Hi All,
I have been working a long time on coming up with a collapsible hoop design that I like, and I believe I have done it. I would love it if some of you more experienced hoopers could comment on it:
www.flammaaeterna.com/p-960-f...oop.aspx
It is just some images and description, but any of you are free to come buy our space and check it out. It is like most other 3-piece hoops, but the connector design is different. It can be assembled and disassembled very rapidly, and holds up well for regular hooping. If all goes well with the fire prototype, we will use the same model for the fire version.
Secondly, if anyone would comment on the description itself, that would be great. I.e., what all do you look for as far as specifications?
Thanks,
Matthew
Flamma Aeterna
I have been working a long time on coming up with a collapsible hoop design that I like, and I believe I have done it. I would love it if some of you more experienced hoopers could comment on it:
www.flammaaeterna.com/p-960-f...oop.aspx
It is just some images and description, but any of you are free to come buy our space and check it out. It is like most other 3-piece hoops, but the connector design is different. It can be assembled and disassembled very rapidly, and holds up well for regular hooping. If all goes well with the fire prototype, we will use the same model for the fire version.
Secondly, if anyone would comment on the description itself, that would be great. I.e., what all do you look for as far as specifications?
Thanks,
Matthew
Flamma Aeterna
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Tucson
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Re: New Collapsible Hoop Design, Comments Wanted
Sat, December 15, 2007 - 4:58 PMWow, I wish I could come out to Arizona to check it out in person! From the description, it sounds great! One of the issues I've had with the Hoopnotica travel hoop is that instead of a button that pops out, there is a tab at each connection which I have accidentally stabbed into my hand when off body hooping, so your design sounds great!
One thing that I really like about the Hoopnotica design (as opposed to the coil up travel hoops), is that it breaks down into six smaller pieces which means that I can throw all the pieces into a yoga mat bag. The other great thing is that because the pieces are smaller, I can leave one segment out to make the hoop smaller. It's nice to be able to offer that option since the hoop size isn't customizable and I personally do not hoop with a 40" hoop anymore.
I personally like that you offer this hoop untaped because I know that when I look for collapsible hoops, I'm paying for the technology. I ended up stripping all the tape off of my BodyHoops travel hoop (yes, I keep buying new travel hoops in the hopes of finding the perfect one!). There are some people out there who can't or won't tape their own hoops, so for those people it might be nice to offer the option of paying extra to have it taped, even if you only offer one simple tape design.
I also like that you specifically include the weight of the hoop because that makes a huge difference for me! Is it 3/4" 160psi tubing (or the equivalent)?
Congratulations on the new design! -
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Re: New Collapsible Hoop Design, Comments Wanted
Sun, December 16, 2007 - 2:44 PMHi Silverstar,
Thanks a lot for the great feedback!
First things first, it sounds like I need to include the PSI rating of the tubing, as well as the diameter, in the product description. Do a lot of hoopers look for this information in pre-made hoops? Or do they just "trust" the manufacturer or rely on them knowing what they are doing?
The button barely protrudes, which should be somewhat evident from the pictures. It is just enough that, in the dark, you could find it and press it down, but not so much that you would really notice it while hooping.
I can see if I can come up with a 6-segment hoop using the same model, and see if it works to skip a segment.
As far as taping, we are a "function first, art second" kind of company. We will eventually have taped hoops, but I am almost pondering just reselling tape by the foot, so people can create their own. Well, I guess some people want an "off-the-shelf" solution, so maybe we would have one or two tape designs.
Thanks again! I'll update our description with the tubing info (160 PSI and 3/4" diameter).
Matthew
Flamma Aeterna -
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Re: New Collapsible Hoop Design, Comments Wanted
Sun, December 16, 2007 - 6:30 PMI think that a casual hoop buyer will not know or care about PSI or diameter of the tubing, but from my experience, newbies as well as experienced hoopers want to know what size/weight a hoop is before buying. When I started hooping, there was so much information available online that I wasn't sure which PSI, tubing diameter, or hoop diameter was right for me, but I saw it mentioned on several different websites so it was one of my concerns when I purchased my first hoop online. Now that I have lots of hoops, I usually make my own unless it's some sort of specialty hoop like a psihoop or a collapsible, and in that case I want to know if the hoop I buy will be comparable in size and weight to the ones I make myself.
I think there are some people who will trust that you use the "right" (heh, even though there really is no "right") tubing, PSI, etc. but I also think that there are enough knowledgeable hoopers out there that if you include that information on the website, you will save yourself a lot of time responding to emails from people who will ask. My personal preference is just to make the info available so that the people who want to know don't have to ask.
I totally understand the function first thing. I think that selling tape by the foot (or by the hoop since a lot of people don't know how much tape they need to wrap a hoop) is a great option, especially for people who are willing to tape their own hoops but don't want to deal with ordering rolls and rolls from identi-tape justs to make a single hoop. I also think that offering a really cheap, easy tape job for a little bit extra will be worth your while. I know hoopers who still buy their hoops from other people because they are not good at keeping the tape flat and even. They are willing to pay a little extra to have someone with that skill do it for them. I think if you offer a simple design (no crazy basketweaves or seven color rainbow tape jobs!) with two colors, that will be enough to make the non-tapers happy.
Love the button design. That is definitely safer and more ergonomic! I look forward to seeing your new hoop design in action!
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Re: New Collapsible Hoop Design, Comments Wanted
Thu, January 17, 2008 - 8:30 AMHey there - Love the button connection design! Is there any possibility of custom orders? I currently hoop with a 100 psi, 3/4" by 36"D. Would love to have a travel hoop in my size, but regardless of creating a special hoop just for moi, you've come up with a wonderful take on the travel hoop. Way to go! -
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Re: New Collapsible Hoop Design, Comments Wanted
Thu, January 17, 2008 - 8:46 PMMelissa,
We don't have a source for 100 psi, but we could build to those dimensions with the 160 psi materials. Give me an email on the site if you are interested, or a phone call!
Matthew
Flamma Aeterna
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