Tech Deck High Tech Clips "Blind" …The Reaper Gets His Just Reward…
Written: Aug 23 '03 (Updated Aug 23 '03)
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Pros: Two awesome designs, detailed shape of the Reaper.
Cons: Jump clip isn’t strong enough, hard to find.
The Bottom Line: Sick of boring skate tags and clips? Want something that looks as great as it performs? Check out Tech Deck High Tech Clips - Blind.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Tech Deck "Blind" Metal High Tech Clip [Gen1] |
Having absolutely no "real world" skateboarding experience [aside from a few nasty accidents in my youth] I am often asked why I purchase clothing from skateboard companies. The truth? I buy it for the same reason that I hit the surf shops – the clothing is made to last. I’d rather pay ten dollars more and get a sweatshirt or piece of clothing that will last more than a year than to have to deal with cheap versions. That’s how I became associated with the Blind skateboard company, one of their large black hooded sweatshirts was on display at a skate shop and I fell in love with it. The price - $47.99 – yes, sometimes I do think I need to get my head examined. Still, I loved the logo and to this day it still has the nice sharp black color, has retained the same shape and looks pretty damn good for all the wear it’s receive and all the subsequent washings. So it made sense that I’d freak out when I saw the two Blind designs in the Tech Deck High Tech clip series. If you haven’t already guessed – yes, it was at the ComiCon.
Just like all the others sets in the High Tech clip line from Tech Deck, these are two high quality solid metal clips that can be attached to clothing, backpacks, skate gear or used a key chains. Since the backs are smooth and lack any type of design, they can easily be engraved or etched for personalization. I stopped by a place at the mall and for $4.00 they added my sons name and a border design on the back of the oval clip – for four bucks it was well worth it. Some people might think the suggested retail price of $4.99 for a set is a little outrageous but you are getting a solid clip that will put up with a lot of use and abuse. Add in the fact that they can be personalized and you have a really nice, unique gift for the skate enthusiast in your life.
Blind Reaper
I really fell in love with this little guy when I saw him on sweatshirts and boxer shorts. His big black hollow eyes, slightly cocky stance and big feet were just too much for me to resist. This is one of the more detailed and ornate designs in the series and is one of my favorites. This makes a great companion piece to the skull in the Foundation set because of the size and shape. While I really like all of the pieces in this series, most of them were basics shapes – rectangle, ovals or circles – so the more elaborate ones garnished a little more attention from me. This little guy is two and a half inches high and about an inch wide at the thickest point [his head]. The bulk of the image is silver with a deep black inlay – and the back is blank but the overall shape of this clip might make it hard to have it personalized. The only possible drawback about this clip is that it is highly detailed and might catch on clothing, I’d suggest this for skate gear tagging instead of clothing for the younger kids.
Blind Reaper Oval
This is sort of an all purpose type clip that features the Blind text logo as well as a small Reaper. When I first saw this I thought it was an alien but when I looked at it again I saw that it was the true Reaper icon. This is about two inches long and about an inch high so it is the perfect size for using it as a key chain or for backpacks. The black on silver design makes it stand out so you can see the amount detail that has been put into it, surprisingly it only has a few small scratches on it and looks, for the most part, as good as when it was popped out of the container. Unlike the other clip, this one has all smooth edges and can be used on clothing without worrying about it catching.
Generation 1 Tech Deck Series
Included in the first series of Tech Clips are the following sets:
World Industries [3961], Blind [3962], Toy Machine [3963], Foundation [3964], Alien Workshop [3966], Santa Cruz [3967], Dregs [3968] and New Deal [3969]. These were all two clip sets that were first released in 1999 then again in 2000 as companion products to the Tech Deck line of fingerboards, stickers and accessories.
Things To Know
Unlike the other clips in the first generation series, these ones are shown in their true light. Some of the others were shown with the colors reversed [black on silver instead of silver on black] so the detail would be more evident. The ones shown in the photo are not to scale but are in the right color scheme. As I have mentioned in all the other Tech Deck clip reviews, the jump ring that connect the clip to the chain as well as the chain to the logo are a little on the weak side – one of the true design flaws of the entire series. Any type hard tugging or pulling will result in the rings pulling apart which means you risk losing one of the pieces if it isn’t fixed. The solution is pretty simple, take a needle nosed pair of pliers and squeeze the ring back into place. This might take a little bit of pressure to get the ring to close completely – but it is a simple fix it trick.
The Bottom Line
I wish I had the chance to use these for myself but less than an hour after I opened the set the brood claimed them as their own. Luckily I was able to get my hands on a few more of these sets thanks to some friends who own a comic shop, now all I have to do is keep that fact a secret and I’ll have them all to myself. If you have a skater in your life, these make for a great small gift. While they may be a little hard to find in stores you can order them from the Tech Deck website [www.techdeck.com] for the special sale price of $1.99 – but this is for a limited time and when they are gone – they are gone for good. You can check out all the cool designs from Blind at their site - www.blindreaper.com.
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): == free ==
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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![Tech Deck "Blind" Metal High Tech Clip [Gen1]](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/50/74/91/32731148-177x150-0-0.jpg)
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