Alchemy Goods | Upcycling Review | 2017
Recently we reviewed a company called Green Guru Gear who upcycle various products into exciting usable gear. Well while reviewing Green Guru we came across or should I say we were told about another cool upcycle company called Alchemy Goods (https://www.alchemygoods.com/). The story is a bit different, but the end results are virtually the same. Kick butt recycled/upcycled products that are designed with the cyclist and traveler in mind.
Alchemy Goods History
Alchemy Goods got it’s start, like many great companies, with an great idea and a passion for cycling. During the summer of 2003 in Seattle, WA, product engineer and bike commuter Eli Reich had his messenger bag stolen. Being an industrious sort (as well as an avid cyclist), he decided to make himself a replacement out of materials he had in abundance: used bicycle inner tubes and a seatbelt strap.
As many of you know first attempts at creating things usually don’t always go as planned. Eli however was somehow able to overcome the pitfalls of a first creation and created a rather cool messenger bag out of used bike tubes and a reclaimed seatbelt for a strap. Soon Eli’s cycling buddies also wanted one of his creations and thus Alchemy Goods was born.
In August of 2004, Eli quit his day job, cleaned out his basement and launched Alchemy Goods with the motto of “Turning useless into useful.” By end of 2006, Alchemy Goods had 3 employees and a workshop space, with a few bags in local Seattle boutiques as well as REI.
By the end of the summer of 2007, hundreds of shops across the US were sending their used tubes to Ag and proudly telling their customers about Alchemy Goods recycling program. Alchemy Goods now has 550 shops participating in its recycling program, ranging from local and independently-owned shops, to Trek Dealers and REI stores.
Oh and if you were wondering where the name Alchemy Goods comes from, Eli borrowed the name from Alchemy, the medieval science term of turning lead into gold and turning metals into more valuable metals. He took that idea and change it slightly to mean turning something of lesser value into something of greater value. Sprinkle in upcycled materials and you have something altogether really cool.
Alchemy Goods | Upcycling Review | 2017
I absolutely love the concept of Alchemy Goods. It has the flavor of what used to be great Americana. Namely American made products in American factories with American workers. I own a website called AntiqueOutings and whenever I come across a company that builds stuff in the States, I try to support them. So many products used to be produced here in the US, but staring in the 60’s onward there was this huge migration to Asia and cheap labor. I am loving the trend of companies starting to produce again here in the States, with their Made In The USA labels.
When Andres Segarra of Eco Brands Group, LLC told me about the cool products Alchemy Goods produced, I was like hello, YES I want some products to review. Literally within 2 days, the products were at my doorsteps. Big thanks to both Andres and Alchemy Goods.
Ag – Alchemy Goods produces 5 main categories of products including Backpacks, Messenger Bags, Shoulder & Handbags, Travel/Shave kits and Wallets. They also have various accessories that many may find useful. Obviously black is usually the dominate color for their goods since tire tubes are black, but Ag throws in a nice selection of color accents to spice things up.
One neat product Ag sells are zipper pulls using Schrader value stems and depending on the item purchased, they may have one or two of these Schrader pulls attached to the bag.
For those that are a little confused on the Schrader vs Presta value thing, Presta valves are skinnier and tend to be found on road bikes and high end mountain bikes.
Package arrives – Priority Mail. Super fast service. Again big thanks to Andres and Alchemy Goods.
We received the following items which all looked rather tasty.
- Whittier Wedge Pouch – Notice the Schrader Value zipper pull.
- Laurelhurst Crossbody Purse – Kathleen my wife was going to test it out.
- Holey Keychain – Our new spare keychain
- Delridge Belt (28”-32”) – I definitely needed a new belt.
- Holey Keychain
- Delridge Belt (28”-32”)
The Holey Keychain is rather fun to use and features a geometric hole-punch design and snap closure to keep you from the dreaded “Where’d my keys go?”. You can actually wear it around your wrist or at least my wife could.
The Stitching on the Delridge belt is superb. The outside of the belt has a colorful band of recycled polyester webbing stitched on the tube, making it extremely rugged, yet still refined. The belt comes with a matte black military style buckle allowing you to wear the belt with the tube side out, or colorful webbing side out depending on your mood. The Delridge is available in 3 colors and 6 sizes.
I found the the Delridge belt to fit true to size, but if you want a little bit of breathing room during those large pizza days, go with one size larger.
The Whittier Wedge Pouch is perfect for the world traveler who is looking to keep their bathroom essentials all in one place. It has one large compartment for storing your goods. If I could make a suggestion, it would be to add one or two inner pockets to store smaller items.
The Pouch is made from some upcycled fabrics it will give you the function, style, and durability you need for big adventures.
Dimensions:
7.5 L x 4 H x 4 D in.
190.5 x 101.6 x 101.6 mm
Weight:
10 oz.
Materials:
- Upcycled Truck Inner Tubes
- Nylon Fabric
- Nylon Teeth with Zinc Zipper
Active women and girls will love the Laurelhurst Crossbody Purse for it’s ruggedness. Like all Alchemy Goods products, the Laurelhurst Crossbody Purse is made from reclaimed bicycle inner tubes. It has an adjustable strap and a magnetic closure on the front flap to help keep your daily accessories secure.
Obviously I couldn’t really test the Purse out, unless of course I wanted to call it a Man Purse or a European Carryall, but then again who knows these days.
Alchemy Goods | Bottom Line
Alchemy goods are handmade in the USA from upcycled tubes and other materials. They are vegan and cruelty free and come with a limited lifetime warranty.
The quality of Alchemy’s products is very evident and I really like how they have utilized and upcycled tubes into their designs for both function and looks. The price point for what you get is well worth it and because they are a USA based company, what’s not to like.
Learn more about Alchemy Goods and all their great products on their website (https://www.alchemygoods.com/)
