GripFlame

October 2024 - Present
Concept design for an ergonomic, industry standard kitchen torch that balances fuel capacity and grip experience.
Project Outcomes:
U‍ser Interview & Market Analysis
Solidworks CAD Model
Product Renderings
Manufacturing Drawings
Revolutionizing the Kitchen Grip Experience
A staple of high-end restaurant equipment, kitchen blowtorches have blazed into the consumer market, targeting the passionate home chef looking to expand their collection of gadgetry. With the exception of a few outliers, manufacturers have approached this need with two mutually exclusive factors in mind: fuel capacity and torching experience.

GripFlame, a concept kitchen torch product brand, illuminates this unexplored space with a torch head that fulfills both priorities.
The Need
My research process began with user research on a customer whom I knew had personally tested a long line of kitchen torch products and thus would have significant insights on the user experience: my uncle.
Target User Persona: "The Uncle"
Current torch users are forced to sacrifice a comfortable, secure grasp in order to have a robust, industrial fuel capacity.
Age: 70's

Occupation: Retired

Primary Use of Product:
Cooking at home, 1-2 timesper month, for crisping meat

Product Critiques:
  • Flame intensity dial is hard to adjust while flame is active
  • Discomfort while holding the diameter of the butane cannister
"I Prefer the smaller size cannister, but it's not worth the tradeoff of constantly having to refill with fuel... Therefore I have to deal with holding the thickness of the butane cannister."
Suckling Pig Dinner enjoyed by the Uncle during a recent trip to Spain
Torches Owned:
Iwatani Pro 2(Torch of choice)
Bluefire MRC-995A
Iwatani Pro 2(Torch of choice)
Market Analysis
Manufacturers have generally approached kitchen torch solutions with two mutually exclusive factors in mind: fuel capacity and torching experience. There is an area for improvement within the bridging of these two sectors.
Size/Power Categories
Market Overview
Ergonomics/Professional Capabilities
Target Area Graph
Ergonomics/Professional Capabilities
Weighted Performance Matrix
Current Ergonomics
In current mid-sized torch solutions, the hand either strains to wrap around the cylindrical cannister diameter or awkwardly clenches the torch head with little to no palm support.
How can the handle provide palm support while providing an accessible placement of torch controls?
Based on the profile of the final selected design, a 1:1 scale sketch model of the torch head was created to define the hand fit dimensions to ensure the design intent would be faithfully translated when it was modeled in CAD.
Final Design
Manufacturing Drawings