fidget spinners are dead f@*k off

It was mid 2017, we were in the midst of the global craze of the so called ‘fidget spinner’ that I started the thread.

I’d not long got in to 3D printing and I was desperate for a project to sink my teeth into. There are only so many times you can turn to Thingiverse to satisfy your urge to print all things plastic.

Out of nowhere and overnight a new object of desire was born - the ‘fidget spinner’. With its relatively simple specifications I was excited to learn it could be 3D printed at home with only the addition of a few off-the-shelf components. I knew I wanted to make my own.

With Fusion 360 at the ready, a head bursting with ideas, an Original Prusa i3 MK2 3D printer and a spectrum of PLA spools, I embarked on what was, at the time, a real joy of a project.

I started small and soon had 3D printed enough fidget spinners to entertain my own kids along with a small army of their friends...and their friends... I was hooked.

As my confidence grew so did the complexity of my designs. Being able to have an idea in your head, visualise it on the computer and then actually see it materialise in front of your eyes on the bed of a 3D printer was mind blowing.

I’ve long had a fascination with modular design and find something pleasing in products or systems that abide by this approach. I love the idea of making something greater than just the sum of its parts.

I decided my next idea would be to make a modular fidget spinner, allowing for almost limitless colour combinations, meaning everyone could have their very own customized and unique fidget spinner.

Pretty cool, I thought.

Fast forward several intense weeks of research and development and many rounds of iteration the ‘TriPhoon’ fidget spinner was conceived. I still have a sack full of the off-prints to this day.

Kickstarter seemed like a great place to get some exposure and funding to see my project through to fruition, so I set up a page. The initial interest was good and I was soon well on my way to getting funded. Or so I thought.

As quick as the trend of fidget spinners had begun, it ended. Or as one Redditor succinctly put it, “fidget spinners are dead f@*k off”.

Needless to say, the Kickstarter didn’t get funded and the project didn’t go anywhere. The wheels fell off - or at least the bearings did.

At the time it felt a little disappointing, I was convinced I was on to something big. Never the less I can look back now with fond memories of lots of late nights grafting away building my own product.

The fidget spinner is dead, long live the fidget spinner!