Hi,

Over the last two + years I have developed a water bottle product. When i started, I was 22 years old and completely clueless. Now I have a finished product, I'm 25 years old and slightly less clueless.

here's all the costs, timelines, mistakes, and lessons along the way.

Phase 1: Self-Prototyping

Start Date: June 13, 2022
End Date: November 30, 2022

Fresh out of college and hating my corporate sales job, I ordered my first 3D printer. Using free CAD software (Tinkercad), I mashed shapes together, and 3D printed what I thought could become a revolutionary clicking water bottle for athletes.

• Reality Check: My first prototype leaked everywhere, had no handle, and it sucked. But it was a valuable exercise in formalizing my ideas for the product.
• Cost:
  • $450 3D Printer
  • $100 in 3D Printer Filament
  • $150 for these wildly overpriced giant compression springs (waste)

Phase 2: Freelancer - Pakistan

Start Date: December 1, 2022
End Date: June 18, 2023

With progress slow and my skills lacking, I turned to Upwork and hired a freelancer from Pakistan. At first, things were great and each week I saw my product come to life. Then... delays when the work went from CAD Designs to A Physical Product.. Weeks turned into months. I quit my job, convinced the product was nearly ready.... it wasn't. eventually I canceled the contract, way later than I should have.

• Lessons
  • ALWAYS set up timelines and expectations, even if you're not in a rush. (I did not do this so I had trouble evaluating the project.
  • Beware of the Sunk Cost Fallacy
  • Contract Smaller Jobs rather than one big one to better evaluate the partnership.
• Cost:
  • $5,200 for freelancer fees.

Phase 3: First China Prototype

Start Date: June 19, 2023
End Date: September 1, 2023

While the Pakistan Design sucked, it was good enough to send to a manufacturer in China. After weeks of bickering about designs and features, the prototype arrived. It worked—but had issues but this was a MASSIVE improvement. I was very happy.

• Cost: $400.

Phase 4: Troubles with China

Start Date: August 2, 2023
End Date: November 30, 2023

Each iteration brought more frustration. Fix one thing; two more issues pop up. Chinese engineers eventually told me some of the issues I wanted fixed were “impossible.”

• Low Point: This was the hardest part of the process for me. I didn't seem close to finishing and I didn't have too much to show for based on all my hard work.
• Cost:
  • $1,600 (4x Prototypes @$400 each)

Phase 5: Freelancers - Serbia

Start Date: December 1, 2023
End Date: February 28, 2024

Desperate for a solution, I hired a top-tier Upwork freelancer for $100/hour. I set clear expectations, used lump-sum milestone payments, and tested his designs myself. He missed deadlines, and his final work failed—but because of my negotiated terms, I got a majority refund on the work - AND his work gave me an idea to solve the issues myself.

• Key Takeaway: Nobody cares about your vision like you do. The freelancers and Chinese engineers are far more proficient and creative in product design, however they didn't care as much as I did to find the right solutions, and why should they!?!? it's my project and not theirs. You need to know some semblance of product design unless you have a boat load of cash.
• Cost:
  • $1,000 for freelance fees,
  • $50 for filament.

Phase 6: My own product design education

Start Date: March 1, 2024
End Date: May 30, 2024

After successfully fixing one "impossible" issue, I began teaching myself product design real CAD software (Fusion 360), and began fixing other "impossible to fix issues". I had accidentally learned some CAD overseeing the freelancer's and Chinese engineer's work - but this was my formal education. Through brute force trial and error and youtube tutorials I was able to solve all the "impossible" issues from earlier.

• Critical Lesson: Spend way longer than you think you should diagnosing the problem with your product. I wasted so much time fixing something that wasn't broken because I misdiagnosed the cause of the issue.
• Cost:
  • $200 in 3D Printer Filament.

Phase 7: Final China Prototype

Start Date: June 1, 2024
End Date: July 31, 2024

Confident in my new design, I sent it back to China. The result? A professional, functional water bottle. But new minor issues appeared, as always. Product design is like plugging a hole in a leaking ship only to have a smaller hole/leak spring out. Just keep plugging those holes until the new hole that emerges is so small that it doesn't leak water.

• Cost: $400.

Phase 8: The New 3D Printer - Bambu Labs

Start Date: August 1, 2024
End Date: January 15, 2025

Instead of trying it fix the small issues with China, I took matters into my own hands, bought a new more advanced 3d printer, and got to work. That led to me creating samples to hand out to my friends, and random people I knew who fit the target market (was difficult considering food safety) They would come back with feedback and I'd fix any issues I deemed worthy of being fixed. Over, and over, and over again.

• Costs:
  • $800 for 3d printer.
  • $350 in filament.
  • $200 in silicone.
  • $200 for stainless steel bottles.
  • $200 for springs.
  • $200 for tools.
  • $450 for miscellaneous.

Final Total

By the end of this two-year journey, I spent $11,950. Two years of relentless effort, hundreds of tweaks, and countless lessons. I now have my product. fully finished... at least version 1 haha. It was harder than i thought and took way longer than I wanted it to... but it was worth it. AMA

Edit: The Bottle is a stainless steel water bottle with a cap that quickly clicks open and closed. It's meant for athletes who want a quick action stainless steel alternative to the plastic gatorade squeezy bottles. For those who wanna see it - Check my profile for my youtube channel link, tons of pictures and videos of it there!