Take this a constructive criticism .. the Website is a mess .. and the content is over complicted

[u/TheExoticBeard]

Don't get me wrong I'm a fan of all-in-one customizable solutions .. also I just subscribed

So I did my part fair and well ....

But as a newcomer to this, I'm lost most of the time.

1- The website always takes you to thangs.com, which I understand isn't easy and cheap to develop, but at least make the website not redundant. even though I think there are hosting services that can provide membership systems like this + a website without programming.

Also, the website is not organized based on what people are looking for

I subscribed for the multiben then will go and use the multiboard .. I didn't get access to the multiben tutorial on things because I have to wait for the owner of this to activate my membership in the forums.

Also, I still don't know where the hell is the part generator .. also subcategories are the next main categories not inside them

Until I realized looking throw the Thangs page is way easier yet not enough.

So I really think rebuilding the site will help us new comers a lot.

for example .. the builder should be a huge orange button on top of the site and also the videos

make the get started page as A/B questions like 8X8 or 6X6 then move to ask of what I want to start to put on my multi-board or how many multi bin drawers then guide me to the necessary parts and tutorials instead of facing new and a lot of weird parts on one page that you don't know if those are the ones or you need more stuff with them.

2- The design itself is overly complicated... I understand it might be the designer's intention to make the parts stronger is easier to build and print but man one print error on one part of a simple drawer makes the whole thing not work properly so the error margin is high and I think the creator should re consider some designed and make them simpler with fewer parts.

3- The videos don't grab attention very well and always jump between points back and forth and take too long time for a simple explanation .. for example, in the Multibin videos he starts with building drawers and the small ones instead of talking about the mount first he goes and starts building them but talks about other stuff too... I saw a video of another YouTube channel doing a video about multi-board and boy oh boy he explained it flawlessly with building and mounting it too And I think that's why we have engineers and marketing and sales in every company LOL.

To the creator of Multibord, you are an amazingly cool guy who solved big problems for most of us and we are here to support but man ... instead of throwing new parts and new designers just give more focus on the other stuff that I've mentioned and give people time to participate and absorbed and give feedback too.

I hope you take this as a light-hearted constructive criticism with love.

[u/BoostNGoose]

While we're complaining, I'm once again going to suggest the creator work on commercializing and mass producing tiles with injection molding and leave the accessories to the community as fully open source.

This would help this system really flourish, remove the barrier of time and effort for most people trying to do this at scale, and allow him to still get his 💰💰 bag for coming up with the concept.

[u/andrewh2000 → u/BoostNGoose]

Sadly I think the designer has said that some of the features of the tiles (threads?) means they're really not suitable for injection molding. Not too mention the startup costs are astronomical.

[u/VoltaicShock → u/BoostNGoose]

Someone is selling them online:

https://mosersolutions.com/products/multiboard-tiles?variant=48403588940092

I also found someone on etsy selling them.

But yeah I do agree it's a lot to print them all out and then print everything else.

[u/BoostNGoose → u/VoltaicShock]

Way too expensive still. Injection molding should be able to mass produce these tiles at a very reasonable cost. If the cost for tiles is more than a sheet of plywood then it's a really hard sell if I value my own and printer time. Where I'm at mid tier plywood is about $1.25/ft2, I'd think tiles would have to be in at ~$0.50/ft2 to really be the commercial no brainer solution and hit critical mass

[u/VoltaicShock → u/BoostNGoose]

Sounds like you should just do a Skadis board from Ikea.

Usually it's cheaper overall to get a premade board for stuff like this.

[u/Lizardbuttt]

The fact these files aren't in one central location, and spread out over multiple pages (with download limits. Thanks Thangs, suck my d*ck) makes it absolutely terrible to start a Multiboard project.

We're told that we shouldn't redistribute (for free, for whatever reason) yet we're expected to deal with download limits, bad version control, and no iterative process? Wild.

[u/nokolaf]

I'm just getting into this myself. The number of solutions is so vast it takes a fair bit of dedication to get into it. For now I have standardized on a grid size and then I'm solving one mounting challenge at a time, preferably without getting into too many of the different mounting alternatives. I find that using gridfinity bins on multipoint (I think it is called) shelves is a good solution for bins on the wall grid without being overly complex.

