Interview with maker Laura Kampf
July 11, 2020 1:35 AM Subscribe
[Festool] German maker, designer and YouTuber Laura Kampf delights half a million fans all over the world on YouTube with her unique and individual creations, which all follow the same motto: "The process is the product". There is a new video every week – and a new project to marvel at on YouTube and Instagram. Laura Kampf previously on Mefi.
Love this maker. She is so genuine, kind, and community-oriented. Lives simply, tries to work with reclaimed materials, and is a dog lover.
LET GLUE DRY!
posted by terrapin at 5:07 AM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
LET GLUE DRY!
posted by terrapin at 5:07 AM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Every defect gets respect is a good motto.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:33 AM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:33 AM on July 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
This is great; I love maker vids & will watch more of these. But I watched the "tiny kitchen in a suitcase" video and seriously, she could have just thrown all that stuff into the suitcase and been done with it.
posted by Seaweed Shark at 5:51 AM on July 11, 2020
posted by Seaweed Shark at 5:51 AM on July 11, 2020
Festool are pretty much the Maserati of power tools and with a workshop full of them probably costing as much as an actual Maserati, and a full sponsorship which of course requires that she delivers the views by the hundreds of thousands if not millions, it's a job, and not necessarily the one she started out wanting to do as a maker. As she says in the interview, she spends more time on video production than on the actual making. And turning out one video a week? That's a crushing schedule.
I hope she's happy with the kind of success she's found.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:23 AM on July 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
I hope she's happy with the kind of success she's found.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:23 AM on July 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Laura is great and I love all the creative ideas she comes up with (the BBQ from a fire extinguisher was clever, and I love how excited she got making the branding iron), but I have to admit I spend most of each video looking for Smudo. THERE HE IS, HE'SAGOODBOY.
posted by xedrik at 7:21 AM on July 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by xedrik at 7:21 AM on July 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
As she says in the interview, she spends more time on video production than on the actual making.
My impression is that she was always as much of a filmmaker as she was a maker. I suspect she's happy.
She's a legend in the maker community. I went to a maker podcast event a couple of years ago and there were dudes in Laura Kampf t-shirts.
posted by bondcliff at 7:45 AM on July 11, 2020
My impression is that she was always as much of a filmmaker as she was a maker. I suspect she's happy.
She's a legend in the maker community. I went to a maker podcast event a couple of years ago and there were dudes in Laura Kampf t-shirts.
posted by bondcliff at 7:45 AM on July 11, 2020
Festool are pretty much the Maserati of power tools and with a workshop full of them probably costing as much as an actual Maserati, and a full sponsorship which of course requires that she delivers the views by the hundreds of thousands if not millions, it's a job, and not necessarily the one she started out wanting to do as a maker.
Hell, Maserati is way to cheap to use as a car metaphor. Maybach perhaps, if any car brand would fit, and maybe not even then.
Festool is for someone who can tell you, by the second, how much downtime costs them. And that includes the seconds it takes to clean the shop. Assuming someone who describes themselves as a “maker” could afford the system (which they could not), they would be insane to buy into it, unless they are the type of person who just yells “give me the most expensive thing you have!” every time they walk into a store.
So, weird that Festool is doing this. They prob have the “rich asshole who can’t help but set fire to their money” market covered. But, works out for Laura.
posted by sideshow at 9:01 AM on July 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Hell, Maserati is way to cheap to use as a car metaphor. Maybach perhaps, if any car brand would fit, and maybe not even then.
Festool is for someone who can tell you, by the second, how much downtime costs them. And that includes the seconds it takes to clean the shop. Assuming someone who describes themselves as a “maker” could afford the system (which they could not), they would be insane to buy into it, unless they are the type of person who just yells “give me the most expensive thing you have!” every time they walk into a store.
So, weird that Festool is doing this. They prob have the “rich asshole who can’t help but set fire to their money” market covered. But, works out for Laura.
posted by sideshow at 9:01 AM on July 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
> I love how excited she got making the branding iron
That was such a great moment. Such glee while wielding something so insanely dangerous.
posted by davelog at 9:21 AM on July 11, 2020
That was such a great moment. Such glee while wielding something so insanely dangerous.
posted by davelog at 9:21 AM on July 11, 2020
Festool is for someone who can tell you, by the second, how much downtime costs them. And that includes the seconds it takes to clean the shop. Assuming someone who describes themselves as a “maker” could afford the system (which they could not), they would be insane to buy into it, unless they are the type of person who just yells “give me the most expensive thing you have!” every time they walk into a store.
You know, I used an inflation calculator to price what I paid for a Bosch Jigsaw back in the early 80's in today's dollars and really Festool is pretty comparable. The legacy brands of professional power tools have dropped off a cliff in terms of price since inventing/entering the prosumer space. Hand woodworking power tools don't cost very much as a capital expenditure and Festool is no exception. What you are describing sounds pretty toxic to a brand that wants to grow sales outside of a segment that is pragmatic about utility vs expense and is writing off or depreciating everything anyway or the segment of hyper snotty tool freaks. So maybe the reason Festool subsidizes an "Authentic" like Laura is to dilute some of the attitude that you are describing which is kind of repellent.
posted by Pembquist at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
You know, I used an inflation calculator to price what I paid for a Bosch Jigsaw back in the early 80's in today's dollars and really Festool is pretty comparable. The legacy brands of professional power tools have dropped off a cliff in terms of price since inventing/entering the prosumer space. Hand woodworking power tools don't cost very much as a capital expenditure and Festool is no exception. What you are describing sounds pretty toxic to a brand that wants to grow sales outside of a segment that is pragmatic about utility vs expense and is writing off or depreciating everything anyway or the segment of hyper snotty tool freaks. So maybe the reason Festool subsidizes an "Authentic" like Laura is to dilute some of the attitude that you are describing which is kind of repellent.
posted by Pembquist at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
TBQH if I was shopping for tools to use 8 hours a day for pay Festool would be at the top of my shopping list.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:48 PM on July 11, 2020
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:48 PM on July 11, 2020
Yeah. Ten or fifteen years ago, my brother-in-law was working for a Festool dealer, my wife said "we're always building stuff, we should talk to him". So we did, and we dropped a couple grand. And I've dropped a few grand more over the years...
