Swift FAQs: |
How do I know these swifts won't suck?
These swifts have been beta-tested by over a dozen dyers and yarn stores since July 2023. We've already wrung out several things that didn't work as well as we wanted them to, we've iterated on the design, sent the beta testers new parts, and those new parts have been tested. We're not omniscient and there are bound to be a few things that pop up once we deliver the first 100. But we're confident that there are no large problems, and that we can solve any problems that arise.
Why do these swifts cost $150?
We basically can't produce them for any less. We don't have the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would cost to make these in quantities of 10,000 or more, which is what it would take to significantly lower the cost. And you definitely wouldn't be able to choose your own colors if that were the situation. We've done our best to optimize materials cost and design for manufacturability, but making things in batches of hundreds costs more. Know that your dollars are going to keep a small business of mainly 2 people running, with health care, and paid time off. Alpenglow Yarn has been around in some form since 2009, your support ensures that we'll be around for another 10 years and able to support our products.
How big of a skein will the swift hold open?
It will hold up to a 2yd or 2m skein. That is on the large side for hand-dyed yarn, most skeins will be in the 1.5 - 1.75yd range. Note that is measurement is the circumference of a skein - check out our video on yarn measurements and why talking about swifts in terms of length of yarn makes no sense. At all. Whatsoever. Like why would we do that.
Why can't you tell me exactly when my swift will ship?
Surprises always pop up when you build the first large batch of a product, no matter how much beta testing you do. This is why we don't commit to hard delivery dates until we get closer to our estimated timeframe - there's nothing worse than constantly having to apologize and move a date back. We've gone through this process many times with our own yarn tools and other products, so we're confident we can solve any problems that arise, even if that means delaying delivery. Our priority is to deliver high quality, reliable tools.
How is my delivery batch and date determined?
We will likely not deliver in the order that orders were received because of all the different color choices, and differences in material availability. Both the glitter and matte materials used for the struts are specialty, we use 4-5 different suppliers to get the range of colors we offer, and their stock can vary at any given time. Even though we are giving suppliers advance notice, we won't know how quickly we can get a color until we place our order. And we can't place our order until we see what colors you order! It was a trade-off - we could have greatly simplified this by limiting the color choices, but we think it's delightful to be able to pick your own colors and really make this swift your own. We didn't want to take away that excitement. We will send general email updates and let you know when we receive what materials, but trying to send everyone an individual email with estimated delivery date based on their unique color choices would be a ton of extra work. You'll know when we're close to shipping your batch, and then you'll get an email when it ships!
What happens if I lose confidence and want to cancel my order?
If you've placed an order for a swift, you can cancel it within 90 days of placing it, or until you get a shipping notification (whichever is first). Cancellations are subject to a 5% fee, this covers the non-refundable fees that payment processors now charge us. Yes, this is a new thing that all payment processors have started doing in the last 1-2 years, thank PayPal for trailblazing that.
What happens if I get my swift and I don't like it?
You may return your swift if you are in the US and contact us within 14 days of receiving it.
You must fill out a return request form first, so we can look up your records and know to expect it. Returns are subject to the same 5% fee detailed above, the initial shipping cost to you is non-refundable, and you pay for return shipping. We highly recommend that returns are packaged in the same box and packing materials they arrived in, and that you insure your package for the full value of the item. We will not be able to fully refund any items that arrived damaged or are lost in transit. International sales are final due to the time and expense of shipping and import/export considerations.
What kind of customer support do you provide?
We support our tools. We want you to be a happy customer. Please understand that we are a small business and we cannot provide phone support. All support is handled through email and the contact form on our website, as that allows us to track each request. We can usually respond within 1-2 business days. We will not handle customer support through any social media channels or direct messages. When you contact us, the more information you can provide, the better. We may ask for photos or a short video, as this helps us identify problems quickly and accurately.
How well will this swift hold up?
