Last December we were finally able to invest in a fancy new 3D printer, or at least fancy compared to the previous DIY 3D printer kit that we’d gotten from donating to a Kickstarter campaign.
It was so exciting, and the wranglers coming off this fancy new 3D printer were much improved over the early models. But it quickly became apparent, as Local Yarn Shops beyond our own Local Yarn Shop started wanting to carry Needle Wranglers for their customers, that even our new fancy printer would be hard pressed to keep up with demand much longer.
We became preoccupied with researching injection mold options, flabbergasted at shipping costs, cost of parts made in China verses the United States, storage possibilities, bank loan applications, fundraising strategies and more.
It was all pretty overwhelming, both financially and emotionally, and we decided we had to back away from taking that next big step for at least a little while. And then one day Emily was chatting with a regular customer at the yarn shop she manages, and it turned out the customer’s father was a retired injection mold specialist!
Well, this happened and that happened and the next thing we new, we were meeting with a guy up in Bellingham, WA who runs an injection mold company. He was able to make a mold and first run at a price we could afford, and voila! Locally manufactured Standard Needle Wranglers, not shipped in from overseas or made by cheap labor, but right here in Washington State.
We love our new injection-mold produced Standard Needle Wranglers and their bright colors, flexible plastic, sleek appearance, and reliable functionality. As one yarn shop owner recently put it after being introduced to them, “I love these! There’s nothing cutesy about them. They’re engineered, just solid design.”
We are still 3D printing our Minis and Jumbos, but look forward to the day when we are able to take the next big step and have our Bellingham guy start injection mold production of these as well.
