This fixer of the month is Greg. He got into fixing to enable dreams he could not afford.
Hi Greg, how are you?
– I’m doing fantastically well, thank you!
Please tell us about what you do on a daily basis – for work and in your spare time.
– I run a company that repairs batteries for e-bikes and builds custom batteries using second life lithium cells. Building a tech company has been my dream since forever, so this is not only a job for me, but rather a life project. As such, it does take almost all of my time. If I am not working, I am cycling, riding a motorcycle, or chilling with a beer somewhere!
You just joined our first Restart Party of the year. How did you like it?
– It was great to be around people! For me, the most interesting takeaway was how mysterious batteries are to most people, even to the fairly hands-on technical types you encounter at a Restart Party. A very large part of consumer electronics contains batteries, and they are responsible for a large percentage of faults. Maybe we could organise a seminar where we explain how to safely troubleshoot battery issues?
It has been a long interval between the last two Restart Parties. What have you been fixing in the mean time?
– 3D printers, motorcycles, lab equipment, office furniture, and a few hundred e-bike batteries! At Yedlik AS [Gregs’ company], it is a fixing party every day.
Why did you become a fixer?
– When I was a kid, I wanted to have a gaming PC, and I wanted it cheap. There was no other way than doing it myself! Over the years, the same story happened again and again with phones, motorcycles, cars.. I got into fixing to enable dreams I could not afford.
Can you tell us what you think is the best part about Restart parties and joining the movement?
– I like the social aspect of it, and that I get to understand some new funky electronics every time. I once ‘had to’ test fly a drone as part of fixing it up. How great is that?
What are your thoughts about how things have to change to make our things last longer?
– I think the change needs to come from the consumers. If we manage to convince people to buy less, but buy better, repairs will naturally become part of the ownership experience, just as they are with vehicles for example.
Do you have a favourite Restart-memory? What is it?
– I bumped into one of the first customers of Yedlik at the last Restarters Party. He rode there with the battery we repaired for him! How cool!!
Can you give us your best tips for fixing stuff or making them last longer, something that everybody can do?
– Don’t buy it if you don’t need it, choose high quality used over low quality new, and sell/donate when you don’t need it anymore. The fewer things you have, the more natural it will come to take good care of them.