DavecUK As am I, although I guess it abrogates all risk and responsibility for:
quality
non delivery
ever lengthening timescales
consumer protection
other consumer rights e.g. warranty, fitness for purpose etc..
the final specification of product that actually gets delivered
no requirement to raise capital or take loans (effectively borrowing from the consumer. I won’t say customers, because on Kickstarter you are not actually buying anything.
All of that, but Kickstarter is also a marketing methodology all on it’s own. By that I mean it may be done that way explicitly to get the kind of discussion that’s been happening, for months, prior to actual delivery. In theory, Kickstarter is about funding, but some Kickstarts, from companies that are easily able to afford development costs, deonstrate it’s not the only viable motivation.
As for me, it would take something TRULY exceptional to get me to go Kickstart (or similar platforms). I doubt there s anything in coffee equipment that would do it, and certainly not at the several hundred £/$ price level. Sub-£50? Maybe. And no, in case anyone thinks I mean something like this at that price. I mean something worth, arguably, something in the £50-£100 bracket, at £50.
Quite a few factors would go into me buying anything at the £500-ish level, and reputation of the supplier, support and warrany are definitely high up the list. So is a series of good or exceptional reviews from trustworthy sources. Price, and especially saving a modest percentage, doesn’t feature very high up. Personally, for something like this, if it’s a choice of waiting for release, reviews, UK supply etc, and paying full price for it, I’d do that over Kickstarter every time.
As for grinders, I guess I haven’t gone as far down the rabbithole as some, but the Niche is good enough for me. Unless it breaks, I doubt I’ll ever bother changing it. I get ccffee, be it espresso or V60/Clever, that I enjoy, and that’s good enough. Could I get “better” with a better grinder? Probably. But then, better espresso machine too? Also probably. Will I bother? Not a prayer. I’ve got a (by espresso standards) pretty modest, but not ultra budget, setup and it gives me results I enjoy drinking. Job done. 😀