Did you hire a voice-over or is it your real voice? Sounds professional.
Nah, it's just me. With my phone. If the kickstarter is successful, maybe I'll upgrade to a better setup?
How hard is it on your fingers? I guess after some practice you know exactly when to let go.
Is the friction on the axle enough to stop the string from coiling backwards (if you let go at the end) and potentially making a big knot?
Glad you asked! I've never noticed any finger-wear. After all this time, I can only assume it just doesn't happen. How you hold the "handle" is a matter of personal preference but it doesn't take long to find a comfortable stance for yourself - you don't typically release the handle during the launch. All the parts are finished with silky-smooth edges too, so there's no burrs or anything.
Ah, also, the feeder on the unit prevents knots if there's any overrun. Overrun really only happens if you've loaded your shell badly but in theory, the momentum of the launch can actually wind the whole string back onto the barrel (backwards) if you just let it go. It's pretty analogue that way. You'd then have to pull the string again and wind-up normally. Takes less than a second.
...More art!This is the art for "Raptor" from the three initial shells that will be available in the Kickstarter. See the tools it comes with? I'm thinking I can unlock more shell designs exponentially if we reach the funding goal. So when you pledge, you pledge for a certain number of shells (typically 3 for a gang) and just choose the ones you want from the unlocked list at the end of the campaign.
That means you have a full range of shell choices even if you pledge early. A new shell design for every $1,000 we all raise is probably pretty on target. Means the delivery date will be a little longer (about 2 months instead of 1, as we need time for people to return their KS-surveys with their selections) but I reckon that's worth it for a greater range of components, yeah? The final number of shells available would then be pretty much unlimited.
Thoughts on the "unlock" idea?