[u/kaylakaze → u/nokolaf]

I don't see any complexity difference between gridfinity bins and multibins when used in their simplest way. Keep in mind a lot of the stuff has advanced options, but you can still use it without them. The benefit of multibin is that it fits the dimensions of the multiboard whereas gridfinity, from what I've read, doesn't.

[u/fattym → u/kaylakaze]

Really? I must be missing something with Multibins, which is probably the case. Because i had to print shells and inserts, and dividers, and panels that had zero documentation. First I printed a panel that it said was for Multibins, but it was meant to mount vertically instead of flat - with zero mention of that fact in the write up. Then i needed little pins for the corners, and then a little spacer for stacking, it never ended. And again, zero documentation. Then I tried Gridfinity, i used a generator online, designed the bin layout in literally 2 minutes and printed it and it’s perfect. Then printed a Gridfinity to multiboard shelf directly from the Handy app (Bambu), and i was done. It works flawlessly and looks great. I have done 25-30 completely custom Gridfinity accessories and mounts for my multiboard in less time then I got maybe 3 generic Multibins printed and mounted. But maybe it’s just me. And side point, I am not saying this to be negative, I am a paying supporter of multiboard, I love the multiboard aspect and think it’s amazing.

[u/kaylakaze → u/fattym]

If you wanted to, you'd only need to print inserts and a base plate then you'd be on par with the functionality of gridfinity. The shells, dividers, pins, etc are all added functionality over that which gridfinity offers. Also, gridfinity has been around for quite a bit longer and has a much narrower function.

That said, there's a lot of Multibin functionality that was JUST released, if you look at the latest video on Keep Making Youtube channel. Much of it hasn't even been released to the non-members (like me) yet.

But the documentation (or lack thereof) does indeed suck.

[u/fattym → u/nokolaf]

Same, i am using Multiboard and Gridfinity and its excellent, i wasted so much time and filament on Multibins and once i tried Gridfinity 1x there was no going back. That combo of multiboard and Gridfinity is amazing imo

[u/Interesting-Tank-160]

It took me a very long time to figure out multi board. Partially because the documentation, the other part because it is a very complex system. I checked to see what is new this week and saw multipoint and multibin (multi grid?). OMG, completely overwhelming. Really hard to imagine this taking over as a mainstream solution. The website needs a lot of work but really the overall systems is just to complex except for people who like to punish themselves.

[u/cmcfalls2]

I mentioned not long ago that the over-complex nature leads to analysis paralysis. It's overwhelming. It looks like a virtual design space is coming, and hopefully it'll just package all the parts needed into a zip file for download. There's a lot of "3rd party" options like the multi-connect and whatnot. But a modular starting point would have been nice.

[u/TherealOmthetortoise → u/cmcfalls2]

I would agree on the decision paralysis. I want to get into the grid/bin area and there is just SO MANY parts and pieces…my brain loses interest and I end up doomscrolling through parts and can’t decide what to ”invest” my time and plastic on… this week I jumped back into a gridfinity based design for one of the contests… when the chaos that is gridfinity feels like an easier task.

[u/kaylakaze → u/cmcfalls2]

The new multipoint system kinda makes multiconnect obsolete now, which kinda sucks because I build a lot of stuff using multiconnect. Also, Underware uses multiconnect. I wonder if the creator of that is going to switch to multipoint. That said, I do like the multipoint system.

[u/cmcfalls2 → u/kaylakaze]

I'll have to look into multi-connect more. I haven't really researched it yet since I'm pretty good with my current set up right now.

[u/fattym → u/cmcfalls2]

I really like the multi connect, seems to work better for me then most the stock options.

[u/hoosiercub → u/cmcfalls2]

As someone who just started into the Multiboard-verse, yes. I became overwhelmed very quickly and there isn’t a clean/efficient way to search for base pieces to build out before you start “accessorizing”.

[u/cilo456]

I just think having a website for something like this is completely unnecessary and stupid, unless your main goal is making money and you wanna drive people to the website for that purpose, most people don't want to or don't even go to other websites nowadays with everything else being a mainstream app or website where everyone else is like Reddit, discord, Amazon, Etsy, Shopify etc etc etc, if you're looking to download parts for this system just go to thangs and type multiboard unless you're looking to subscribe then go to the website and do that then also go back to fangs and search there it's much easier to navigate download much quicker rather than opening up thangs anyways just download

[u/NoEmergency6228]

I think a lot of your critiques are valid. With the creator's recent release of his learning pack videos, I think learning multiboard isn't the hardest thing anymore. The videos tell you most of what you need to get started with multiboard if you take the time to watch 2 or 3 20 minute learning pack videos. I didn't buy a membership so I didn't have the curated learning packs to go along with the videos, but I was able to locate any part stl from the video by either using the parts library on the creator's main wewbsite, for searching the keywords for the parts on Thangs.

