TL MICRO: Rechargeable Micro LED Flashlight + Black KLIP
Created by Dapper Design
Ultra-compact everyday carry flashlight, Micro-USB port, and Touch-sensor switch. Available in matte black aluminum and gray.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Lunar New Years, Coronavirus Outbreak, & TL MICROs
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Feb 07, 2020 at 03:19:09 PM
Hi Backers,
Sorry for not being able to give an update sooner. We wanted to have a more concrete update and a timeline of some sort put together beforehand but unfortunately, we have had very limited communication with our manufacturing partners. Here is where we are at...
SMALL BATCH OF TL MICROS
After recovering from the flu ourselves a few weeks ago, we were anxious to get back to work and 2 weeks ago out of no where, a small box of TL MICROs showed up at our office! This was both good and bad news for us; Good because we were not expecting them to come in at all during the Chinese New Years, let alone amidst the Coronavirus outbreak. So we were able to ship 100 gray and 100 black TL MICROs. A total of 236 backer rewards have now been fulfilled altogether since our last backer update. This was only a small batch and we still have 313 orders to fulfill. We are asking that if you have not yet received a tracking number and/or you have not seen movement in your tracking number to please hang tight, we don't have the rest of TL MICROs yet.
LUNAR NEW YEARS + CORONAVIRUS
After speaking with other creator-friends, they too have been adversely affected by the Lunar New Years extension and the Coronavirus outbreak. The situation is that workers in China typically return to their hometowns (away from manufacturing towns such as Guangdong and/or Shenzhen where our TL MICRO factory happens to be located). New Years was initially set for January 24th to the 30th but has since then been extended to February 8th. Our concern is if workers are still unable to travel and get back to work due to the outbreak, we are going to be delayed even further with TL MICROs progress. With that said, we cannot provide a concrete ETA at this time.
We understand this is very disappointing news and we wish we could speed things up. We are currently at a stand-still until we hear back from our manufacturing partners and learn more about how Coronavirus affects them directly.
Here is a video that sheds light on the current business situation in China:
We will post another backer update as soon as we can get back in touch with our partners overseas and they give us some news.
Thank you,
Aaron & Yoshimi
Partial Order Shipment Option
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Dec 09, 2019 at 04:15:32 PM
Hey Backers,
First, some great news... BLACK KLIPs are now fully assembled and our manufacturing partners are preparing them for shipment to our office (ETA approx. 1 week). Here is a photo from a few days ago...
PARTIAL ORDER SHIPMENT
On the previous backer update we announced that BLACK KLIPs would be coming in before the TL MICROs. At least one backer asked if we would be able to ship partial orders (shipping BLACK KLIP first and then the remaining items TL MICRO, Universal Headlamp straps (these are in-stock), add-ons, etc.) and we wanted to share our thoughts on it. The quick answer to this is YES we can do it, but there are certain logistics and additional fees involved.
To be clear, we would prefer that everyone wait to have their entire order ship in one package since this is what we are more experienced with and doesn't cost backers any additional fees. However, we understand with the holidays, some backers may want this partial shipment option. We don't mind the extra steps behind the scenes, but unfortunately, splitting one order into two means there is an extra postage fee + cost of packaging supplies (e.g. envelops, bubble mailers, labels, etc.)
Note: This option really only pertains to backers who purchased both TL MICRO & BLACK KLIP together. If you pledged for a BLACK KLIP ONLY, you do not need to follow the steps below as your order can ship as soon as it comes in next week.
If you pledged on both TL MICRO & BLACK KLIP and you want us to prepare a partial shipment for your BLACK KLIP reward, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Create an Account on our website using the same information; Full Name, Email Address, Phone Number, and Shipping Address you used for your BackerKit survey (we will look for these unique identifiers so we don't mix up orders):
Step 3: Add the product to your shopping cart by clicking on ADD TO CART...
Step 4: Go through the normal checkout process, choose a shipping method, and then complete your payment...
Step 5: When we see your order come through on the website, we will proceed to import your BackerKit survey into our shipping software. We will then mark your order as a partial shipment and get it ready...
Step 6: When BLACK KLIPs arrive to our office we will print a shipping label, email you a tracking number, and ship your order ASAP!
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you!
