I met with Nick at Iron-Fly this morning and showed him a selection of loading pins and various grip tools that I had purchased to give better context to the project. First, I was really excited that they were even willing to take on this job. They are a small shop with a 4 foot x 8 foot laser table. They focus on steel telecom structures and are willing to take on small "filler" jobs as well.
Nick took a look at my crude drawings and said they were planning on laser cutting (1) of each part and that I could come back later and take a look. They work from DXF files. Despite my drawings not having tolerances, materials or anything else, they could get started and work with 1/8" plate steel that they currently had in the shop. Once they get an estimate of cutting time, they can provide a quote for the job.
I am actually surprised they did not request any financial commitment up front. Maybe it is worth a half hour of their time and some spare metal to develop a customer relationship. Maybe they will cover it on the back end if I go forward with an order of (30) pieces as I originally thought I could manage.
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Backstory
Rolling Hills Grip Challenge 4 is featuring the GripTopz Half Penny as one of the lifts.
- Gods of Grip half penny GripTopz based on David Horne's design is a $41 grip tool plus $70 shipping plus tariff that is currently sold out.
- Nemesis Grips makes a series of key pinches from a nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie. Based in Canada, the implements cost $52 plus $30 shipping plus $30 tariff.
- Gorilla Strength Nickel Pinch by Gorilla Strength in the United States for $19 with free shipping.
- Barrel Strength Systems makes a coin lift that is $13 and can be purchased from Cannon Powerworks.
- Gods of Grip half penny trainer for $1 plus shipping plus tariff from UK
- John Oka DaBloom no longer being manufactured was $40 plus shipping from Maui
A market exists for a key pinch about the size of silver dollar fabricated in the United States primarily for the US market. Retail price between $30 and $50. I think I could sell 5-10 locally and maybe another 20-25 if it gains some acceptance. After that sell via GripBoard, Cannon Powerworks, eBay or direct from Instagram. Not trying to overtake the market. It would be really cool if it could be picked up for future King Kong events or GSI events and probably worth sending a free one to Jedd and Eric.
I sketched out a design that could be laser cut and simply welded together to work with open top loading pins from David Horne, Arm Assassins Strength Shop or Barrel Strength Systems. They are all very similar and fabricated from Schedule 80 pipe with an outer diameter of 1.9 inches and a 0.35 inch thru hole between 0.7 inches and 1.1 inches from the top of the loading pin to accept a 5/16" ball detent pin. Most folks just use a screwdriver handle for convenience.
I then sketched out a design utilizing steel tube at the base for a premium tool. I selected 2-1/4 OD with 14 gauge walls. If this is a common enough size, great, otherwise the design can be modified to maintain a 2 inch ID. 0.065 inch wall thickness seems cheaper, not sure how easy it is to work with. 0.12 inch wall thickness is generally available from Speedy Metals as well.
Premium Design
Based on the estimate of the options, I am happy to chunk down $500-$600 for this pet project. I was hoping the first design even with welding would come out to around $20 and the second design under $40, but it is hard to say.
Worst case scenario is price doubles and I lose $1000 because nobody likes them. Still not the end of the world.
Best case scenario, I sell 100 and they go mainstream. I could introduce a new tool every year or couple of years. I learn something about marketing, business, working with people and give back to sport that I have come to enjoy.
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Brainstorming
- Laser cut Colorado Grip Tools or CGT
- Have stickers printed
- Prizes
- Gifts
- Lesson learned
- Tool in the shape of a half Octagon (Lesher Dollar)
- Tool in the shape of double silver dollar (boobies top view)
UPDATE 1/24/2026
Got the prototype on Friday and it matched the original .dxf files that I sent over and not v2. Not a big deal as the prototype worked great on the BSS, AASS and FBBC loading pins and was about 0.5 inches too short for the DHWOG loading pin.
Only design change was making the slot a little wider from 0.125 to 0.135 on the base plate.
I did lengthen the part to fit DHWOG, it should not be much sloppier for the other loading pins.
While designed for open top, it can also be used with a carabiner (max diameter 1/4", 3/16" is too big).
I am going to go ahead and do a 30 piece run. Originally expected them to cost $500. Might be a little more with a longer part.
I had considered a round base design, but that would restrict use to an open top only. This can be used with both open top and standard loading pins. If I went this route, I should select 2.375" OD x 2.067" ID x 0.154" Wall Thickness 2" Schedule 40 Pipe. Centering the pipe is a non issue. Make the pipe symmetrical.
UPDATE 1/26/2026
Ordered (30) pieces of original design. Alternative design would have been over $800 and at $30/part and selling for $40 each this is a tough sell.
UPDATE 2/5/2026
I picked up (30) pieces this morning and want to do a soft launch via instagram.
Test your grip with the Silver Dollar coin pinch. Designed to be used with an open top loading pin, it can also be hung from a carabiner. The coin pinch has been the bedevilment of grip athletes since the beginning of the sport. It is one of the easiest things to test and a person could drill a hole in any coin and see who could lift the most from it.
I designed this specifically to train for the Rolling Hills Grip Challenge and was frustrated that I could not purchase a Gods of Grip version to train for the event. I decided to design my own based on the diameter of the United States Silver Dollar.
