LIFESABER: Power Supply For Wilderness Survival

Sat Mar 1 '25 Announcement
about 1 year ago – Sat, Mar 01, 2025 at 08:59:13 AM

I have now successfully fulfilled nearly 196 crowdfunding pledges. The LifeSabers shipped directly out of Shenzhen to my backers around the world.

The feedback has generally been very positive (though I've also received lots of constructive suggestions). Here's what Doug Stewart (Kickstarter backer #900) had to say. Doug lives in the United Kingdom and has backed 48 campaigns. 

"I was so delighted when I opened the box.

Marvin, it was worth all of the work, and I am now so pleased that I made the top-up donation to help with all the costs you have incurred. Initial thoughts:

• It comes with a quality case
• It looks great.
• It generates power very well, and that is the key for when you are out, and your mobile phone battery has died
• The flashlight works well
• The firestarter starts fire and is awesome
• The winder arm feels slightly fragile, but it works, it works well, it locks in place
• A built in USB-C cable would be nice [Doug subsequently realized that the LifeSaber ships with an advanced multi-tip charging cable, which stores in the side pocket of the pouch; the cable was at the bottom of the carton]

I am sure that this is a product that can be developed, but the key thing is that this is what Kickstarter is all about, and this is an awesome product, which I can see selling in high volumes.

Well done to the whole team, you have created something unique and awesome.

And that is not easy."

The LifeSaber is currently available to order from Indiegogo InDemand. I plan to begin a promotional campaign as soon as I complete a more professional video demonstrating the final product. In anticipation of that relaunch, the Indiegogo Trust and User Operations Team conducted a thorough review and verified that we have officially entered the 'shipping' phase of the campaign. Here's what they said in the notification which I received:

"It’s rare to see a campaign continue for this length of time while actively working toward delivery. Your persistence is notable, and ongoing transparency with backers is always valuable.

[We understand that the] plan is to effectively relaunch the existing campaign with updated information and pricing."

A few closing thoughts.

The LifeSaber is a powerful tool for which I've created a very detailed User Manual (printed in large format, included with each tool). You can also view the instructions at this link along with other important documentation. (including specifications for the upgraded 21650 battery). 

The Firestarter and Water Purifier components have now been combined into a single miniature module, which is reversible and stores internally. I believe this is a huge improvement and everyone in this distribution round should have received this snap-in regardless of their original order. Let me know if you didn't receive the Fire/Water module. 

And finally, I'm again fundraising for my annual Ride to Fight MS. The MS Society consistently earns the highest ratings for charitable effectiveness and accountability, while its research benefits the work of curing many of the other illnesses which afflict humanity. Last year, with the help of many of you, I raised nearly $13,000 and have set my sights even higher for 2025. My charitable work helps me to find balance in these troubled times. Click here to donate.

Yours most sincerely,

Marvin Weinberger

Sat Jan 25 '25 Announcement
about 1 year ago – Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 02:28:35 PM

Dear very patient supporters:

Yes, after 5 long years, the first few hundred LifeSabers have finally shipped. By the time all of the final customs formalities have been sorted (for India and South Korea), a total of 197 units will have departed the ePacket Express fulfillment center in Shenzhen. See the attached photos.

I'm trying to update the records at BackerKit so that notices will be sent out to those in this first wave of distribution. 

But very soon, many of you will have the opportunity to experience this tool into which I've invested so much heart (and additional money). Of course, I wouldn't be here without your generosity. 

I'm hoping you'll like the LifeSaber and will create video reviews to share with your fellow backers - and the world. Of course, the product can be further improved, but I'm hoping you'll agree that the LifeSaber far exceeds what I promised (and your initial expectations). 

For every new LifeSaber I can sell at $179 via our Indiegogo InDemand page, we'll be able to finance most of the cost of also filling one of the roughly 1,400 outstanding crowdfunding orders. So please tell your friends. 

Here's a slide deck documenting where we are with the product and the business.  I look forward as always to your feedback, including thoughts of how to get the word out on social media. I have a handful of samples to lend to any prominent reviewers who you can introduce me to. 

I'd also appreciate your thoughts about how to get the LifeSaber into the hands of NGO's who might help us to distribute to the many refugees who are suffering on this planet. Who more than they need power, light, a way to purify water, start a fire and a siren to thwart attack and alert rescuers. Ideally, a portion of sales could underwrite the donation of units to help those most in need.

Warmest regards,

Marvin Weinberger

Sat Dec 21 '24 Announcement
over 1 year ago – Sat, Dec 21, 2024 at 01:31:08 PM

Dear supporters:

We are in assembly and testing of the LifeSaber and have finalized the distribution list for the first 200 units. The tools will be distributed as fairly as possible, reflecting all commitment levels, diverse countries of origin and timing of support as well as recognition for those who have been most engaged over the years. But more than 30% of you have not yet completed their survey from BackerKit. 