Aaron & Yoshimi
Updated Delivery Timeline
over 4 years ago
– Tue, Dec 03, 2019 at 01:44:02 AM
Hey Backers,
First, we apologize for not having any new news to share over the last couple of weeks. However, we do have an update regarding the delivery timeline. We've just received word from our manufacturing partner that we should have the BLACK KLIPs in about 2 weeks. As mentioned in the previous update, TL MICRO was going to take longer to complete since there are more components necessary in order to produce them.
With that said, we unfortunately have to move our estimated delivery timeline for this project to the middle of January. Although we have some faith that we will receive TL MICRO sooner, we wanted to set the expectations incase there are other delays beyond our control (e.g. customs delays, etc.)
We understand that this backer update is shorter than normal but please stay tuned as we gather photos from our manufacturing partners and prepare for the next update.
Thank you for your continued patience,
Aaron & Yoshimi
New Headlamp Strap Prototype + Production Videos & Photos
over 4 years ago
– Sun, Nov 10, 2019 at 09:03:48 PM
Hey Backers,
We've got some new photos to share from the production line of TL MICRO as well as photos of the newly updated Universal Headlamp Strap (functional prototype).
UNIVERSAL HEADLAMP STRAP
In the last backer update we mentioned that we are upgrading the TL Headlamp Strap accessory (available as an ADD-ON on our BackerKit store) to a universal version. That way you can turn just about any of your EDC flashlights into a headlamp...
Believe it or not you can put up to 6 (six) total flashlights at the same time! But for sake of this test we are using just 3 EDC flashlights; TL MICRO, ZEROHOUR IGNITE, and a SUREFIRE SIDEKICK...
Pretty cool, right?
Of course, you don't have to use more than one flashlight at the same time, but it's good to know you have the option.
And if you're having a good hair day or you want to keep things a bit more minimal, we've added buckles so the top center strap is detachable!
TL MICRO PHOTOS & VIDEO
Mass production is underway! Check out the CNC video and production photos of TL MICRO...
Once we have all the CNC parts completed, they will be sent to a manufacturing partner that specializes in anodizing (an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish). The internal PCB (electronic) part will take the most time to complete as they are made up of several components from different suppliers. We will share more progress of this in a future backer update.
Thank you again for your support and continued patience!
Aaron & Yoshimi
Production Update + Headlamp Strap Upgrade
over 4 years ago
– Mon, Oct 28, 2019 at 09:21:36 PM
Hey Backers,
We thank you for your continued patience as we continue the mass production phase of your KLIPs & TL MICROs. We wanted to take this moment to share a photo of the blades which we get from a specialized knife blade manufacturer. Once they are all complete they will be hand-assembled at our primary factory.
STAINLESS STEEL BLADES
BLACK BLADE SAMPLES
The black blades are essentially the blades above but unsharpened and then "anodized" to black and then sent in to be sharpened. Unfortunately, due to the sharpening process the cutting end of the blade cannot be black...
We plan to have some completely assembled mass production samples in soon which we will share in a future backer update.
TIMELINE
Completed titanium KLIPs will be available in 1.5 weeks while the black aluminum KLIPs need a little more time to anodize and assemble. We plan to have them in around the middle of November. The TL MICRO flashlights however, due to the complexity and the several different parts that are needed to make it, they will be done at the end of November. Ultimately, we are still shooting to deliver in December but with the holidays approaching that month, there could be a delay in shipping. We are hoping for the best case scenario and will keep everyone posted.
HEADLAMP STRAP UPGRADE
Many backers have opted to purchase the TL Adjustable Headlamp Strap on BackerKit. Thank you for supporting this add-on. Over the last couple of weeks we thought to ourselves why should we limit backers and produce a headlamp accessory that ONLY works with TL MICRO? What if instead, we made a universal headlamp strap that fits other EDC flashlights as well? So we did!
We have a very nifty UNIVERSAL HEADLAMP STRAP in the works and in a few days our samples will be ready for show and tell. If you have opted to purchase the TL Adjustable Headlamp Strap, you will be given the universal upgraded version instead at no additional cost. We will send a backer update with all the specs and photos in the next update.
BACKERKIT
BackerKit surveys are approx. 88% completed. This means there are still about 71 backers who have not completed their surveys. If you have not yet completed your survey, please click on the image below to get your survey link...