Like any tool, if you take care of it, it will last for years and years! This swift does have moving parts which will eventually wear, and we've designed in some consumable parts like washers that are easy and cheap to replace. A typical knitter may hardly see any wear on their swift and use it for decades. Yarn stores, dyers, and businesses winding 10+ skeins per day will see more wear and may need to occasionally replace parts.
How easy is it to break the swift?
It's important to note that this swift is not indestructible. If you abuse the swift, if you literally throw it into your car or throw it on your couch, sit on it, put a suitcase or heavy object on it, pack it without taking precautions to properly cushion it, or if it falls off a counter, parts can break. This is true for any umbrella-style swift. Treat it with the same care you would a spinning wheel or other prized possession. If you fly with it, we recommend using a hard-sided suitcase that is not overpacked (and thereby stressing the struts). All that said, the only time we've had struts break during beta testing was when: 1) a garage door slammed shut on a swift, 2) a user encountered resistance due to a yarn snag and forced it open. If you encounter resistance upon opening or closing, use common sense. Stop, don't force anything, and look for what is causing the resistance.
What happens if my swift needs repairing?
We considered user-repairability at every step through the design process, and have made these swifts able to be fully disassembled with 3 tools: a Phillips (+) screwdriver, a small flathead (-) screwdriver for prying, and a 3mm hex key. We will have repair parts and kits available, including the small flathead screwdriver and 3mm hex key. We will also have videos that walk you through replacing struts and strut ties. We will also have a repair service available, though it will be more expensive and take more time to ship an entire swift back and forth.
What happens if a strut (the glittery or matte colorful plastic part) breaks?
See the above about repair - we can send you individual struts to replace outer ones that are broken, or a pair pinned together to replace inner ones. We'll have videos showing you how to do this. Or you can submit a repair request form and we can perform the repair.
What happens if a strut tie (the rubbery thing that holds the struts together) breaks?
We will sell packets of replacement silicone strut ties, but in a pinch, you can always use yarn to temporarily tie the struts together!
These swifts have been beta-tested by over a dozen dyers and yarn stores since July 2023. We've already wrung out several things that didn't work as well as we wanted them to, we've iterated on the design, sent the beta testers new parts, and those new parts have been tested. We're not omniscient and there are bound to be a few things that pop up once we deliver the first 100. But we're confident that there are no large problems, and that we can solve any problems that arise.
Why do these swifts cost $150?
We basically can't produce them for any less. We don't have the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would cost to make these in quantities of 10,000 or more, which is what it would take to significantly lower the cost. And you definitely wouldn't be able to choose your own colors if that were the situation. We've done our best to optimize materials cost and design for manufacturability, but making things in batches of hundreds costs more. Know that your dollars are going to keep a small business of mainly 2 people running, with health care, and paid time off. Alpenglow Yarn has been around in some form since 2009, your support ensures that we'll be around for another 10 years and able to support our products.
How big of a skein will the swift hold open?
It will hold up to a 2yd or 2m skein. That is on the large side for hand-dyed yarn, most skeins will be in the 1.5 - 1.75yd range. Note that is measurement is the circumference of a skein - check out our video on yarn measurements and why talking about swifts in terms of length of yarn makes no sense. At all. Whatsoever. Like why would we do that.
Why can't you tell me exactly when my swift will ship?
Surprises always pop up when you build the first large batch of a product, no matter how much beta testing you do. This is why we don't commit to hard delivery dates until we get closer to our estimated timeframe - there's nothing worse than constantly having to apologize and move a date back. We've gone through this process many times with our own yarn tools and other products, so we're confident we can solve any problems that arise, even if that means delaying delivery. Our priority is to deliver high quality, reliable tools.
How is my delivery batch and date determined?
