Kipkay’s video hacks and pranks

Craft & Design Technology


Kipkay has made something of a name for himself on Metacafe with his numerous how-to, hacks, and tech-oriented pranks videos. He’s also made some $100K with the “Producers Rewards” that Metacafe pays for popular vids. And now he’s a YouTube Partner. When I saw the first Kipkay vid, with his super-slick informercial voice, I thought he was another DIY spoof videomaker, a la Mark Erickson’s hysterically goofy Infinite Solutions. In fact, Kipkay may have been Erickson’s inspiration. But Kay’s videos are legit, and while some of them may be over the top and more about garnering eyeballs (and revenue) than anything else, there’s some useful and interesting stuff here.

See all of his videos on YouTube

22 thoughts on “Kipkay’s video hacks and pranks

  1. KWillets says:

    Incandescent flashlights — how nostalgic.

    There’s forum at candlepowerforums.com that’s all flashlight mod’s — most of them a good deal brighter and more efficient than this.

  2. rehorstmark@netscape.net says:

    Nice, but light bulbs are sooo 20th century!

  3. samurai1200 says:

    awesome mod! this guy sounds like he’s trying to sell it though… what a voice!

  4. RTourn says:

    I did this project earlier this year. The new bulb gets really hot; under extended use it will start to melt the reflector in the back. Replacing it is a little tricky, and requires you to cut apart the whole front end. It is really bright and cheap if you use disposable batteries.

  5. mastershake916 says:

    I saw this on edge-i.hacked a while ago, neat.

  6. MazinBenny says:

    Specifically on this flashlight hack, he’s basically overdriving the rated voltage of the bulb by 3x. Sure, this will make the bulb glow very bright and hot, but it will also make it burn out in about 10 minutes. There is a _reason_ that bulbs have a rated voltage…

  7. japroach says:

    Mazin: KPR112 which he is shown using is 6V 650mA. So he is overdriving it by ~50%.

    http://www.radioshack.com/sm-6v-650ma-replacement-krypton-lamp–pi-2062383.html

    They have a 7.2V as well, I’m sure you could find a more suitably rated bulb if you want the thing to last longer than a set of batteries.

  8. dansdata says:

    I did a quite extensive survey of Kipkay’s videos, including this one, a while ago.

    It is my considered opinion that, an awful lot of the time, Kipkay is just a God-damned liar.

  9. johned says:

    Do not fall for this. The biggest false statement is that you can get 3 Duracell 123 Lithiums for $4.00. Not possible. Retail they are $5.50 to $9.99 each. On line you might find 2 packs for $10.00 to $13.50 but then there’s shipping.

    I hate when sloppy or dishonest people make us have to waste our time clarifying their mistakes. Oh well, bad Karma for him!

  10. Tim says:

    I agree. This project is a waste of time and money. The parts cost around $20, not $10. The flashlight ran approximately 10 minutes before the reflector melted and it stopped working. There’s a reason good flashlights cost $100: design and testing.

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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