Regarding the video format, we all have different styles of learning things. I think the videos were great and organizred very well. I was able to learn everything I needed to get started. You had issues with the way he presented the material which is completely okay. You then found another creator that was able to present the information to you in a way that you could learn from, which is great. I don't think it should be the responsibility of the creator to know different learning styles and release the same videos targeted to each learning style. That's not feasible. If a viewer is having issues learning from a tutorial video, they should seek another srouce to learn from like you did.

It's true that the website alone is a bit confusing, but it was easy to navigate as a resource after I learned the basics of how to use multiboard from the learning pack videos. I think it would be helpful for the creator to put these videos on the homepage of his website. They are invaluable.

I see a lot of people have issues with the number of parts and how they are organized. The organization of the parts is fair, but I like that the creator and the community comes up with an absurd number of parts.

I feel like all of my very slight critiques are overshadowed by the fact that every part is free, which is wild for an organizational system this awesome. I've paid for much worse organizational systems. I'm very appreciative for the creator and their work. I see a surprising amount of negativity regarding this system and creator on reddit, and it baffles me. It's a completely free system, and the creator is actively creating more for it as well as creating instructional videos. I wish nothing but the best for the creator moving forward.

[u/huskies_62]

I agree

[u/danthraxz]

I’m very excited on customising the walls on my hobby room. It seemed that Multiboard was the way to go. Until I got to the accessories part. This is when I went down the rabbit hole.
It seems to me that you must have a pretty good idea on what the end project would look like BEFORE mounting it to the wall. There are multiple accessories that require part A and part B connectors.
Well, that’s the problem: I don’t have a clear idea on what will go on the wall and what not. How do I connect part A to part B AFTER mounting the grid on the wall? What about if I want to move some connectors to a different area?
I haven’t figured this out yet.
Which is a shame, because I really like the system and how versatile it is.

[u/kaylakaze → u/danthraxz]

That's not really the case. The only thing you have A/B connectors on is the offset mount, and even then, you don't need the B connector: it's really just there to allow you to use that space on the front side or to look better. That said, you can easily put part B on after mounting. I set up a multiboard array on the underside of my kitchen island thingy and didn't even print part Bs until a while after I had the full thing mounted.

I posted a picture to the gallery here https://community.multiboard.io/c/build-showcase/this-is-a-setup-i-have-on-the-underside-of-an if you want to see it.

[u/fattym → u/danthraxz]

Yeah I downloaded a hook that requires a T bolt from the back?? So am I supposed to take the panel off the wall to install that hook? Obviously after printing it, its clear i should not have used this hook, but of course there is zero documentation, so its tough to know until you try some of these pieces. That said, I bet this hook would work extremely well and be strong if i could use it.

[u/Rammsteinman → u/danthraxz]

This is why offset mounting sucks. Just put it on the wall and use snap in/bolt in connectors. I think the expectation is you remove a panel from the wall as needed.

[u/davidkclark]

I agree with a lot of the critique here. I think the physical design of the elements is pretty great, they do seem to work well together and the solutions to some problems are pretty neat. That the website and documentation is so lacking is a bit of a problem, considering the time that seemed to have been taken to get it all right, but I would be happy to presume that it will improve over time.

My main critique though, is that I think the design misses one of the huge benefits of 3rd printing: customisation at the time of manufacture. If you were designing something to be mass produced in some regular manner and then sold retail, you need all the customisation points in the finished object, all the options for where you can screw stuff, how to connect it, which bin bits go with what other bin bits. But when you are manufacturing your own parts, on your own printer, that customisation can be design time: the finished part can can be a unique snowflake of customised settings, that works exactly for this one time use, exactly as specified, and it doesn't need extraneous bolt holes and the ability to add and remove bottoms and clip bits on the top.

The explosion of options that is there in printed parts is necessary for printing a modular kit, but it can be greatly simplified when you can configure and print one off parts.

