moved so that people would not associate the problems and issues being had with the shoebox back to AGD.

I don't own one, just the take I got from some reading and speaking to a few owners. Overall it is still the only piece of equipment exactly like it, so if you want to fill at home on the cheap this is where it is at.

Not sure who you have been listening too. But you may want to regurgitate their views with some caution. Looks like you threw TK under the bus 3 times in 1 post...

[factoid]

That's funny because I have been amazed that I haven't had more people contact me with problems. If you go read the shoebox forums you will see that its pretty quiet over there.

I created a new forum on a new server because this one is hopelessly old on an ancient computer and not worth even upgrading from what Delaware tells me (we own the computer in the rack).

AGD

Holy crap you actually own a PHYSICAL SERVER?! That is old. Almost nobody buys dedicated server boxes anymore. Everything is either virtual servers (multiple servers running on one physical box) or shared hosting.

The days of one server, one owner are long, long past.

You could probably get a virtual server to run these forums for about 10 bucks a month. You've gotta be paying at least that just for housing on your old one.

If anyone is serious about a new home for AO, I can get a recommendation for a quality hosting service that doesn't have metered bandwidth in the 10-20 dollar per month range.

Most places even have pre-configured VMs that come already loaded with the OS of your choice fully patched and ready to install your software on.

EDIT: As for the shoebox itself, I think they're pretty sweet, but I am holding out until they mature a little. I'd like one that can go at least 24 hours without needing to be lubricated. ideally it would be a self lubricating system where you just add oil or grease to a reservoir and it takes care of itself until it runs out.

[splat15k]

I'd also like to report that I'm having no issues with mine, but I've only put 60 hours on it or so. The only maintenance I've done is applying a small amount of white lithium grease to the cylinder rods every 3 hours (as suggested by TK).

I love the shoebox!

[punkncat]

Not sure who you have been listening too. But you may want to regurgitate their views with some caution. Looks like you threw TK under the bus 3 times in 1 post...

Sent you a PM.

I am not going to apologize or stand down because I have a differing opinion of the product. I admit my take on the reason for the forum being moved was wrong, and apologize for that misconception. Otherwise, no, I am not a huge fan of this item yet, and why I chose not to purchase one myself. I think the concept is great, and I think that if, further down the road, it is designed in such a way that the manufacturer would stand behind it with a warranty then I would, and others I know, pursue aquiring one of them. This product is unlike anything TK has ever put his name out there for in that one regard (that I know of), and very much "unlike" the public image of him that I have "known" all these years. If that is throwing him under the bus, then I wish him a speedy recovery.

Otherwise, I am glad that others of you are enjoying the product, it is promising.

[maniacmechanic]

I own Shoebox #18 , I have put approximatly 180/190 hours on it , have had not 1 problem with it , no maintence ( He told us to give'em a workout , did he not ? ) , haven't even greased the shafts ( I will probley be plagued with problems now )
As far as off the shelf parts , I don't know , other than o-rings , the gears , chains & motor , I don't see much else you buy out of a bin & use with out doing something to it ; as in , buying a piece of shaft stock then cutting to length & threading both ends

[Zone Drifter]

Did you also had to do any maintenance on yours? How is it holding up with it's 60 to 80 hours use (20 tanks - 3 to 4 hours each)?

Seems to be holding up fine. I wipe off the old lithium grease (which is dark after one full fill) and apply a bit of new grease before every fill. If everything is done in the right order I don't suspect any mechanical problems until maybe a seal or something goes. It does heat up, even when hooked up properly with a compressor, so something is bound to go eventually, but probably nothing that can't easily be replaced.

[BigEvil]

I own Shoebox #18 , I have put approximatly 180/190 hours on it , have had not 1 problem with it , no maintence ( He told us to give'em a workout , did he not ? ) , haven't even greased the shafts ( I will probley be plagued with problems now )
As far as off the shelf parts , I don't know , other than o-rings , the gears , chains & motor , I don't see much else you buy out of a bin & use with out doing something to it ; as in , buying a piece of shaft stock then cutting to length & threading both ends

I hate you Hank.

[factoid]

Sent you a PM.

I am not going to apologize or stand down because I have a differing opinion of the product. I admit my take on the reason for the forum being moved was wrong, and apologize for that misconception. Otherwise, no, I am not a huge fan of this item yet, and why I chose not to purchase one myself. I think the concept is great, and I think that if, further down the road, it is designed in such a way that the manufacturer would stand behind it with a warranty then I would, and others I know, pursue aquiring one of them. This product is unlike anything TK has ever put his name out there for in that one regard (that I know of), and very much "unlike" the public image of him that I have "known" all these years. If that is throwing him under the bus, then I wish him a speedy recovery.

Otherwise, I am glad that others of you are enjoying the product, it is promising.

As near as I can tell TK is basically building these himself. Does anyone know if he even has a staff assisting?


