Awesome New Pool Cue Holder Project

[Snapshot9]

Holder

Interesting design, but my first impression was that it was over-engineered.
I don't know why you couldn't use some type of plastic/silicon material and injection mold the 2 parts. It would be much cheaper, especially in quantity, and you could then sell them for a decent price. Sorry, $45 is just more than I want to spend for a holder, and quite frankly, I haven't had any problems with my QClaw.

 

[Hobart007]

Interesting design, but my first impression was that it was over-engineered.
I don't know why you couldn't use some type of plastic/silicon material and injection mold the 2 parts. It would be much cheaper, especially in quantity, and you could then sell them for a decent price. Sorry, $45 is just more than I want to spend for a holder, and quite frankly, I haven't had any problems with my QClaw.

PLUS, if someone runs into the table, the holder will give before the cue does. Don't want the cue protector to be stronger than/damage the cue.

 

[sfleinen]

design being hard to fit in a case, without a big buldge...

Ok, that's a good observation. In that case, then just the dual-hook idea (hooks facing 180-degrees away from each other) so that it lies completely flat in the case, and doesn't take any more room than a single-hook design. (This is Maniac's first suggestion, btw -- basically a "wingnut" design, but using hooks.)

-Sean

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

The idea of the Cue Holder is Cool, but the market is flooded with other Cue Holders in the 12-15 Dollar Range!

 

[PickPocket]

But!!!

Ok, that's a good observation. In that case, then just the dual-hook idea (hooks facing 180-degrees away from each other) so that it lies completely flat in the case, and doesn't take any more room than a single-hook design. (This is Maniac's first suggestion, btw -- basically a "wingnut" design, but using hooks.)

-Sean

If those 3 hooks were stagered, they might be made to swivel and lay flat against each other!, but cost would go up more!

 

[SoniDJ]

Nice idea! I made something that serves the same function, just for myself. Nice product I think you will sell plenty.

Great points by everyone. Thanks for offering your insight into the pricing.

I'm confident that there is a market for this kind of "higher end" cue holder. Using the current methods of manufacturing, I would be unable to sell the device at a $30-ish price point since that is already less money than what it costs to do a short-run of these devices.

Its possible that the price could be reduced by opting to use a cheaper material like ABS plastic or something similar. I'm personally not willing to compromise the build quality to meet a price point, which may result in a loss of sales to certain markets. I can accept that. What I can not accept is a product that doesn't accomplish the goals I designed it for.

I would like to point out, to those who are mentioning the desire for a lower price, the E-Grip is currently available at a price of $45 for a limited number of early backers. If you have a Facebook account, it takes literally 30 seconds sign up for Kickstarter, and if the project doesn't meet it's funding goal, no money changes hands. It's a great way to support projects like mine with virtually no risk.

Relative to what other pool cue holders can do, I think the E-Grip is unique enough to justify the purchase price. I actually just recently finished another video that demonstrates how the E-Grip compares to other pool cue holders currently on the market. We did something pretty cool with one of those GoPro helmet cameras, which you can see when you check out the video below:

How Does The E-Grip Compare to Other Pool Cue Holders? on YouTube

 

[macguy]

I've known about the E-Grip for a while since I worked in the same shop where it was being invented and improved. Now it's finally being released to the public after years of work and testing. If you haven't already seen it, the E-Grip is basically a pool cue holder that clamps to a table and make sure it doesn't get dinged up while you're not playing with it.

The inventor, Brandon Gramse, is a friend of mine and he's using the website Kickstarter to raise funds for mass manufacturing the E-Grip. I thought I'd post the link to his project here so it could get some extra attention. I've used this product in it's prototype form for years and I can definitely say that this is seriously the best pool cue holder on the market.

I know that this device is probably going to sell for $70 or more after this Kickstarter thing finishes up. Now's your chance to get one for almost half that price. That's a kick ass deal. I'll ask Brandon to come over on the forums and answer any questions people might have. For now, check out his project which has a video showing the E-Grip a little better.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandongramse/the-e-grip-the-most-secure-way-to-hold-your-pool-c "

The last mold I had made was $24,000. Just looking at what you have there it needs several different molds. It's comparable value is probably in the $19.00 range and that would be retail. Wholesale maybe $10.00. To be honest I see a flaw in the design. It holds the cue completely immobile. That means if someone trips over the cue instead of it falling over and maybe having from no damage, (falling on carpet), to probably minor damage. Held so rigidly the cue could be very seriously damaged, even be snapped in two.

 

[RRfireblade]

The last mold I had made was $24,000. Just looking at what you have there it needs several different molds. It's comparable value is probably in the $19.00 range and that would be retail. Wholesale maybe $10.00. To be honest I see a flaw in the design. It holds the cue completely immobile. That means if someone trips over the cue instead of it falling over and maybe having from no damage, (falling on carpet), to probably minor damage. Held so rigidly the cue could be very seriously damaged, even be snapped in two.

That was actually my first thought, there a point where Id rather have the cue kicked over and maybe even caught, which happens a suprising number of times, than snapped at the joint.

 

[macguy]

That was actually my first thought, there a point where Id rather have the cue kicked over and maybe even caught, which happens a suprising number of times, than snapped at the joint.

In the video demonstration he kicks the very bottom of the cue and it slides sideways. In a real world situation the cue would most likely be contacted somewhere above the very bottom. If the cue has a bumper it will probably be wedged with the stress near the middle. Even if this was just one chance in ten or a hundred, an accident that could result in the cue snapping at the joint is scary. I have used homemade cue supports and they are easy to make, but they are just a temporary convenience for maybe a few seconds when breaking. I would never park a cue in one in a busy room for an extended time. I keep any cue I care about in my hand, I don't leave it leaning against bars, tables or chairs.

 

[Brandon Gramse]

Hey all! Thanks for the suggestions and comments as always. I'm loving the discussion and I think that, with this kind of support from the pool playing community, the E-Grip can become the go-to pool cue holder.

I would like to ask you all a favor; if you can click on the E-Grip project on Kickstarter and become a backer it will definitely help to bring this product to market sooner. As a result of your support, we'll be able to start a process where the entire community has a hand in creating the best pool cue holder on the market.

If you're unfamiliar with Kickstarter and how to help out, I've got a new video that shows how you can become a backer in 30 seconds or less!

http://youtu.be/v6lbY8ApdCI

 

[Hits 'em Hard]

Hey all! Thanks for the suggestions and comments as always. I'm loving the discussion and I think that, with this kind of support from the pool playing community, the E-Grip can become the go-to pool cue holder.

This may sound harsh, but there are a few major design flaws right now that makes me look at it as being a destructive device towards cue. Exposed metal in such a configuration, that if a cue were to get kicked, it would then be wedged at such an angle to where the current rubber padding will have no effect and the shaft will touch bare metal, causing dings or dents.

I already offered my advice on how to fix it in my previous post, but basically ditch the aluminum, and have the base be made of metal. Make the metal base a bit smalled than the current design, and then coat the entire thing in rubber like the Q-claw is. This will eliminate any chance of metal touching your cue allowing for it to ding or dent it.

As for donating money, I'd ask people to hold off until all concerns can be addressed and delt with.