You are not obligated to pledge more to help with the increased costs of our much improved tool.  But you do have to verify your current shipping address if you still wish to receive the product. So please, complete the BackerKit survey ASAP. If you are having difficulties, don't hesitate to directly contact the BK team, [email protected]; I think you'll find them very responsive. 

Meanwhile, I presented the LifeSaber at an investor forum last week here in Philly (see photo of me twirling away); the response was extremely encouraging. Please reach out if you're interested to review my plans to turn the LifeSaber into a continuing business. 

Marvin

Thu Nov 14 '24 Announcement
over 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 14, 2024 at 05:53:59 PM

What's new

Dear very patient supporters of the LifeSaber:

Because we initially offered so many different pledge levels, and product options, consolidating everything has been complicated. I'm using Backerkit (to which I've paid thousands of dollars) to administer the survey process across both the Kickstarter and Indiegogo platforms. This is a powerful, but complex (and somewhat limiting) tool, so please be patient. Fortunately, I can attest that the support at Backerkit is really awesome. 

I've decided that everyone is going to receive the full LifeSaber, including both the fire and water components, regardless of what was originally ordered. This greatly simplifies production and fulfillment. And, now that these lifesaving features have been combined into one internally stored (reversible) module, it just makes sense from the perspective of product integrity. 

I'll be asking all of you to consider increasing your pledge to cover the dramatically increased costs of what is now a much better LifeSaber. And while this is a strictly voluntary donation, any additional funds you generously contribute will go to help making more tools (so that we can fill the balance of pledges).

We are (still) on track to ship the first 200 LifeSabers before the end of the year. Please consider asking your friends and colleagues to buy one as well at our Indemand campaign page on Indiegogo. Every new purchase includes margin to help cover costs.

So, in the next few days (if all goes well) you'll be receiving an email with a special link to your Backerkit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfill your rewards.   Remember, you don't have to increase your pledge/donation. You just have to affirm where you'd like the LifeSaber to ship.

You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email, click the survey link to respond. Answer the questions about your reward preferences, provide shipping information and decide if you'd like to donate more. 

After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts.

Again, please be patient because I'm definitely still early on the learning curve with BackerKit. And although you’re all my much beloved family of backers, the mechanisms are a bit different depending upon whether you first  joined this journey from Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Thank you so much.

Marvin

Tue Oct 29 '24 Announcement
over 1 year ago – Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 05:25:11 AM

Dear friends and supporters:

As you’ll recall from my last update, Chris Calandra - one of your fellow backers - volunteered to evaluate the latest prototype of the LifeSaber. I reported on his detailed findings.

Here’s Chris’s story,  in his own words, as he experienced Hurricane Helene in Jackson, South Carolina.

"So, we were destroyed by the hurricane here, no power or water now for two days. See photos. National guard has been called out, it's a complete survival situation. I opened the box back up that I had packaged the LifeSaber in [to return] and because UPS and FedEx weren't running so I couldn't get it picked up.  I was fortunate in that aspect and am now using it in a true survival situation. More to follow as I get through this…

"Still no power and no water. Cell connection is sporadic. I continue to use the LifeSaber to charge my phone…

"Sorry for the delay in sending an update. Enza (my dog) and I survived! Our total time without power was 8 days and no water was 5.

"The LifeSaber was amazing and I used it relentlessly for recharging and phone. I even let two neighbors try it - well their children did it because the parents were trying to teach them what it's like to work for something like electricity. The younger children especially loved it because it gave them something to do. The lightest resistance setting worked best for them, age range 10 to 16, boys and girls...

"Just a quick note post hurricane, I went for a hike with Enza today and toward the end we happened upon some hikers at a bend in the trail by a stream. The young people noticed the LifeSaber hanging off the side of my EDC backpack and inquired about it. I was actually hoping they would and that's when I dove into my "sales" pitch. I took out my phone and showed them online where to go to find out some of the finer deals and when one of the group took out his phone, he exclaimed that his battery was at 4% and he didn’t want to risk using the rest of his battery.

"I loved it, I took out the [included] multicable and chose the end for iPhone and plugged his phone right in and charged it up for him. At about 50% he told me that was enough he didn't want to use up my battery. I showed him how I had unlimited power and then of course they all wanted to try the twirl function and of course juice up their phones. I showed them the fire starter attachment and the water purifier and demonstrated both for them. We parted company and I believe we have a few more LifeSaber owners on the horizon!

"Honestly, I love this thing, I know you went through a lot to get these made, but the more people that see this and touch it the more are going to love it."

About Chris Calandra:

"I'm the Senior Technical Advisor for the NNSA/DOE (National Nuclear Security Administration)  on the SRPPF (Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility Project). I am a tinkerer extraordinaire and love to build home systems to support normal life after a disaster such as solar and wind power. I build model railroads for fun. I have traveled the world, been on six of the seven continents. Hiked in the Andes, the Alps and the Rockies."

I'm so glad that Chris and Enza are OK, and happy to report that we are still (finally) on track to begin shipping the LifeSaber in early December. Thank you so much to Chris and all of you for your patient support.

Marvin