There are a lot of chopstick options out there, running the gamut from straightforward wooden ones to high-tech devices with the ability to test the safety of your food. For the most part, they share a similar design: smooth, tapered sticks. QuickStix, however, has revamped the millennia-old utensils to make them easier to use.
With its new patent-pending design, QuickStix are intended to give you “insane grip,” according to the company. Co-founders William and Charis Lam came up with the idea for the product after a sushi date in which Charis found herself battling a case of the drops. They ended up spending hundreds of hours analyzing how people of various skill levels use chopsticks and created 20 prototypes.
The final design is based on their findings and looks to make the utensils easier to handle from top to bottom. The upper part of the sticks is round so they fit comfortably in your hand, and then the part you hold with your fingers is hexagonal to improve your grip. Furthermore, they feature innovative “concave hexogonal tips,” which increase the amount of contact points so that food stays put.
The company promises increased safety as well. The chopsticks are made using PPS, an advanced engineering plastic that is dishwasher safe, non-toxic, and lightweight. Additionally, it is non-thermal conductive, non-electrical conductive, and non-magnetic.
QuickStix launched a Kickstarter campaign Monday with the goal of raising $20,000 for manufacturing, quality assurance, packaging, warehousing, and shipping. The goal is for the product to begin shipping in early 2017. The company welcomes any support, but you have to contribute at least $15 in order to get a pair of their limited early bird QuickStix. If you want to go really crazy, you can pledge $999 or more for 120 sets, plus five “God of Chopsticks” shirts.
