The End Is Near!
over 6 years ago – Sat, Sep 09, 2017 at 12:57:49 AM

With all the hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes going on right now, it feels like it's the end of the world... but in reference to the Cache Belt project, the end is near.

Hurrican Harvey

Sorry for the delay in posting an update, I know everyone is excited to get the latest news. The last few weeks have been even crazier than usual with Hurricane Harvey dumping 4+ feet of rain here in Houston.  The good news is that we stayed high and dry!  No Cache Belts were damaged in the storm.

“The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.”  -Yvon Chouinard

To put it lightly, this belt buckle has been an absolute adventure!  Countless iterations across various metal stamping manufacturers and plating companies that lead to more dead ends than we ever anticipated, but it's finally coming to an end.

Coating

This was the final piece of the puzzle. We wanted durability and a clean aesthetic.  Nothing too shiny or attention grabbing, but enough character to be unique. After testing nearly every coating option on the market, we opted for a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD). It creates a very hard outer surface on the buckles.  This is the same coating used on some knives so we are confident it will stand up to years of daily wear and tear. 

Timeline

And now the topic you're all waiting for (with pitchforks in hand I'm sure). Throughout this entire process, we have tried to keep open communication and pass on the best estimates we are given directly from the manufacturer. As you all know, past manufacturers have screwed up more times than we can count, and even the latest one has had delays of their own. 

With this project nearing an end and a final decision made on the coating, they said they are going to push hard to get us at least an initial batch shipment by the end of this month so we can begin fulfillment! Keep in mind that nothing is ever set in stone, but this is the best estimate we have at this time. 

Either way, the wheels are in motion to have these parts in hand within a few weeks.  We are getting so close to being able to ship you your belts.... FINALLY!!!!!!

Thank you!

Thank you all so much for bearing with us through this outrageous endeavor!  We couldn't have taken a 10-month beating like this without all of your support. 

Overdue Update
over 6 years ago – Wed, Aug 09, 2017 at 01:28:58 AM

Hi everyone!

We should have given you an update a week ago, but we were waiting on the samples to share with you. At this point, we're sure you are tired of getting bad news or hearing that the schedule is pushed back, so we want to make sure we have some solid noteworthy news:

PRODUCTION

Our new manufacturer has done a great job on the execution of the design of the buckle. We were able to use a thicker material that is going to make the buckles even stronger and all the details (angles, tolerances, dimensions...)  have been dialed in.

We've said this before, and we're very sorry if this seems like a remake of Groundhog Day, but we should start production of stamping parts this week.

They estimate the full mass production stamping should take about 20 days before the parts get sent off for plating.  We intend to batch these in smaller quantities so we can begin plating some buckles while others are still stamping.  We are doing our best to complete this project as efficiently as possible, even if it costs us more in the long run. All of our estimated schedules have come from our manufacturers and we're sorry for any that we have been passed along and then passed by. We know you've been waiting a LONG time and we are ready to begin shipping as soon as we possibly can.

PLATING

A lot of companies would simply paint the buckles once complete, but we have been working with another plating company to get a more rugged coating. We got lucky and called upon some connections in the knife industry so that the plating is done right. We have a few that we are trying, but the best bet is probably going to be a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process.  This allows us to actually coat with other metals such as Titanium Carbo-Nitride. This should result in a tougher finish than we had originally planned with electroplating.

Below is a sample they did so that we can torture test while we wait for the production run to the finish. 

 At the risk of sounding repetitive and cliché, we want you to know that we want nothing more in this world than to get you your belt. Thanks for sticking with us this long. Your patience and understanding have been incredible despite a situation where anger and frustration would be justifiable. Hold on with us a little longer... There's a light at the end of the tunnel, we promise!

~ The Wazoo Crew

New Buckle Sample
almost 7 years ago – Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 11:14:04 PM

***If you have moved from the mailing address we have on file, please be sure to update it.***

1) We have already begun shipping out the Cobra Buckle Cache Belts.

It is very unfortunate that the Cache Belt (with Austrialpin D-Ring Cobra Buckle) has begun shipping before the standard original Cache Belt. It might even be unfair. We're sorry, it was never our intent, but it is sadly the way things have worked out.

There have been several backers who have requested to change their original Cache Belt pledge to the Cache Belt with Cobra Buckle. This is perfectly OK, but if this is something that interests you please remember that while the heavy-duty and versatile Cobra Buckle provides some added benefits, it also loses some of the capabilities of the original Cache Belt with custom cam buckle.

2) New Supplier, Same Buckle, Less Headache

We have been working with backup manufacturers ever since it became clear our original manufacturer was over their head on this project. One manufacturer has shown to be very proficient with executing our buckle design. We were very impressed by their first sample (see above) and decided to continue forward with them through more production stages. We did request a few changes from the initial sample. Namely, that the engaging teeth be slightly modified to assure that it bites securely into the webbing and to clean up a few production blemishes. 

This required them to modify the tooling which is being finished up this week and they will send us the final buckle for inspection immediately. Raw materials have already been received by the manufacturer. Upon our quality confirmation, they will go immediately into production and crank out both the carbon steel and stainless steel buckles.