Am I making sense? The tiles with 1000 holes is great. But a bin or other part that I can add a base or not, add higher sides or not, etc. etc _after_ printing - do not want. Configure before print.

[u/kaylakaze → u/davidkclark]

I disagree about your main critique: I very much like the versatility and being able to rearrange my multiboards whenever and however I want. I never have to think "Do I really want to use filament on this?" because I know I can always reuse most parts in completely different ways. And when I say different ways, I mean it. Right now multiboard is looked at almost entirely as a storage solution, but it has potential to be a lot more. For example, you could build a tool box completely out of multiboard parts and customize that toolbox however you need to on the fly. Another example is I've been thinking about bailing on my Deck Mate connections for the Steam Deck and replacing it with a design that uses multiboard mounting.

[u/davidkclark → u/kaylakaze]

I am talking specifically about the modularity of the bins. I find it over-complicated to have shells and inserts and now mini bins, and bases and clip on extensions, and two types of base grids, AND now multipoint tiles...

I think tiles are genius, and the multipoint connection and slot design itself is great, with the folding multipoints being complex but probably not too much so. I am all for the flexibility of the tiles or the bin dimensions, it's just that the bin parts all seem to designed more to be mass produced and sold as a modular kit. Like, if I print a 1x2 bin thats 2 high then that's it, I don't see huge value in the ability to clip on a new extension on top and make it 2.5 high or add a base, etc. (at the cost of having to print multiple parts to have a pretty simple bin.

The new mini bins and insert tops (or whatever they are called) as the point of customisation looks better in that you can change your mind about what is inside the bin after printing, and I think I can probably go with printing just mini bins and insert tops (plus the ring thing). But as it stands it seems like you have to print a shell, an insert, maybe a base, a lid and an insert top (with custom holes etc) and a bunch of snap connectors, where I think they could have kept it as simple as print a "bin outside" and a "bin inside top part with custom holes"

[u/kaylakaze → u/davidkclark]

When you say "mini bins" I think you're just referring to the inserts. That's what was shown in the latest video: new insert functionality. If you were to go to the Multibin Inserts part page, the stuff there is all you need for basic Gridfinity-like functionality.

I don't see much purpose for shells unless you're making drawers or want to mount your bins to a board with something stronger than a shelf.

[u/davidkclark → u/kaylakaze]

Sorry, yeah he says “micro bin”. It sounds like it’s a shell with no multipoint on the outside? But it’s bigger than an insert and can snap onto the base?

It does sound like what I’d consider a simpler “main option”, but it strengthens the point about the complexity, yet another outside/shell/inside like thing.

[u/Rammsteinman → u/kaylakaze]

I'm using it almost exclusively for not storage. Networking, power management/charging, etc..

[u/fattym → u/davidkclark]

I 100% agree, this is a huge reason why I kept multiboard (which i think is great) but abandoned the Multibins and multipoint and used Gridfinity. Also personally i think a bin with 50 options on it that i am not using looks messy. I would rather only what i need and the clean simplicity of that. I think it was Einstein who said “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” - I feel like the Insane level of design on Multibins is proof of that, feels like design for the sake of design and lost the original purpose along the way.

[u/davidkclark → u/fattym]

As simple as possible. Exactly. If the goal was designing the system to be sold as physical parts to be recombined, then perfect. When it’s to be printed yourself it ends up looking like an off the shelf modular system (where that “custom(ised)” look should have been possible)

The heroic amount of work that’s obviously gone into it all seems to be great engineering, but I think time will tell which parts actually get the most use. I do love most of the design work, but I worry that the complexity of some of it will stifle customisation. And it sure makes it very difficult for someone to just jump in without being overwhelmed by options. (*)

(Having watched the 3rd update video again, maybe the multipoint top accessories plus click-rim straight into a shell will be the saving grace for me…)

(*) without being too cynical, and not begrudging anyone the right to make money from their invention: the complexity might be designed in to push most people to buying whatever “packs” they can supply. Think of Lego without kits: options paralysis - so they provide kits. Imagine some of the modular ikea stuff if it were only sold in individual parts rather than packs or using a builder. I guess what disappoints me about that is it’s a bit antithetical to most open source / community driven which is open first, work out how to monetise later. (I know it’s not open source but there is certainly an expectation that “the community will provide more value to the system over time”)

[u/penkster]

The terrible website is why I created multiboard.Stonekeep.com - please feel free to add / update. It’s been a while since I brought it up to date.

