The Blaze Burner - the best back light for bikes.

FINAL ASSEMBLY HAPPENING with casings that are up to scratch..!!!
over 7 years ago – Thu, Sep 01, 2016 at 12:48:09 AM

Hello hello our trailblazing Burners, 

I won't beat about the bush on this one. We've had everything we need for final assembly for a while, we've been awaiting our die cast casings from Asia... And they have not been up to scratch!! Literally. We got to T6 on the tool for the casings and now we are still rejecting pieces off the final tool. Im afraid I'm not going to compromise on this and approve sub-standard product. 

We have just reviewed delivery of the first batch of selected perfect casings and have made these up into perfect final Burners, see below! We are testing these and once approved the next drop of 500 casings will be released. Expected Friday. There will be a gap between these 500 and the remaining 2,500 as we will be quality assuring each of the 500 and making any necessary changes before green lighting the bigger batch. 

Please await your confirmation email when your package is on its way. We use different couriers for different countries, but you will each receive an email. That's it folks! Be back soon and the end is in sight. 

THANK YOU for your patience and support, it will be worth it. We are so excited. 

With love and thanks, 

Emily + Team Blaze 

 Oh and Ps. Half the Blaze team have just arrived at Eurobike. They will have the first few Burners made up and put through testing with them to show - so go say hi if you're there and check them out... They're looking puuuurdy! Eeek.

 

 

PICCIES FROM THE PRODUCTION LINE!!
almost 8 years ago – Thu, Jun 23, 2016 at 12:29:35 AM

Hello, hello our totally brilliant Burner backers!

Thank you for your patience and for your fantastic messages. We’ve loved chatting to you throughout this campaign.

First off, there is no change to the plan or schedule since I last updated you - and we are still on track to be shipping out Burners in roughly three short weeks - mid July. Eeeeeek!!! Bits and pieces of the 92 electronic and 26 mechanical components comprising a Burner, are already at the assembly line and they’re looking beeeeauutiful!

We’ve subtly changed a few things - we’ve upgraded the plastic for the brackets; improving the optical quality (they’re transparent, super cool!) and the final finish.  The bracket really is a favourite of mine. Arguably the hardest part of the whole product to design. It certainly took the longest and at times took input from teams of experts around the world. All to end with something extremely elegant and seemingly simple.

We’ve improved the optical quality of the lenses too and these are undergoing chemical testing as we speak.  We've finished all of the red Burner PCBs and about to start the whites.  Here's a piccy of our new testing jig on the PCB assembly line.  We are testing 100% of the PCBs in production:

Meanwhile, the new special brackets have been one of the longer lead times, but they really have been worth the wait.  They're looking suuuper cool and working brilliantly:

And finally...  The anticipation was too much for us this week, so we did a little photoshoot of the first run of Burners.  Check out how chic Andre looks with his Blaze lights front and back:

The excitement is certainly building this end!!  It may be mid summer, in fact we've just passed the longest day of the year, meaning the nights have officially begun drawing in on the northern hemisphere...  And we therefore cannot wait to get you your Burner lights in the coming weeks, ensuring you're the first to look as smart as Andre this Autumn!

As many components have already been made, we sadly cannot accommodate any last minute changes to Kickstarter orders, we definitely can for any last minute changes of address, so please simply email [email protected] if that's you!

I will come back with more assembly pics soon.
With love + excitement as ever meanwhile,

Emily + Team Blaze

MANUFACTURING UPDATE + SHIPPING SCHEDULE!!
about 8 years ago – Sat, Apr 23, 2016 at 12:41:03 AM

Hello hello our wonderful Burner backers!

OK - I am so, so sorry I haven't come to you with production photos as promised..  I had to fly to New York last week and only just back now - all good and I hope some very exciting news ahead.  But it meant I couldn't go to Salisbury this week and share developments.

However, now I'm back I can share an update on production and what the next steps on shipping are...  SO EXCITED TO BE GETTING YOU YOUR BURNERS SOON!!

Now, the headline is - NEXT WEEK WE WILL BE GETTING THE FIRST BURNERS OUT OF THE DOOR, on time and in April.  BUT this is a staggered process, with different batches going out at different times, and will continue on from next week on into May.

As we are using a small and bespoke manufacture partner here in the UK, we cannot run through the full 2,000 Burners all in one go, but staggering things in batches.  Below is an outline of our shipping schedule and below are some photos of the first parts off tools.  Eeeeek!  

• The first Burners out of the door will be the back, red Burners alone
• Next will be people who ordered special additional brackets for their red Burner
• Then it is combinations of the above with Laserlight package combos
• Then it will be any combinations with the front, white Burners
• Next it will be everyone who ordered packages and a T-Shirt or water bottle

PLEASE BARE WITH US OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS BURNERS ARE SENT OUT.
We will be shipping for the next 4 weeks, and depending on what you ordered and where you live, you could receive your light anytime from next week on throughout May.

We are also thinking of running a competition next week to decide who will be the first Backer to receive their light (Burner alone, not add-ons)...  So stay tuned for more info!

Meanwhile, here some photos of the first parts off tools - the first run PCB (so geeky but I still think beautiful), colour matching the casings, the first plastic parts; lenses and O-rings.  

We will be down at the actual assembly line next week, and extremely excited to finally share photos of that with you!

