Awesome Stuff: Rubber Band Guns

from the weapons-of-minor-destruction dept

For the first awesome stuff post of the new year, we decided to go with something fun: rubber band guns. Not sure exactly why, but it just feels appropriate.

  • First up we’ve go the Palladium Gun, a rubber band gun kit that lets you create a basic rubber band gun that can hold 10 rubber bands.
    The project is only about 30% funded with two weeks to go, so it might not make it. There don’t seem to be any updates or comments, so it’s not clear how engaged the creator really is with the project. Still, a simple, straightforward rubber band gun for about $30.
  • Of course, one reason why the Palladium might not be getting that much attention is… because of the Rubber Band Machine Gun with unique Fast Charger — or the RBMG, for short. Rubber band machine guns are not a particularly new concept. And, in fact, there was another one on Kickstarter just a few months ago. But the RBMG seems to have gone bigger and better than many of the previous designs — and costing less than many comparable rubber band machine guns. The damn thing can shoot 672 rubber bands in a single go — releasing all of them in about a minute. Oh, and the other useful bit is the “fast charger” device that he’s offering with it, because without it, I imagine that spending the time to load up 672 rubber bands might not be that much fun.
    The project has shot way past its $5,000 goal and is currently over $70,000 with a little under two weeks to go. Since the guns are mostly being hand made by this one guy in the Ukraine, I would imagine there may be some concerns with his ability to actually build 600+ of these things and get them out in any reasonable time period. The other oddity is that he did a rookie Kickstarter mistake, and didn’t include shipping fees in the tiers, telling basically everyone they have to pay $30 more than the tier actually requires for shipping. I’m sure many will pay it, but it may lead to problems for those who don’t. Still, it’s a pretty impressive project, at a good price (~$130 to $140 once you pay the shipping) compared to similar rubber band machine guns. That other one that was on Kickstarter a few months ago was a lot cheaper, but held many fewer rubber bands.

That’s it for this week. Don’t shoot your eye out.

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Comments on “Awesome Stuff: Rubber Band Guns”

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18 Comments
TCMckay says:

Re: Hindu Invasion

“What’s happened over the last two generations is that the economic heart has been ripped out of what once was a thriving middle class. A concentration of wealth brought with it enormous political power which has inexorably tilted the playing field the .1%er’s way.”

And this is why the h1-b program exists.

John Fenderson (profile) says:

Re: Re: Hindu Invasion

On the other hand, at least in certain segments of the software industry, it really is incredibly difficult to find qualified software engineers.

I know where I work there has been a worker shortage for a few years, as the vast majority of US applicants aren’t anywhere near qualified to do the work. If it weren’t for the h1-b program, we’d be absolutely screwed.

PopeRatzo (profile) says:

Kickstart this

Rule of thumb: If you’re trying to make money off your rubber band gun, you’re probably a douche.

Any non-douche who invents a decent rubber band gun would put the design on the internet so anyone can 3D print their own.

I’m starting to hate the very idea of kickstarter. If your idea is worthwhile, you shouldn’t need charity. It’s why God invented the selling of shares of stock. I hate the beggy nature of kickstarter, where you’re supposed to give someone money on the promise, no takes-backsies, that you might someday produce the product and that if you give extra money, you’re going to get moral starbursts from the twenty-something who’s paypal account it is.

Just look at the damage that kickstarter has done to the gaming world. Nobody can finish a game any more and a ton of really crappy games with wonderful trailers have flooded the market. Every game that looks decent is coming out in the fourth quarter of “next year” and now established companies, who goddamnit should be able to raise the capital are starting to hold out their cups, too. And not one game of the first order has been produced out of kickstarter origins.

John Fenderson (profile) says:

Re: Kickstart this

Any non-douche who invents a decent rubber band gun would put the design on the internet so anyone can 3D print their own.

A thousand time this.

I disagree with part of your reasoning about Kickstarter, though. Kickstarter is, conceptually, no different than selling shares (they’re both equally beggy). The advantage to it is that it levels the playing field — incorporating and selling shares is not a trivial or cheap thing to do, so that approach is unavailable to a lot of people who have great business ideas. Kickstarter gives them a way forward.

No, please NO!!! says:

It's NOT "the Ukraine"!!!!

“The Ukraine” refers to the time when Ukraine was a captive pet of the Soviet Union. The name of the independent country is simply “Ukraine”. People in Ukraine get annoyed at the very least (and hopping mad sometimes) when their country is referred to as a captive pet of the Soviet Union.

It’s like referring to the US as “England’s colonies.”

Please – use the right name – don’t insult Ukraine, even unintentionally.

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