He doesn't offer a warranty because he probably has a crazy low mark-up on them. He's basically paying himself for the time spent assembling them and not much more. My guess is that he's doing this to finance further development of the product.

He'll build a few versions with no warranty support, figure out how to build them faster, cheaper and more reliable and add in features that people request. Then he can either mass produce the product or sell it to a company who will.

That's what I'd do if I were him.

[Newt]

That's where it gets tricky. It's been out long enough that it's no longer patentable (legally). If I were Company X, I'd be hard pressed to pay a royalty or fee to purchase intellectual design material if it were already public.

[mpsd]

That's where it gets tricky. It's been out long enough that it's no longer patentable (legally). If I were Company X, I'd be hard pressed to pay a royalty or fee to purchase intellectual design material if it were already public.

Tom is not a newb in the business. If he ever thought of selling it in high scales, he already did his homework. Specially considering what happened with SP and the eMag. I'm sure he learned a lot at the time.

[SCpoloRicker]

[Iworkfor_soI'mreallygettingakick.meme]

/meh

[Ando]

I am not going to apologize or stand down because I have a differing opinion of the product.

What are you basing your opinion on?

[AGD]

It's true that this product is a complete departure from the way I have normally done business. I have learned some lessons over the years and one is that the cheapest guy wins. The markup IS crazy low on this product. I am now in a position to have zero overhead by working out of my new place in Arizona where we have 19 acres and several buildings. I am taking advantage of that and its a benefit to you.

I am also doing most of the hand work on this myself but do have part time help. I am assembling things myself at the moment so I can make sure ALL the parts are working right and that my suppliers are giving me consistent quality. That's something you don't know unless you do it yourself. This also gives me the knowledge on how to make the best fixtures and tools etc.

The no-warranty thing is simple. You won't pay for it. It was made very clear to me on this forum that a 500 dollar compressor was a 50-50 buy for most people but at 400 bucks everyone was in. For this to be warrantied like the automag as I have said before, it would have to be 1200 dollars based on the actual parts cost. No warranty is the price you don't have to pay for

I am attempting to do something with this product that I always thought was possible but never had the chance to try. That is to go way overboard on the design to knock down the price, but produce all the parts with equal life spans so the product is stone reliable. That should make for a product that needs no warranty but still makes people happy. The newer cars are like this, running 150k miles with virtually no problems (an incredible feat of engineering compared to cars from the 80's).

I have also learned some lessons about marketing. People on a waiting list don't wait. I am purposely NOT trying to get the word out. Most people deciding to buy now will change their mind before I can ship them. Once I get out of back order you can bet you will see the product around town. First I have to produce the best product I have ever made at the lowest price I ever have. Its an interesting challenge, wish me luck!

Tom

PS a patent is in the works.

[MAGpie]

It's true that this product is a complete departure from the way I have normally done business. I have learned some lessons over the years and one is that the cheapest guy wins. The markup IS crazy low on this product. I am now in a position to have zero overhead by working out of my new place in Arizona where we have 19 acres and several buildings. I am taking advantage of that and its a benefit to you.

I am also doing most of the hand work on this myself but do have part time help. I am assembling things myself at the moment so I can make sure ALL the parts are working right and that my suppliers are giving me consistent quality. That's something you don't know unless you do it yourself. This also gives me the knowledge on how to make the best fixtures and tools etc.

The no-warranty thing is simple. You won't pay for it. It was made very clear to me on this forum that a 500 dollar compressor was a 50-50 buy for most people but at 400 bucks everyone was in. For this to be warrantied like the automag as I have said before, it would have to be 1200 dollars based on the actual parts cost. No warranty is the price you don't have to pay for

I am attempting to do something with this product that I always thought was possible but never had the chance to try. That is to go way overboard on the design to knock down the price, but produce all the parts with equal life spans so the product is stone reliable. That should make for a product that needs no warranty but still makes people happy. The newer cars are like this, running 150k miles with virtually no problems (an incredible feat of engineering compared to cars from the 80's).

I have also learned some lessons about marketing. People on a waiting list don't wait. I am purposely NOT trying to get the word out. Most people deciding to buy now will change their mind before I can ship them. Once I get out of back order you can bet you will see the product around town. First I have to produce the best product I have ever made at the lowest price I ever have. Its an interesting challenge, wish me luck!

Tom

PS a patent is in the works.

Not's not already patented??

Good luck with it, Tom! I really love the idea and I will be ordering mine soon. Only reason I have not so far is that in the last 2 years, I have moved 5 times!

[luke]

It's true that this product is a complete departure from the way I have normally done business. I have learned some lessons over the years and one is that the cheapest guy wins. The markup IS crazy low on this product. I am now in a position to have zero overhead by working out of my new place in Arizona where we have 19 acres and several buildings. I am taking advantage of that and its a benefit to you.

I am also doing most of the hand work on this myself but do have part time help. .