Maker of the Month #001
Ti2 Design
@ti2design
Welcome to Novel Carry’s Maker of the Month feature series where we introduce a maker from our community and dive a little deeper into who they are and how they got to where they are now! This week’s feature is with Mike Bond of Ti2 Designs.
Feature Q&A:
Q: Tell us about your business. Who are you? What do you make and where are you from?
A: My name is Mike Bond and I own and operate Ti2 Design here in the Aloha state, Hawaii. In 2006, I departed my “big city” marketing job and my wife and I moved to Hawaii (where she grew up) to start a family. Looking to start a new career chapter, I stumbled upon an opportunity in a machine shop where the owner graciously offered me an internship. The rest is history. I quickly picked up machining, sharpened my skills while working job shop projects, and transitioned into manufacturing products that I designed and would later launch on Kickstarter.
Q: What got you into making products?
A: The fascination of creating value – being able to transform raw materials into functional pieces of everyday carry gear. Plus, I wanted to create gear that fit my needs!
Q: If you had to put together your favorite EDC collection, what would be in it?
A: My favorite is the one I carry daily. It consists of a Ti2 Design wallet, Ti2 BoltLiner pen, Pele flashlight (Ti2 collaboration with Charles Wiggins), HiTex poker chip (Ti2 collaboration with Michael Miller), and a quality knife. My regular knife rotation includes pieces from Borka, Vox, Anso, Chris Reeves, and Bond Knives.
Q: Any big plans coming soon you want to share?
A: We’re always busy creating… always thinking about new products. We have a cool product we developed for CRKT that will be launching January 2021. Also, look for a new Kickstarter project this winter that we are expecting to be our largest yet!
Q: What is your personal favorite product from your current product portfolio?
A: We’re extremely proud of our patented TechLiner. The TechLiner’s cap is magnetically retained which we feel was a point of differentiation in the machined pen market.
