bottleLoft Can Lift Your Spirits (Or Just Beer)
During the holidays our refrigerators are overrun by large oddly shaped dishes, a massive turkey, and every beverage for each of your fussy guests.
bottleLoft was created like most other gadgets; there was a (small) problem that requires a simple solution. Gadgets don’t always have to be little electric drones. Sometimes, the best gadgets have no technology at all. bottleLoft is one of those gadgets. It is the (very simple) solution- sans wires or batteries. It’s perfect for any home whether big or small.
bottleLoft snugly fits to the inside ceiling of your refrigerator and saves space by hanging bottles right side up. They’re lifted off the shelf so you can slide in your leftovers into the free space. Best of all, it makes more room for what’s important- beer. It’s such a simple solution that it’s a wonder this hasn’t been invented before.
The creator of bottleLoft, Brian Conti, has had four other successful Kickstarter projects. Two of these were based on magnets. The first was Strong Like Bull Magnets, which are used in bottleLoft. Conti has done extensive testing with many samples having had experience and his own line of magnets. bottleLoft is the final version of the best of the best; each part tested and verified.
This ingenious solution is made of just four different parts; the magnets, the plastic mold, steel cups to hold it together, and an adhesive.
The magnets are custom neodymium and N52 grade (the strongest available). They’re direct from the original idea of the creator, Strong Like Bull Magnets. They’re so strong that they can hold a 10 lb. weight. As Paul Caridad from Visual News explains, bottleLoft was even tested with slamming a fridge door. Amazingly, the bottles don’t budge with these magnets.
The plastic rail is a custom made mold specifically for bottleLoft and the SLB Magnets. Inside are three custom machined steel cups designed just for the magnets.
Lastly, there’s an 8” 3M strip of VHB adhesive that runs along the back. This adhesive is a very high bond (did we mention the bottleLoft can hold a lot?) and is designed for low temperatures, like your refrigerator, and works best around 37F (2C). Although using a 3M adhesive strip may cause skepticism, Conti assures that each single 8” strip can hold up to 880 lbs.
Despite being able to hold such large volumes of liquids and bottles, bottleLoft is surprisingly slim. It’s 8” account for having three separate strong magnets. It’s only 1.5” wide and an amazing 0.3” tall. bottleLoft doesn’t just save space- it creates it.
bottleLoft can be used for nearly anything in your fridge- not just beer bottles. It can hold little jars of your favourite jams, your much-needed pre-mixed caffeine, and anything else that has a little metal on top. However, there is some uncertainty about how much space can be saved. Geekologie explain that some fridges don’t have enough space to begin with so not much will fit under the dangling beverages.
There has been quite a bit of interest with bottleLoft which has sparked a need for strength tests. The creator has followed through and the videos seem to have proven that bottleLoft can take a beating. You can slam the fridge door, reach through the bottles, and even have the entire fridge rattle without dropping one beverage.
bottleLoft has been very well received by funders. The project started on Kickstarter in October of this year. In just 33 days bottleLoft bypassed its $20k goal and hit over $60k. Creator Brian Conti is chuffed and said the extra funds will go towards getting finer custom materials. Perhaps we’ll see new colours in the future.
bottleLoft ships with the assembled magnetic unit along with an alcohol wipe to be used in the desired area before adhering. Unfortunately, bottleLoft won’t be ready to ship for the holidays. It’ll begin to ship in January 2015. But, this is perfect for all of those who just seem to forget a certain someone on their list or those who love to get started on holiday shopping early.