And the thing is, before I built a separate workshop, I did my woodworking in the garage, and one day I was swearing at a tool (Craftsman, if it matters), and my wife poked her head out and said "didn't buy the Festool, huh?" And she was right.
Yeah, sure, Festool is what you buy because you're doing work in a high-end customer's living room and want to contain the sawdust, or know what downtime costs you, but really, even if you're a hobbyist, if you're buying ApplePly, or $7-11/board foot figured hardwood the costs of the tools disappears in the costs of the consumables.
And, yeah, there are a few duds. I'd buy the Bosch jigsaw over the Festool one I've got, but not enough to buy another jigsaw.
As to sponsoring video makers? If you look at what Bosch or DeWalt spend on NASCAR, and compare that to what Festool spends on YouTube incentives, I bet Festool is getting the way better marketing deal, and Festool's marketing isn't just about selling to makers, it's about selling contractors and builders who buy their tools to high-end customers.
I've got a Festool bumper sticker on my (2 decade old beater) truck camper cab because they sent me a care package for some videos I shot a few years ago that feature their products. Nothing great, though I do get the occasional "thanks, I hadn't thought about using the saw like that"comment. But I have had a few well heeled friends comment on it. When they're looking at which contractor to choose, they're aware.
posted by straw at 2:17 PM on July 11, 2020
And the thing is, before I built a separate workshop, I did my woodworking in the garage, and one day I was swearing at a tool (Craftsman, if it matters), and my wife poked her head out and said "didn't buy the Festool, huh?" And she was right.
Yeah, sure, Festool is what you buy because you're doing work in a high-end customer's living room and want to contain the sawdust, or know what downtime costs you, but really, even if you're a hobbyist, if you're buying ApplePly, or $7-11/board foot figured hardwood the costs of the tools disappears in the costs of the consumables.
And, yeah, there are a few duds. I'd buy the Bosch jigsaw over the Festool one I've got, but not enough to buy another jigsaw.
As to sponsoring video makers? If you look at what Bosch or DeWalt spend on NASCAR, and compare that to what Festool spends on YouTube incentives, I bet Festool is getting the way better marketing deal, and Festool's marketing isn't just about selling to makers, it's about selling contractors and builders who buy their tools to high-end customers.
I've got a Festool bumper sticker on my (2 decade old beater) truck camper cab because they sent me a care package for some videos I shot a few years ago that feature their products. Nothing great, though I do get the occasional "thanks, I hadn't thought about using the saw like that"comment. But I have had a few well heeled friends comment on it. When they're looking at which contractor to choose, they're aware.
posted by straw at 2:17 PM on July 11, 2020
The pro tool market has totally changed in the last 10 years. Consolidation of brands and the move to cordless everything makes for a totally different landscape. Bosch jigsaws are now made in Russia and not Switzerland like earlier generations. Milwaukee has moved almost all producrion to China. Porter Cable is out of the picture. Hilti seems like really nice stuff but is out of my price range.
But Laura is great! Her editing and pedagogical approach to sharing her projects is refreshing, and I am always learning new things or being inspired by her videos. Like many makers I wish she'd show more examples of how to work with more limited resources, but I understand how hard that is with access to tools and space like she has.
posted by St. Oops at 2:54 PM on July 11, 2020
But Laura is great! Her editing and pedagogical approach to sharing her projects is refreshing, and I am always learning new things or being inspired by her videos. Like many makers I wish she'd show more examples of how to work with more limited resources, but I understand how hard that is with access to tools and space like she has.
posted by St. Oops at 2:54 PM on July 11, 2020
Hell, Maserati is way to cheap to use as a car metaphor. Maybach perhaps, if any car brand would fit, and maybe not even then.
I think the comparison is more like someone who buys a new BMW sedan versus a used Subaru. The Festools are nice and are definitely pricier than the basic stuff at Home Depot, but even so their jigsaws look to around $300-$400. That is ten times more than a basic one, enough to make me wince a bit, but still less than a date-night dinner at a high-end restaurant with a bottle or two of fashionable wine, which is probably about where their target hobbyist audience is at. Their prices are in line for what an upper middle class hobby wood worker can pay (especially if they are buying them one at a time, not all at once).
Her videos are clearly well-made and I can see why she is popular. I like how she relies on visual storytelling, rather than extended narration.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:53 AM on July 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
I think the comparison is more like someone who buys a new BMW sedan versus a used Subaru. The Festools are nice and are definitely pricier than the basic stuff at Home Depot, but even so their jigsaws look to around $300-$400. That is ten times more than a basic one, enough to make me wince a bit, but still less than a date-night dinner at a high-end restaurant with a bottle or two of fashionable wine, which is probably about where their target hobbyist audience is at. Their prices are in line for what an upper middle class hobby wood worker can pay (especially if they are buying them one at a time, not all at once).
Her videos are clearly well-made and I can see why she is popular. I like how she relies on visual storytelling, rather than extended narration.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:53 AM on July 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by carter at 4:41 AM on July 11, 2020