If there’s one thing everyone in our industry can agree on, it’s this: Creators are innovators. And a recent spate of practical products from YouTubers like Linus Tech Tips, JerryRigEverything, Jonathan Katz-Moses, and Hacksmith Industries have shown us, once again, that creators don’t just innovate in digital video.
Hacksmith Industries has grown his channel to 15.4 million subscribers and ~20 million views a month by recreating engineering marvels from films–think the Power Loader from Alien, a Star Wars lightsaber, an Iron Man suit, and John Wick’s bulletproof suit. All of these recreations are functional (or at least semi-functional), but they’re usually massive, heavy, and expensive one-of-a-kind items, so fans have to admire from afar.
But Hacksmith’s latest work is something they can get their hands on, and fans have helped personally chip in millions of dollars so far to do just that.
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Introduced through a Kickstarter campaign that launched Aug. 6, Hacksmith’s Smith Blade is a 21-in-1 everyday carry tool whose star is a blade made of M390. That’s a steel Hacksmith says is “produced in Germany through a process called powder metallurgy that seems almost like science fiction, there’s a reason why it can literally cut other knives in half.”
Also included are wire strippers, tweezers, a bottle opener, a protractor and ruler, a pry bar, Phillips- and flat-head screwdrivers, a pen, a sewing awl, an illuminator that glows thanks to radioactive tritium, a fire striker, an emergency glass breaker, and more. It’s also got one patent pending feature: a storage slot for 4mm drill bits.
“Whether you’re a hands-on maker, or perhaps a mom or dad who is expected to know how to fix anything and everything, the Smith Blade is built to be there when it matters most,” Hacksmith wrote in the Kickstarter description. “From household repairs to backwoods camping…from writing that note when nobody else has a pen, to playing family IT guy or ‘certified’ DIY electrician swapping a light switch, it’s got you covered.”
The campaign priced the Smith Knife at around ~$200 a pop for the “standard” version. There are both cheaper and more expensive options, too. (It’s priced around what his competitors, like Leatherman, charge for their products.) Hacksmith’s goal? To bring in around $180,000 for the first production run.
Instead, his campaign tallied up ~36,600 backers, who handed him $10,636,050.
“Wow! We thought this campaign would do well but it has already exceeded all of our expectations,” Hacksmith wrote in an Aug. 19 update. “We’ve already become the most funded EDC ever, the most funded knife ever, the most funded Canadian Kickstarter project ever…and we’re in the top 25 most funded projects of all time, period, across all categories!”
The campaign is now officially over, but is still taking orders. This is a clear case of a creator making an innovative product with appeal beyond his fans. We’re betting a lot of the early funding and word-of-mouth oomph came from Hacksmith’s YouTube viewers, but it’s clear from the amount of money raised and from comments on his updates that not everyone knew about his YouTube content before encountering the Smith Knife. It’s a product born of his engineering prowess with appeal for the people who watch his content, but the performance of its Kickstarter campaign proves it has broader appeal.
He’s not the only creator to prove this. Linus Tech Tips‘ ratcheting multi-bit screwdriver sold 103,000 units—$7.2 million worth–in just three months. Meanwhile woodworking YouTuber Jonathan Katz-Moses got a $2 million investment from Slow Ventures, the first investment to come out of its $60 million Creator Fund. JerryRigEverything made his own knife selling for $20 ($150 if you want it gold-plated).
What ties these products together? They’re all functional, for use by everyday people and expert craftsmen. We know YouTubers are often experts when it comes to their interests–now they’re turning that expertise into multimillion-dollar products.
