So I kind of have a little addiction to transparent technology. Ever since the beginning
of my whole life I've liked to take things apart and see how they work from the inside. Especially
growing up in the 90s when even Apple, of all companies, was making transparent computers.
So today I've collected quite a few different items from the 90s that are transparent so
kids from today can see what they're missing out on. And since we're talking about transparent
technology, it only makes sense that we release a fully transparent JerryRig Knife at the same time.
I've been working on this transparent knife since we released the metal version about a year and a
half ago. It's made from injected polycarbonate, the same stuff layered into bulletproof glass.
This guys has the similar tessellated hexagonal patterns as the metal knives,
but this time around it's optically clear with full visibility on every internal stainless
steel component. There is a 2 ounce reduction in weight when compared to the full metal knife,
but the impact resistance and durability is still phenomenal.
[Hammering sounds]
I wouldn't be selling anything less. My favorite part is how you can see the spring
and locking mechanisms fit together just like a little Lego. It's what locks the blade into
place and we can see it all without taking it apart. The replacement razor blade still only
costs pennies and is available at nearly every hardware store around the world.
And people might think I'm crazy, but I am selling these for just $14.99. I can't promise that the
price will stay that way forever, but I do think these are super cool and I want everyone to have
one. Since I did use this one on camera, however, I am going to slip $20 inside the
box and some lucky person who buys one today is going to get some extra cash inside of the box.
A little thank you for letting me unbox your knife on camera. You can grab them at JerryRigKnife.com.
And now I think it's time to unbox some more clear tech from the 90's. Let's get started.
[Intro]
We might as well start back at the beginning with my atomic purple Game
Boy Color that I purchased back in 1998 when I was 10 years old.
As you can tell from the expired batteries, I haven't played for a while. I had a newspaper
route where I would ride my bike to deliver newspapers to people in my neighborhood.
For you youngins, a newspaper is like a tweet, but with more words and less cookies.
For you old people, cookies are like creepy stalkers on the electronic typewriter.
This Game Boy Color had a launch price of $69.99, and it took me quite a while to save
up enough money to buy it, especially since I do remember hitting someone's glass screen door with
the newspaper and shattering the whole thing, which, of course, I personally had to pay for
because glass is glass. But I finally did get my hands on the transparent Game Boy Color
and it's still working to this very day 24 years later. Nice work, Nintendo.
Now let's check what's inside this first box. I gotta use my clear JerryRig Knife of course.
You've seen my own version of transparent phones where we remove the coloring
inside of the cell phone glass. You've probably even seen my Teardown Skins from
dbrand where we can show off the insides of phones without voiding the warranties.
But this guy, a landline phone, was ahead of its time 30 years ago back in 1993.
It's all clear to show off every single internal component, resistor, and interestingly enough,
weights. You can see a weight in the center of the base, as well as up here in the bottom of the
handheld side near the mouthpiece to help balance things out. Also take a look at the transparent
phone cable running up to the handset. I haven't had a landline in my house for a few years now so
I have no way of testing this guy. And even the company, Bell Atlantic, isn't a thing anymore
since they were bought out by Verizon in the year 2000, but this thing is still pretty cool.
I'll slip another $20 into this knife for a lucky person since I used it on camera.
Another relic of the 1990s is this vintage Ken-Tech alarm clock.
Once again we can see all the internal components, speakers, buttons, and wiring.
I'm starting to think that maybe the reason millenials have such a hard time
waking up these days isn't the crippling student debt or overvalued housing market,
it's probably because our alarm clocks aren't as cool as they used to be. I'll slip another
$20 into this knife for a lucky person. It'll probably go towards finger reattachment surgery.
The transparent knife can be opened and closed with one hand by the way. I've been carrying a
razor-style knife in my pocket every day for the last 15 years or so, so I've gotten pretty good at
it. But keep in mind that razors are literally the sharpest knife on the planet, and like with any
knife, if you're not paying attention, physical damage to your digits is a real possibility.
Let's check out some of the more recent additions to the transparent tech lineup.
We have a transparent CD player, as well as a transparent portable cassette player,
with transparent headphones included. Not all transparent tech is for aesthetic reasons though.
Some of it is practical as well. Like in prisons the only technology allowed inside for the
inmates, like radios, TVs, or sound equipment all have to be clear so nothing can be hidden
inside or transported. And it's easy to tell at a glance that there are no additional things
inside like cell phones or weapons filling up the empty space. So whether you're in prison or not,
you know, preferably not, these are still available today for purchase because of the demand
from the prison system. The same thing applies to our next item. I'll just grab a new clear knife.
The last transparent piece of technology we have is this guy here.
It's a relatively modern 720p 13-inch LED TV. It's a little on the dirty side since it was actually
used by someone in prison. They have their prison number scratched into clear plastic here on the
back so no one steals it. And it's easy to tell at a glance that there are no additional pieces
of contraband inside besides just the TV components that are supposed to be there. It
does have stickers on the side that say if it's broken it will result in disciplinary action.
Big yikes in jail if these are ever taken apart. Apple and jail have something
in common. But luckily, since it's clear, we can satisfy our curiosity without any tools
or risk of disciplinary action. Power comes in from the main board and then branches out to
power everything else, like the screen and all these ports down at the bottom including HDMI.
Transparent stuff in prison might look pretty awesome,
and you might be like, wow, I should just go to jail for all the cool tech.
But you can tell from the screen quality that resolution isn't the highest priority here. And
we did get extremely lucky with this model, that there is a speaker down at the bottom
because most prison devices only have a headphone jack so we aren't disturbing the other inmates.
So I mean, transparent technology kind of was mainstream back in the 90s, and it's whittled
down to just the current prison population, but I can see it making a comeback. Gaming PCs are
almost all transparent, as well as we have a transparent Skin for nearly every smartphone.
And now we also have my transparent JerryRig Knife. And for those of you keeping track at home,
this now brings our color selection up to four. We have transparent, metal, red, and blue.
And if we're keeping with the 90s vibe, you got to catch 'em all. Plus 5 of the knives that I
ship out today as a thank you for letting me use them on camera, are going to be shipped with $20
inside of the package. So there will be 5 lucky people with extra cash, but everyone
who orders a transparent JerryRig Knife will end up with a transparent JerryRig Knife.
Have you ever owned a transparent piece of tech that I might have missed? Let me know
down in the comments. Come hang out with me on Twitter and Instagram. JerryRigKnife.com
is where you find the knives. And thanks a ton for watching. I'll see you around.