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Meanwhile, folks at Torqbar and Vorso have spent the necessary times to calculate the proper weight distribution, the right size, the right bearings that complement perfectly with the metals involved. Don't forget that Vorso designed their own version of the hybrid bearings to go with the spinner in this drop.
So, from someone who is going to spend $100 and higher on a metal spinner, wouldn't you want to spend a bit more to buy from someone who actually took the necessary time and calculation to design a well balancing spinner with a quality look to it than to try to create one yourself with questionable source of labor and raw materials? Do you even have the time to find the local machine shop you can trust? Is your time not worth more than the extra $100 (for this drop) you have to spend to find the "right" local machine shop you can trust? What if this local machine shop you found is two hours drive away? Is it worth your time to drive there?
And don't forget that Torqbar and Vorso, in their process of creating the final spinner they are selling now, had created multiple version of the prototypes until they perfected it. Your $100+ own version of the spinner you subcontracted to your local machine shop is a one time hit and miss event.
Good luck.
Fanbois fall for it, hook, line, and sinker, and can't be told you can get equal, or sometimes even better value, just by shopping around and looking at private services, etc. I live in a small rural town of around 14000 people. My boss runs a private machine shop, located about 3-4 miles out of town. He started the shop when our old employer was bought out and closed down. We used to make electric motors for commercial, industrial, aviation, and defense applications. The aviation and defense stuff required incredibly tight tolerances. He has numerous indicator meters to test all types of runout and such, a balance tester, a quality lathe, mill, ID and OD grinders, you name it! I could hop in the car and in 5 minutes be at the shop, if I wanted to. I couldn't tell you what he'd charge, but I know he _could_ do it.
In terms of manufacturing, there's only profitability in volume. Doing a one off is either gonna be:
A: Expensive and custom. or B: Free or near free labor... cause you either have the access to, or you own the equipment (makerspace, shop, employer, your basement, your garage, etc) to do the work yourself, or have a friend interested in giving it a shot.
In terms of going into production, I guarantee you that this can be made for far less than what the price of this one is, while maintaining the overall quality AND profitability. Given the materials, and the construction... Yeah, I believe it could certainly be sold cheaper, and still maintain a profit...
Of course, there are more than enough people here willing to pay the premium price, so there's no justification for the manufacturer to reduce prices. If you want cheaper, you will literally need to either make it yourself, or "know a guy".
Basically, we are on the same page.
What we see here is basic capitalism where businesses are here to make a buck. Craftsman creates a product with a design and quality that justify the mark up regardless of how it can be made "cheaper" in volume. Think of all the iPhones that are made cheaply in China but sell at ridiculous markup that millions are willing to fork over to buy them. It's all about selling quality. This Vorso flat top looks damn good to justify for the price Vorso is asking for. It's like buying a spinner in Tiffany.
Btw, If "we" fall for the product, hook, line, and sinker, then the craftsman has done a great job to create the need. Not that "we" can't be told of other equal or better values, it just so happen that Vorso has created a design so unique that it negates the need to look for other alternative with equal or better values. In other words, there is no other spinners from other craftsman that look just like the Vorso Flat Top.
Regarding shopping around, obviously, yes, you seek a maker who will do the task to your specifications, but most any reputable shop can do the task. You might be just as well off renting a month or two access to a makerspace and trying to learn a new skill, or find someone willing to do it for less than a professional shop would, but with 10x the passion for creating it. I think the thing that I took issue with the most was the sort of... blasé attitude that came off more as "most shops probably couldn't do it right anyway"... That's just what it sounded like to me, even if that's maybe reaching... That attitude sorta kinda just strikes a nerve for me. I shop around shops to see who will offer me the best value. A shop that'll charge me $340 to do this isn't worth it. A shop that'll throw it together for $120 might be worth it though. They might not offer the finishing, but that's doable with little more than some fine grit sandpaper and some water and elbow grease. I've put a mirror finish on metal before. Maybe another shop will do it for $160, with he finish, and maybe another one will do one, custom tailored to your finger size, and mirror finished, for $270... Maybe the value that strikes you is the one you can get cheap, throw a little of your own effort to finish it... Maybe the value is the one that'll customize it for a little extra. That's what I mean by shopping around. Your "shopping around" came off as more of an... elimination round to get the incompetent shops out of the way.
I think the main thing though, is I can't really agree with the line "negates the need to look for other alternative with equal or better values." You can always look for a better value, or a better design, or the same design at a better value... And that is why the price sits where it sits. Because people are willing to accept that price, and not shop around for another value.
The markup is purely there because the manufacturer has created a perceived value that people have accepted. And that is fine. It's just that other people, craftsman included, might see the value as being... silly... Hmm... You know, I actually deleted a comment about Apple, before posting my last comment. Figured I'd not drag them into it. LOL. I like Mac OS. I really do, but dang it if their hardware is just... Wow... I can't STAND the direction Apple has gone. I don't feel like overpaying for a machine that might not even be the best piece of hardware when it's new, that then might not even see any updates for 2 years, and that has NO actual upgrade path, save for buying yet another machine... What the heck kind of "Pro" machine doesn't have internal expansion!?! Well, I said no. I built a Hackintosh, my way, and on a budget, without skimping on speed or quality. I've been able to upgrade it as needed, and it's served me well. 3 years on, it's still quite fast, and I actually have room to grow yet! I have PCIe slots, I've added additional SATA ports, I've added a GPU (besides the integrated graphics), and plan to upgrade it again, before long! I can't do that with most Mac hardware! No Apple Mac has ever come in a 1939 Philco radio cabinet "PC case" and had a nixie tube clock built into it's front panel either. Expansion, speed, and unique beauty! I found a FAR better value than Apple's overpriced black trash bin, or their monitors with a cramped, thermally throttled computer with a mobile GPU chip jammed all up in there! Don't even get me started on Apple serviceability. They actually have the nerve to try to tell their customers that small repair shops are "scams". All Apple wants to do is make repairs so spendy you just buy the latest and greatest future e-waste. yeah... Apple's a whole can-o-worms for me. I'll happily continue installing Mac OS on generic PC hardware, that'll outperform the original Mac hardware anyway, and still be expandable, 1, 2, 3, or more years down the line.
I totally get that the value is worth it to some people. I was just going off on what felt like some... I dunno... almost hostility towards other shops doing this... Like these spinners are the holy grail of machine work. They are incredibly simple. The finish is simple. Any good machinist should be able to do this. That's the thing with these machines, lathes and such... If you understand how they work, and you can measure correctly... It's just a series of steps.
Yeah... I guess that's all I was trying to convey.
What bug me the most about iPhone is the way they force customers to pay thru their nose for more memory. Instead of providing a memory slot, they make you pay hundred more for add'l memory.
Thanks for sharing!
That's basically my only issue here. I couldn't afford the $195. :(
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/357690944/alpha-edc-spinner-fidget-multi-toy-with-pocket-top?ref=nav_search
I might just have to settle with a crap-tastic plastic one for now because I'm not likely to be able to afford one of these nice metal ones any time soon.
you can make your own if you like, search ebay for parts and build it. two 22mm munsen rings (use the round half from each one) one Rspororider all weather hybrid ceramic 608 bearings a few acorn nuts and 2 chicago screws. i dont have part numbers, but you can figure it out. peak_wanderer on instagram has a parts list in some of his comments.
Edit: Found on youtube.com that presented the DIY spinner using the above parts.
If can't see the video below then click on the link above to take you to youtube.com to view it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GB247A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A4UHI395ME17P