PLATING

While this new manufacturer has done a superb job on the making of the buckles, they did not quite nail the plating on the carbon steel buckle as well as we had hoped. The black stainless plating has been the most durable we've ever tested, however, they are unable to duplicate the same process in grey on carbon steel. We are looking at several options (powder coat, physical vapor deposition, cerakote, titanium nitride, etc.) while we wait on the final sample.

We are very sorry that this timeline has become a moving target. It has never been our goal to mislead you in any way. All of the information we have passed on was based on the good faith of information that our manufacturers provided us.

We say it a lot, but it can never be enough:

Thanks to all that have helped create the Cache Belt and continued to stick with us through the ups and downs. It matters to us that you took a risk on this new product and we promise we won't let you down!

Now dropping...
almost 7 years ago – Sat, Jul 01, 2017 at 01:16:02 AM

The Cache Belt with AustriAlpin D-Ring Buckle!

The Cache Belt with Cobra Buckle is NOT intended to be used as a weight or load-bearing device and should NOT be used as one.

Our cut-and-sew manufacturer really came through with these Cobra Belt Buckle versions and delivered in time for us to stick by our promise to begin shipping in June! We will continue fulfilling this Cache Belt version over the next few weeks.

IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE ONES THAT ORDERED THIS VERSION, BE SURE TO FILL OUT YOU SURVEY AND MAKE SURE IT IS UP TO DATE WITH THE PROPER ADDRESS.

What About Original Cache Belt Buckle We're All Waiting On?

We are receiving a new First Article of Inspection Monday. If it is approved, we're only a few weeks away from shipping the rest of the standard Cache Belts.

We have had several people ask if they could upgrade to a Cobra Buckle version. And the answer is "yes, of course!" However, the version of the Cache Belt with the Cobra Buckle has significant differences:

• The buckle is sewn in, which makes it less adjustable. 
• The buckle is larger, heavier, and not very stealthy. 
• We currently do not have a way to incorporate the signal mirror with it. 
• It serves a different, albeit highly functional purpose, than the original modern-styled buckle and should be carefully considered before switching it.

Someone responded to a previous update that we should stop showing us drinking beer and cheersing.

After the last few months, we think ya gotta celebrate the small wins...

~ The Wazoo Crew

We're still Kicking...
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Jun 22, 2017 at 10:50:42 PM

...the buckle manufacturers in their Wazoo

A) Everything is ready to ship, still just waiting on the buckles to be finished.

B) Cache Belts with Cobra Buckles are on schedule to begin shipping by the end of the month.

C) BONUS: We will be able to include the Trail Markers in the Adventure Kits!

D) Your patience and understanding have been amazing. THANKS!

...OK here's more details:

Tooling

Our original manufacturer, the one that started this entire fiasco and delayed this entire project, is still continuing to go forward with the order, but they also continue to push past deadlines and make sophomoric mistakes along the way. We'll save you the hair-pulling details. They are sending their latest "final inspection" this week. All previous articles they have sent have proven unsatisfactory as they were not to specification.

On the other hand, most of you do not know this, but months ago when we began seeing that our original manufacturer was showing to be incompetent, we brought on and have been working with several other buckle manufacturers as backups in case the original manufacturer continued to prolong their portion of this project.

It is probably apparent to you at this point that our original manufacturers cannot handle this project and so we have continued to manage multiple alternative manufacturers to ensure we get the best product as quickly as possible. In fact, a company rep flew down and came by the office today to assure us that they will come through. We hope they can stand by their word, but we'll continue to keep several other horses in the race. Tooling is progressing at each one, but any dimensional mistakes can range from 1-2 week "tweaking" of the tooling to a total re-do that can take 30+ days. Here's one that's currently in the fine tuning process. 

Plating

Of all the issues we anticipated with this project, we didn't see this one coming.  We stressed that it has to be high quality to stand up to daily wear and tear, but we never could have anticipated the off-the wall colors they'd send us for "matte gray" and "matte black." Some of them literally had a chrome mirror finish. Incompetence at an astronomical level. The good news is that some of the manufacturers are getting close to both a quality buckle and decent plating!  

Cobras

The original plan was that the Cache Belt with the Cobra Buckle would be about 2-3 months after the standard buckle. Now it looks like they're going to be done first! The crew just drove the buckles up to the shop in person to work out final designs and details of these rigger's belts. We should begin receiving the Cobra Buckle versions next week and will begin shipping immediately!   

Kits

Waiting for final touches, but otherwise ready to roll!

Surprise!

Trail Markers will be back in the Adventure kits now!  We originally found out the manufacturer stopped making them and we couldn't source enough to fulfill the Kickstarter project, much less future orders. Over the last few months, we've been able to work out a deal with them to continue producing these exclusively for Wazoo!   

If you're not familiar with them, they are twist ties with a high visibility orange on one side and a reflective material on the other.  Great visibility both day and night!  Mark the trail to and from your camp while scouting out the area, or use it as a twist tie to seal your water bag.

As always, thanks for being patient with us. It has been a HUGE pleasant surprise how loyal and supportive you all have been through this unforeseeably long project. The fact that you all are sticking by us and staying calm has been an incredible encouragement in these trying times. 

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING A POSTIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE THROUGH THIS WHOLE SITUATION. THANKS FOR NOT JUST SURVIVING, BUT THRIVING! ~ The Wazoo Crew