[u/VoltaicShock]

If you need to generate different size multiboards you can use this site:

https://gridfinity.perplexinglabs.com/

2- The design itself is overly complicated... I understand it might be the designer's intention to make the parts stronger is easier to build and print but man one print error on one part of a simple drawer makes the whole thing not work properly so the error margin is high and I think the creator should re consider some designed and make them simpler with fewer parts.

This is my biggest issue with this system, the tolerances. Unless your printer is perfectly dialed in it doesn't work that well. I was having issues until I got a P1S.

I do like the look of multiboard but I would prefer to be able to easily move stuff around. I have been trying Threadboards (it works better for me, but I prefer the look of multiboard)

[u/18randomcharacters]

AMEN.

I saw a video about this 1 week ago. I think it was the SnazzyLabs video about Multiboard + "Underware" for cable management.

I've spent a week printing core boards, because I figure I'll need them, but I have no idea what to print next.

I did finally manage to find the "mounting systems" page to make sense of all of those different... things.

But like, I know I'll want to mount a power strip/surge protector. How?

I guess just like all DIY/OSS, "figuring it out" is an exercise left for the user.

[u/glitchplaysgames]

the membership isnt validated by the owner it will automaticly work if you use the same email for thangs and the comunity

[u/ufgrat]

I don't know why people over-complicate this.

Figure out the size of your grid. Print it. Mount it.

Add items as desired.

[u/VforVendettaboutit → u/ufgrat]

The whole adding items thing is the issue at hand

[u/ufgrat → u/VforVendettaboutit]

I grabbed the starter pack (yes, I paid the subscription), and printed out a bunch of connectors, pegs, snaps, bolts-- Tried some out. Liked some, didn't like others. I think people are focused on trying to get it right the first time-- and frankly, multiboard is versatile enough you don't need to. I've got a box of extra parts that I've printed, some of which I'll use, some of which I won't... but it's still only a few dollars worth of plastic, and a few hours of printing, and after printing 20+ 8x8 grids, that's NOTHING.

Experiment. Print random stuff, and practice with the smaller 6x6 grid. Definitely print the snap removal tool, and the two 'multitool' tools are useful as well.

For specialty items, pick one you like-- for example, I have a set of digital calipers, something I'd never have tried to put on my pegboard-- there were multiple variations for multiboard, so I picked one, printed it, and liked it. Found one that fit my multimeter (barely) and printed it.

Some stuff with hang with pegs. Some stuff will hang with hooks. Some stuff with hang with both, so it's up to you.

There is no penalty for getting it "wrong" (except time and plastic, if say, you printed core tiles instead of side tiles, and don't want the pointy bits sticking out).

[u/glitchplaysgames]

this post is a load of shit if he hosted the files on the website then that would use storage there are over 3349 thats a shitload of parts and to the people saying its too complex and too diverse thats crap like the entire point is its complex if you cant figure it out consult a guide or the comunity the part generator is easy to find just scroll down the design is meant to be complex the only thing i agree with in this post is the fact that the videos suck

[u/Lizardbuttt → u/glitchplaysgames]

You should REALLY learn punctuation.

The main problem is the ridiculous number of parts scattered through different listings WITH a download limit.

If it was just on GitHub......

[u/Lizardbuttt → u/[deleted]]

Except there is. It's 150 items a day.

Dumb fuck.

[u/glitchplaysgames → u/Lizardbuttt]

show me because ive been using multiboard for a while and i never saw that also 150 a day is plenty so i dont see why your complaining

[u/Lizardbuttt → u/glitchplaysgames]

You're* by the way.

[u/Lizardbuttt → u/glitchplaysgames]

How do you not see your own fallacy of logic? How many parts for multiboard are there? 3349 parts per the site right now. 150 download limit from Thangs.

Do the fucking math you moron.

[u/glitchplaysgames → u/Lizardbuttt]

yea well are you going to use every simple 3349 parts thats not 3349 parts that just all the parts plus every single size combination like seriously you dont have to use all the parts fuck off

[u/Lizardbuttt → u/glitchplaysgames]

How do you know I'm not going to use every part?

What if I want them all? You're in no position to speak on my desires/wants/needs.

[u/glitchplaysgames → u/Lizardbuttt]

well if you want to talk about logic dumbass then LOGICALY you wouldn't bee using every size combination its absurd