Not yet. Between work and the baby, I’ve only been able to get a couple projects done a night. If you have something specific you want to see, send me a PM with the file.
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Wow. Great news. Quick Question.
I ordered the air filter with the PRO model. Does that mean that my Glowforge will not come till September, with the Air filter is ready?
Eric
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I took some time before posting on the update. A lot of other people have said what I was thinking about a lot of things in regards to the delay. Originally things looked good for us to get our forges “On Time” (minus the prior slips in schedule). It did mean they would need to produce 170-200 units per day 7days a week, which seems a little high, but doable. By the time of the May announcement they had tested the production line, and were making improvements to the process to improve quality and simplify production. Certainly at that time they would be able to predict cycle time, and production time.
There was the glitch where somehow the Pro models didn’t have the safety stuff ready, even though the specs, layout, and design have been known for a while. Why that part wasn’t done last year baffles me. Thanks for the Wonka Goggles! I watched a few videos on laser damage to the eye, and it’s not trivial.
So with the month delay on the Pros one would think all Pros would be delivered to all Preoreders by the end of August, but we are being told October?
Something is at odds here. Could Flex have underestimated production so poorly? We are told they are the best in the biz. How could they have made such a miscalculation, so very late in the game?
Was the estimate based on 3 production lines? One Basic and two Pros, then dropped to one production line? Since they share many components I’m assuming they get 85% completed before the lines split.
I know I’m going to be very happy to have it, and IF the schedule holds, mine should arrive Mid September im guessing.
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Factory production = Hundreds, at full scale.
This is actually really helpful information. I have, naturally, had an increasing skepticism over time and certainly have been concerned with the one month between all campaign orders shipped date (Oct. 31) and all other orders shipped (Nov. 30) given that all other orders is likely a much larger number than all campaign orders. All other orders having had two years to accrue. However, say conservatively that 200 units per day could ship from the factory floor. Assuming, again conservatively, a 5 day work week, we’re looking at upwards of 4,000 units in a month and that number could potentially triple at full scale production. I find that comforting.
Overall, I am, of course, devastated…again. It’s like having an absentee parent who you constantly wait for that never shows up. It’s crushing and very unhealthy psychologically.
Improvements look great.
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I am sure it was obvious to the GF staff that the July / August date would not be met long ago but they still kept saying it would. They always hold off releasing bad news until they have some good news. So I knew as soon as a few production units got delivered they would announce another delay. The only surprise was it was only three months rather than the normal six month increment.
It follows the same pattern of dishonesty as the other delay announcements. So much so it has become totally predictable.
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I was under the, perhaps mistaken, impression that Glowforge founder was a lifetime appointment and that founders would have a 10% discount in the glowforge store. The most recent update indicates that the discount has a shelf life. Did I misread this in the past or currently?
Your choice when you receive the email requesting an address.
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Was always just 2017. Discount now extended through 2018.
“We’re extending that 10% Founder discount for another full year, until the end of 2018.”
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They will email you at the time your Glowforge is ready. You will have the option to accept the two separately, or to postpone until the Filter is ready.
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I think this is it exactly. It is clear they want to be a strong successful company, anything but a scam. They are also determined to put out a quality product that does what they say, and that it will stand up to use. The “good faith estimates that turned out to be a bit too optimistic” is what can befall many companies or projects, especially led by such energy. It is a trap I’ve fallen into more than once, being too optimistic in my projections.
All the people complaining about the delays would not have been complaining about the delays would not have been complaining if the time to delivery was the same, but the projections had been as pessimistic in the other side as these earlier projections were optimistic. If the expected timeline is longer than actual, nobody complains. If the expected timeline is shorter, many complain. The margin of error can be the same.
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does this mean the Glowforge will get the red ring of death … yeah I know thats what your thinking.
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Stop making plans on crowdfunded hardware.
At least we’ve gotten past the point of folks making international flight plans and starting businesses based on $2000 laser cutters they don’t have yet
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not so sure about that
They made that commitment after the sale, of their own volition, due to the delays. There is nothing in the purchase terms and conditions, the buying agreement, that requires them as part of that agreement to offer any form of compensation, incentive, or reward for delay. The terms and conditions of the sale did not even require communicate of any details pertinent to the delay. It just allowed for unilateral delay. Very legalese thing common in many purchase agreements. (It’s in the stuff most people ‘agree’ to without reading.)