THANK YOU for your ongoing support and general brilliance.  The Burner is an awesome product, we're all still riding with the Kickstarter prototypes and they're a dream.  I cannot wait to get you yours!!

With love and thanks as ever,
Emily + Team Blaze

UPDATE #12 BACKERKIT LOCKDOWN, SPRING IS ON ITS WAY!!!!
about 8 years ago – Fri, Mar 25, 2016 at 12:31:56 AM

Hello, hello our brilliant Burner backers!

I hope all’s well your respective corners.

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, Spring is in the air…. Well, a little premature perhaps, but it is on its way - which means that soon your Burners will be too! I am so excited to tell you that the manufacturing process has begun and I’m coming to you with some very important news:

Because we are a few short weeks away from shipping, this is your last chance to enter or change your shipping address and details in BackerKit!! For those of you who have yet to enter them*, please do so now!! The lockdown date for the surveys is Monday 4th April 12.00 GMT.  After this date you will not be able to make any changes to your shipping details.

*If you have yet to complete your BackerKit survey (this is how we collect your details, reward choices, additional add-on selection, shipping address etc.) you can find the link in your emails - you will have received an email from BackerKit to the email address you use for Kickstarter - please search your inbox for “BackerKit”. If you have any problems, please get in touch via: [email protected]

Boring admin done, on to the exciting bit and a production update: 

• The first run of component pieces have been checked, rechecked and very subtly iterated on up to 3 times. 
• The casing surface finishes have been finalised, with the additional option of ‘Gunmetal Grey’ selected. 
• Lights have been sent off for certification, CES Marking, official lumen reading, etc.
• We have locked down the final software and operating modes - button functionality, flash sequences, in what order, length of time to switch off, etc. We’ve been riding the prototypes on our own bikes for months now and think we’ve finally got the endless options nailed down! 
• The additional bracket solutions - this has taken some time and energy. In perhaps an overexcited moment of reaching our Audacious Stretch Goal (justifiably so), we promised you all an additional bracket solution of your choice. It has taken a bit of time for us to get the designs for these solutions right, but the final prototypes are back, approved and the design files sent off. 
• We have finalised the packaging design and artwork - as with all of our packaging to date, we have designed it internally (shout out to the fabulous Alberto!) and I am biased, but he’s done a great job. 
• The tools for the moulding process and the plastic components finalised.

...And the assembly line is being kitted, gearing up for the first run of lights. In fact, the small manufacturing facility that we’re using here in the UK, which I mentioned in my last update, is no longer so small - they’ve opened up a second and much bigger location! I certainly cannot say because of Blaze, but with the production of a few thousand Burners, plus the devices we’ll be making to go into the Santander Cycles, they’re very busy and the extra space definitely helps!!

As soon as things properly kick off in the next week or so, I cannot wait to go down and see it in action. I will certainly take some photos to share with you. SO exciting!

But that’s about it for now - we’re nearly there! Big shout out to Will in our team, who's been project managing the manufacturing and keeping everyone on time. He has been incredibly busy spinning plates and various suppliers, and about to get even busier, but in the best way!

I'll be back in touch in a couple of weeks, with some images from the assembly line and we cannot wait to get your Burners to you soon!

With love and thanks as ever, 
Emily & Team Blaze.

WE ONLY BLIMMING DID IT!!
over 8 years ago – Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 03:25:16 PM

With 6 hours left to the end of the campaign - we have just passed our outrageously audacious goal of £150,000!!  Truly unbelievable.  THANK YOU.

Not only does this mean we are over 425% funded and have blasted past all of our wildest dreams (!) but Phil, my Co-Founder and our COO, is also now pacing about the office in his Christmas penguin pants, with the realisation we also have a few thousand additional attachment solutions to get into the production schedule!  But this is a problem we're thrilled to have and so grateful for your help in reaching our second and audacious Stretch Goal.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Now, the boring but critically important part is that we will be sending you an email from BackerKit once the campaign closes.  This is the survey we will use to collect all of your information - postal address, number of lights ordered, which colours, T-Shirt sizes etc. Please keep an eye out for this email from BackerKist!  We will send them out once the campaign closes, so please check your spam from tomorrow.

*** IF YOU HAVE ORDERED A LASERLIGHT AS PART OF YOUR PLEDGE AND WANT IT IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS - WE NEED YOU TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY BY MONDAY MORNING TO MAKE THE CHRISTMAS POST! ***
Thank you!

If you are NOT needing a Laserlight in time for Christmas, there's no rush and you have more time to complete the survey.

Survey logistics aside, this is the best possible start to our Christmas week!
Celebrations kicking off in Blaze HQ.

With our love and thanks as ever,
Emily + Team Blaze.

Some more info on the Backerkit Survey:

We have chosen to use Backerkit to better manage your information and to ensure we get you exactly what you're hoping for!  It also allows you to amend your information and update your pledge with any add-ons at a later date.

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey, just click on the survey link when it arrives, fill it out, and you’re all good to go! The link will be coming tomorrow.

If you decide later that you want to edit your survey responses, you can go back to your entry and change it any time before we lock down the surveys for processing.

If you use your Facebook login for your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey will be sent to the email you used for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you would prefer to use, please contact support at .backerkit.com/faq and we'll get you sorted out!