Please support EKO SporKit 2.0 on our KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ekowareusa/eko-2-sporkit?ref=859xn9 An Ultra-Portable Cutlery Kit alternative to single-use plastic flatware. Noted Reviews: LifeHacker Japan: https://www.lifehacker.jp/article/machi-ya-eko-review/ Yanko Design: https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/11/20/this-titanium-edc-spork-is-so-incredibly-durable-your-grandchildren-will-be-taking-it-on-adventures/
EKO 2.0 is live. As a Previous EKO Backer you’ll receive an additional gift when EKO 2.0 is shipped. Limited Early Birds are available now. Please support our campaign in these crucial first 2 days of launch. Many thanks!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ekowareusa/eko-2-sporkit
Dear Awesome EKO Backers,
Our EKO 2.0 Campaign has been approved by Kickstarter and we'd like you to have a first look and first dibs on the Rewards and give any feedback before we launch: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ekowareusa/1770041374?ref=g4aa62&token=789d7cec
Thank you for supporting our successful EKO 1.0 Core and Ti-Ultra campaigns. The modular Extension clips on EKO 1.0 Premiums is compatible with EKO 2.0 that, when assembled, creates our EKO 2.0 CAMPER SporKit offering. SporKit is a 3-in-1 designed to be used without the clip, however, and is durable, strong, easy-to-clean, corrosion-resistant, and will last a lifetime or more with proper care. It's also more affordable, convenient, and fun to gift :)
Once we get all our edits in and improve the video we'll let you know at LAUNCH so you'll have first dibs on Early Bird pricing.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ekowareusa/1770041374?ref=g4aa62&token=789d7cec
All the Best,
John & Team EKOwareUSA
It’s been a while since our launch and I hope everyone is well and enjoying to-go meals a little more with your EKO kits. Crazy to think how much has changed since a few years ago.
After numerous field tests and your valuable feedback, we found ways to adjust and improve our product in hopes for an EKO 2.0 launch. But first, thanks to everyone who supported and backed our campaign in helping reduce single-use flatware with elegance and style!
Our focus with EKO was to create a nifty ultra-portable conveniently-compact cutlery kit. That said, more than 2000 Core stainless steel and titanium EKO kits were sold since our launch. We'd love to continue this endeavor with EKO 2.0 and other products with your help. Please see our following EKO launch plan and let us know your thoughts in the comments or direct message.
Okay, let's start with the new simplified rebranding:
When we specified Ti-Ultra EKO forks we intended them to be sharp but not sharp AF! Production happened overseas during the pandemic when travel was impossible and where errors like this could've been avoided with a factory visit before mass production. We sincerely apologize for the super sharp titanium forks. With our remaining inventory we've softened them a bit:
The patent-pending modular metal slot handle was designed to receive extensions of different shapes and materials. EKO 2.0 will be designed with this same slot. We've iterated upon several clip-on handles and want to go with wood ones since, well, wood just feels soo good with titanium! A limited number of Premium Ti-Ultra EKO kits that will include one wood handle are available at www.ekowareusa.com:
And lastly, we have two EKO 2.0 concepts that are three-in-one cutlery solutions that'll include the modular handle slot, a deeper spoon, better fork tines, and a serrated cutting edge. Actually, one just has a longer handle that could also extend with the plastic or wood clip-in handles that would be better for camping. We'd love to do both options if the Kickstarter goes really well with a stretch goal but would like to gauge interest and hear your opinions:
Each concept has it's tradeoffs where one is more compact while the longer one can be more for camping or used more without the handle extensions. We're also developing a flat napkin case that rolls around the EKO 2.0 and held tight with a simple elastic band.
We've gotten production quotes and plan to launch EKO 2.0 with a 10k Kickstarter Funding Goal. And since EKO 2.0 will just be a 3-in-1 SporKit we can offer better pricing. The Reward Tiers will start with the EKO 2.0 SporKit to include a carry case. As an original EKO 1.0 backer you'll be able to pre-order and/or get Early Bird pricing!
To order replacement clips and our new Ti-Ultra EKO with WOOD Handles go towww.ekowareusa.com.
Please let us know if you like concept A or B and any other feedback. We look forward to your contined support.
All Core êkö Backers should've already received their Rewards and most of all Ti-Ultra êkö Pledges should've been fulfilled or in-process; except for Australia & New Zealand due to COVID shipping restrictions along with some International countries where USPS shipping requirements had changed causing delays. We're keeping an eye on this. Please message us if you have questions.
EKO was totally custom-designed and developed in-house with no off-the-shelf stuff that can be easily sourced then rebranded; really, Kickstarter should not allow this, imo, but some recent KS projects are doing it unfortunately. EKOwareUSA is a small boot-strapped eco-hardware start-up with a simple goal of making eco-friendly products with our first being a pocket-sized anytime-anywhere solution to fight single-use plastic flatware; patent pending.
