It’s time for the BackerKit lockdown!
about 6 years ago – Wed, Mar 28, 2018 at 12:36:03 AM

We wanted to give you a quick heads up that we will be locking the BackerKit survey this Saturday, March 31, 2018.

What does that mean for you? You have until Saturday to:

• Update your preferred shipping address
• Change your reward options (bottles, sleeves etc.)
• Confirm your QUARTZ Bottle color(s) selection
• Add-on additional items
• Check your card on file (this will be charged the remaining balance in your survey)

In order to update your QUARTZ order, login to your BackerKit survey and click “View Confirmation” in the upper right corner. On the next page, you will be able to review and edit your survey responses. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to [email protected].

As we mentioned in our previous updates, we are still in our projected timeline for delivery and anticipate it to be delivered in the later part of April. We cannot wait to get your QUARTZ bottle!

Drink brilliantly,

The QUARTZ Team

What a week in the Windy City + QUARTZ Bottle update!
about 6 years ago – Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 01:40:08 AM

We’re back from a great week in Chicago at the International Home and Housewares Show and have lots of updates for all our backers. So, let’s just jump right in.

Through the production process, we have made a few aesthetic choices that we think you’ll be pleased with. First, we have decided to make the compartment inside the cap a frosted white to match the overall look and feel of the bottle. The bottle itself will be powder coated on the outside, accomplishing not only a beautiful look but also a protective, durable and a more environmentally friendly finish for the QUARTZ Bottle. Additionally, we can now confirm that the inside of the bottle will be electropolished to increase reflectivity. This will ensure that the purifying UV-C light will reach every nook-and-cranny inside the bottle – giving you a clean bottle and water every time!

As far as timing, we are very satisfied with the progress that we have seen in the production process. We are still within our originally anticipated delivery window of March - April but do expect it to be closer to the end of April at this point. We will keep you updated as we are able to narrow in on a more specific timeframe, so you’ll know exactly when to expect your bottle. Stay tuned! Also, a friendly reminder that we will be locking down the BackerKit surveys so be sure to make any edits before then.

As we mentioned above, we just returned from the International Home and Housewares show and are proud to announce that the QUARTZ bottle was a finalist in the Global Innovation Awards | Tabletop Category. At the show, we were able to meet a few backers (which is always a highlight -- we wish we could meet all of you!) and engage in a number of great conversations about the future of the QUARTZ bottle. 

Drink brilliantly,

The QUARTZ Team

The wait is over...
about 6 years ago – Mon, Mar 19, 2018 at 11:25:48 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

CAPs out of the bag...
about 6 years ago – Tue, Feb 20, 2018 at 11:54:06 PM

After our last update on our amazing manufacturing partner who will be handling the bottle production, we felt it was only appropriate to highlight the UVC-LED microchip in the QUARTZ Bottle cap (which you may have deduced from the title!).

The proprietary UV-C LED microchip found in the QUARTZ Bottle is made in the U.S in Hayward, California. The QUARTZ team has been hard at work in our lab producing, testing and tweaking the UV-C LED microchip and the cap components to ensure that the QUARTZ Bottle is everything we promised. One of our engineering goals was to reduce the size and weight of the QUARTZ Bottle cap compartment that houses the UV-C LED, PCBA and battery. We are happy to report that we have successfully resolved that issue.

Check out the photos below for a behind-the-scenes look at our lab and the process used to create the UV-C LED microchip!

 This machine is used to test the UV-C LED microchip to ensure that they are working correctly. Here you can see our co-founder, Justin Wang, getting hands-on (or rather eyes-on) and looking through the testing machine.

This machine layers a gold film over the microchip. We use gold because it is more reliable and stable so failure rates are smaller. It is non-reactive with oxygen, doesn’t corrode making it a better conductor, has greater thermal stability when exposed to heat – and just like in the Olympics, we’re always going for the gold.

The microchips that can be used are selected and handled by this machine.

To ensure that the microchip will keep working wherever you are, this machine tests the UV-C LED microchip in different conditions. If it does not light up, it’s got to go.

In order to know every detail about the microchips that we are making, we use this machine to take microscopic images of the UV-C LED microchip.

And last but not least, here is a peek of the individual UV-C LED microchips that will go in the QUARTZ Bottle!

We’ll have more to report soon, so stay tuned.

Drink brilliantly,

The QUARTZ Team

We've found the one.
about 6 years ago – Wed, Feb 07, 2018 at 12:49:56 AM

Happy Tuesday! We’re kicking off February with an exciting milestone.

We’ve been hard at work since December to find and secure a contract manufacturer to produce the bottle. (The UVC LED technology in the cap will still be developed and manufactured in the United States.) Out of the eight potential partners, we’ve selected one that we feel very confident in. They stood out in two areas during the selection process – quality and level of support. We are now working with them on a daily basis to ramp up the production process so we can get the QUARTZ Bottle in your hands!

Take a peek below at our visit with our selected manufacturer in China last week!

With Chinese New Year coming up, most suppliers will be shutting down for 2-3 weeks. This will push the delivery time and will now likely be on the later side of our original forecast of March / April and are anticipating an April delivery timeframe.

We’ll make sure to provide regular manufacturing updates with you and share photos when we can!

Drink Brilliantly,

The QUARTZ Team

P.S: We will not be using the robot arm for making the QUARTZ Bottle – we just thought it would be cool to share :)