They swung the other way, something not required by any of the terms and conditions of the agreement, and said they’d offer compensation for the unexpected delays in bringing a quality product to market. It is a binding part, now, because they chose to make it one after the fact, not because it was in the original business agreement.
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Yes but if they had just said nothing most people would have cancelled by now. Who would pay a large chunk of money to company expecting delivery in three month and then wait two years with no communication?
Oh, I think a lack of communication might have bombed it, from a crowd sourcing perspective. I’m just pointing out that Glowforge legally, by the agreement, had no obligation to bring the updates, apologize for the unexpected delays, or compensate for those delays while working to bring a quality product to market. They did that on their own, and I think that is more than just attempting to make savvy business decisions. From everything I’ve seen, that is the kind of person @dan is. I also suspect that there have been legal and business reasons he’s not been able to disclose more at times. (And I don’t really expect him to be able to confirm/deny that.)
I’ve been in business too long not to expect that to be true. In my current work, I literally every single day have things that I could say that would help the customer that I cannot legally say because of government restrictions, not company policies. That is part of why companies have lawyers. dan is a very high energy person, and he is extremely keyed up for Glowforge. I wouldn’t be surprised if the company lawyers want to tie him down and gag him on some update materials for various legal reasons.
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It was never a crowd sourced development. It was a pre-order from a company with venture capital for development. And is was sold as if it was a fully developed product, not something that was a prototype that only did the basics.
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Twice…TWICE we have had the RROD. I wish it upon no one… (moment of silence).
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Why? My plans have always been for long after the promised delivery date. They’ve always allowed for a little slip, but not 2 years worth.
I can make the products I want to sell or use for events and such in a more manual way, and I do. However, as a side line to my day job, it takes too much time to be worthwhile. This product will cut that time in half, or probably by 75%, and make it more doable as a sideline for me. Is it 100% necessary to me as a business, no, but it’s not worth me doing the stuff I do for sale without it.
Could I have ordered some other laser? Sure. And I almost did a couple of times, but again, the configuration, set-up, and issues are not something I want to deal with as a sideline.
Here’s an example. I had a plan to use the glowforge to cut out my wedding invitations (die cut style). With the glowforge, by all pre-release and production unit accounts I’d have been set up and cutting within minutes. Probably the 70 or so invitations would have taken me at most a couple hours to cut out (all vector cuts). Instead I had to go buy a plotting cutter, the silhouette, to get the job done. Set up was fast, but getting the right cutting settings for the card stock I had took me a couple weeks, and a lot of money and wasted card stock before realizing the blade was faulty.
Once I got that sorted, and got the design reworked (the sticky mat you have to put it on was tearing some of the thinner parts of the design), I could start production. Each cut took 3 minutes on the cutter. Pulling the cut pieces off the sticky mat, and weeding them took another few minutes to prevent tearing. Setting up a new piece to cut also took a few minutes (aligning on the sticky mat, aligning in the cutter, etc.). Additionally, I had to score all the invitations by hand afterwards (a step I think I could have done on the forge, but not sure), which took another few minutes per.
All told, the 70 or so invitations took me about 12 hours or so in total over a few days. Possible without the glowforge? Sure. Worth the time? highly debatable. And if I wanted to sell these, it wouldn’t be cost effective time-wise.
Just because something was crowd-funded (and this isn’t, it’s a pre-order as their funding comes from their investors) is no reason not to make personal or business plans based on a delivery date promised by a company.
Glowforge promised a delivery date. Plans were made (by everyone here, you included, I’m sure) when people ordered. Delay’s happened, plans were pushed back, or people found another avenue (cancel, competitor product, etc.). As time goes on, more and more plans are made because people see the capabilities, and start getting files and materials ready. Delays happen and people are stuck changing plans again.
To tell people not to make plans based on a product they ordered and a delivery date promised by the company is absurd, unless one has no faith in the company to deliver, and then why buy from them in the first place?
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Question on the monthly $20. I know it sounds petty, but hey…$20 is $20. The $20 is it calculated once the month starts or passes. For instance if we get to July is it credited on July 1st, or August 1st for July because it passed. Do we get the $20 credit when we reach the month or pass it? Say for this year, counting from January and we are in June, is it $20 X 5 or X 6? Like I said, I know it seems petty, but I was wondering if we get to Oct and I still haven’t received my precious am I credited $180 or $200?
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