We will likely not deliver in the order that orders were received because of all the different color choices, and differences in material availability. Both the glitter and matte materials used for the struts are specialty, we use 4-5 different suppliers to get the range of colors we offer, and their stock can vary at any given time. Even though we are giving suppliers advance notice, we won't know how quickly we can get a color until we place our order. And we can't place our order until we see what colors you order! It was a trade-off - we could have greatly simplified this by limiting the color choices, but we think it's delightful to be able to pick your own colors and really make this swift your own. We didn't want to take away that excitement. We will send general email updates and let you know when we receive what materials, but trying to send everyone an individual email with estimated delivery date based on their unique color choices would be a ton of extra work. You'll know when we're close to shipping your batch, and then you'll get an email when it ships!
What happens if I lose confidence and want to cancel my order?
If you've placed an order for a swift, you can cancel it within 90 days of placing it, or until you get a shipping notification (whichever is first). Cancellations are subject to a 5% fee, this covers the non-refundable fees that payment processors now charge us. Yes, this is a new thing that all payment processors have started doing in the last 1-2 years, thank PayPal for trailblazing that.
What happens if I get my swift and I don't like it?
You may return your swift if you are in the US and contact us within 14 days of receiving it.
You must fill out a return request form first, so we can look up your records and know to expect it. Returns are subject to the same 5% fee detailed above, the initial shipping cost to you is non-refundable, and you pay for return shipping. We highly recommend that returns are packaged in the same box and packing materials they arrived in, and that you insure your package for the full value of the item. We will not be able to fully refund any items that arrived damaged or are lost in transit. International sales are final due to the time and expense of shipping and import/export considerations.
What kind of customer support do you provide?
We support our tools. We want you to be a happy customer. Please understand that we are a small business and we cannot provide phone support. All support is handled through email and the contact form on our website, as that allows us to track each request. We can usually respond within 1-2 business days. We will not handle customer support through any social media channels or direct messages. When you contact us, the more information you can provide, the better. We may ask for photos or a short video, as this helps us identify problems quickly and accurately.
How well will this swift hold up?
Like any tool, if you take care of it, it will last for years and years! This swift does have moving parts which will eventually wear, and we've designed in some consumable parts like washers that are easy and cheap to replace. A typical knitter may hardly see any wear on their swift and use it for decades. Yarn stores, dyers, and businesses winding 10+ skeins per day will see more wear and may need to occasionally replace parts.
How easy is it to break the swift?
It's important to note that this swift is not indestructible. If you abuse the swift, if you literally throw it into your car or throw it on your couch, sit on it, put a suitcase or heavy object on it, pack it without taking precautions to properly cushion it, or if it falls off a counter, parts can break. This is true for any umbrella-style swift. Treat it with the same care you would a spinning wheel or other prized possession. If you fly with it, we recommend using a hard-sided suitcase that is not overpacked (and thereby stressing the struts). All that said, the only time we've had struts break during beta testing was when: 1) a garage door slammed shut on a swift, 2) a user encountered resistance due to a yarn snag and forced it open. If you encounter resistance upon opening or closing, use common sense. Stop, don't force anything, and look for what is causing the resistance.
What happens if my swift needs repairing?
We considered user-repairability at every step through the design process, and have made these swifts able to be fully disassembled with 3 tools: a Phillips (+) screwdriver, a small flathead (-) screwdriver for prying, and a 3mm hex key. We will have repair parts and kits available, including the small flathead screwdriver and 3mm hex key. We will also have videos that walk you through replacing struts and strut ties. We will also have a repair service available, though it will be more expensive and take more time to ship an entire swift back and forth.
What happens if a strut (the glittery or matte colorful plastic part) breaks?
See the above about repair - we can send you individual struts to replace outer ones that are broken, or a pair pinned together to replace inner ones. We'll have videos showing you how to do this. Or you can submit a repair request form and we can perform the repair.
What happens if a strut tie (the rubbery thing that holds the struts together) breaks?
We will sell packets of replacement silicone strut ties, but in a pinch, you can always use yarn to temporarily tie the struts together!
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