New Tool Idea - Large Leather Shears - Should I make these for sale?

[mbnaegle]

Good job on those old tailor's shears! I agree they are worth fixing if you can.

For sure there would be a market, but I think the key will be effective communication. In just about any hand-tool driven craft or trade, there's always a big range between guys who will do everything with a plastic butter knife, and guys who think you need a million special tools, each one slightly different for slightly different demands (and some only used on Tuesdays). Both ends of the spectrum (and every point in between) has guys who feel clueless and would believe anything you tell them, and guys who will die before giving up their one true way of doing things, and honestly every one of them is "right" if they can do the work they do. I think the trick when it comes to selling any tool in that environment is to clearly explain what and why your product is and how it can help, but avoid claims of authority unless you can back it up with your own AND others experience, while also leaving room for other perspectives. You'll always have guys that think you are wrong or trying to rob them. I think good products should sell themselves and good salesmen just provide information and let you make your own decisions. For sure you need to learn from the masters before you, but the water gets muddy when that master is also trying to sell you things, no mater how helpful or necessary they are.

All that said, my take is that there's no "one-tool" to do it all, but it helps having redundancy and overlap in tools. I think good craftsmen have preferred methods and methods that they turn to when necessary, AND they're always learning and looking for other ways to do things better. When cutting thick and heavy leather, shears are not the first thing I reach for, but they can be really helpful when making adjustments to things after assembly or away from the workbench, like cutting flat belting for powering machinery like they were designed for. I think I've got a pair like in the first picture and they come in handy. In this case, the tool isn't "new" but is less common. You shouldn't have to worry about promoting your design as much as bringing the proven concept to a broader market, while also toting that they are hand crafted so the level of quality can be expected to be a little higher than factory made pieces.

Edited Thursday at 02:31 PM by mbnaegle