That said, production lead time and costs from machine tooling and sourcing of raw materials all the way through to mass-production and shipping logistics have to be managed with several international professionals to get the final product to you; no easy task but we made it happen with your help.
Again, we apologize for the delay, but please also keep in mind 2021 Global Supply Chain and Shipping Issues (titanium was more scarce and doubled in price) along with Asia Power Outages that caused our factories to operate at 40% in the latter part of 2021 after V1 tooling revisions and finally obtaining the raw titanium we needed.. These were Global issues beyond our control.
It was mentioned that extra Perks were to be added to Ti-Ultra Rewards; Premium Core Kits specifically. To clarify, extra Perks were based on Pledge Level along with Add-Ons via your BackerKit Survey. Many Ti-Ultra Pledges were upgraded to Premiums to include Clip-In attachments while Premium Ti-Ultra Pledges of 2x or more were gifted a Premium Core EKO Cutlery Kit (stainless steel). In some cases a single Ti-Ultra or Core Utensil with Clip was gifted and/or a keychain wooden phone stand. We hope you see the value of these extra Perk(s) gifted based on your Pledge.. also, we can't afford to give all Ti-Ultra Backers a Premium Core Kit, obviously, but please note we will honor our Backer Community the best way we can in a reasonable manner whether it be through promo discount codes, additional Perks on future Pledges, or super early bird notifications on 2022+ Projects. Please message us if you have questions regarding your extra perk or lack thereof so we could work it out.
Most of our funding went into production, materials, and fulfillment costs.. we also have an êkö 2.0 concept along with other new eko-friendly designs for 2022. Our inventory is more than 80% gone but more should be delivered in March/April to a few distribution partners and local retailers but we definitely still need help getting the word out. Please message us if you or someone you know would be interested in retail, distribution, B2B, and company gift partnerships in your city, country, and/or company.
Thank You,
John and Team EKOwareUSA
Instagram: @ekoware.usa
We received our first production batch Ti-Ultra Kits and they look and feel pretty good at around 45% the weight of 304 stainless steel, hypoallergenic, anti-corrosive, and around twice as strong to boot. We are ramping up to ship Ti-Ultra and Premium Wood Ti-Ultra Kits and SporKits this week. However, we won't receive our newly modified injected-molded Clip-In Extensions to complete the Premium Ti-Ultra êkö Cutlery Kits until early next week.
As mentioned in the previous update, the new harder titanium Ti-Ultra's didn't compress as much as stainless steel during the forming process and so we had to modify the Clip Extension tooling to accommodate the slightly thicker .02mm titanium modular grip slot. These new Clips for Ti-Ultra will be black whereas Clips for 304ss Core êkö will remain dark gray. All wood and injected-molded Clip-In accessories should be hand-washed. Metal hardware and pouches could be machine-washed.
This next photo and video are from our manufacturing partners at their respective factories:
Above video shows the newly modified injected-molded black Clip-In Extension locking into the metal êkö modular grip slot for compact carry and extended eating modes. We emphasize modular since we hope to offer a variety of Clip-In Extensions in different lengths, materials, and fold-out styles in the future (along with some product line extensions like a multi-function knife since we have a surplus of raw titanium material we had to order to meet a higher MOQ due to 2021 global supply shortages).
êkö metal hardware could be used without the Clips as well in it's most portable minimal form. The serrations were removed in this Ti-Ultra version for a cleaner look and to ensure they will pass through TSA checkpoints worldwide. Also added was a smooth satin finish by requests. TITANIUM and our logo are laser-etched black into the metal with êkö molded-in.
Thank you all for your patience and we sincerely apologize to our Ti-Ultra Backers.. this pandemic, global supply chain issues, and country-mandated factory power outages sucked but we believe everything works out when we have good intentions. We will be adding extra perks to your shipments as promised.
Core Backers, or anyone, please feel free to use or share discount code TIULTRA2022 for $15 off at check-out at www.ekowareusa.com which basically forwards to our BackerKit pre-order page.
John and EKOwareUSA Team
P.S. If you hadn't seen it, here's a cool write-up and video by the good people at Yanko Design: https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/11/20/this-titanium-edc-spork-is-so-incredibly-durable-your-grandchildren-will-be-taking-it-on-adventures/
We love this lil' ditty, "Designed to be compact, useful, sleek, and so insanely durable, it could be used on a human colony on Mars a 100 years from now, the Ti-Ultra êkö SporKit is a nifty little piece of travel cutlery that hopes to swear you off plastic, wood, or any of those single-use biodegradable cutlery sets."