24 Hours with YouTube's Iron Man: The Hacksmith ($5M Studio Tour)

[@hacksmith]

The 14 hour tour paid off in spades! I couldn't believe we wrapped at 2am 😂 You've got the record of longest tour, but I think there was still more I could have shown you! Thanks for sharing everything we do with the world!

[@youshaei]

Thanks again James!! I was seriously blown away man 🤯

[@rachelleeden8824]

I would totally be the highest rank of member if I could afford it... I'm glad that this video helps shed some light on the costs of production, which I think a lot of viewers take for granted. Thank you Jon for posting and I hope this video gets both this channel and hacksmith's channel a lot more members.

[@Ur_clickbait_is_trash]

James you do no work at all. You just appear at the end of videos for clout. cringe.

[@leonYoong]

This video brought me back to your Channel James, and I don't know why I even stopped watching!

[@TheRealASN]

Finding under replied comments from hacksmith is a hidden joy of a modern world.

[@sealdoggydog]

I wasn't expecting the incredible transparency with all the business metrics and numbers. A lot of creators shy away from it, but it's super interesting to peak behind the curtain!

[@Deja117]

One thing I've learned from years of watching Hacksmith videos, is that they are always open to talk about anything. For example on the most recent video they did, James was replying to people on a comment saying that the videos were underperforming this year, and they had to let a few people go due to this. There were also people bouncing ideas off of him to see if they could think of anything that would help the channel, and he took time to address each of the ideas and say why they wouldn't be possible. In my opinion, that's becoming a rarer site on KZbin for channels of their size, so it's always refreshing to see that open line of communication they have. :)

[@shehasbigtounge]

Transparency, all I need to know is what it costs for the lightsaber and where the nearest bank is!

[@Chriss_Workshop]

Sometimes youtubers cant be so transparent because of NDA contracts. Its always a breath of fresh air when they get to be so open

[@DSN0W39]

Yes it's like only fans to. No one shares numbers. Like no one really cares. It's interesting yes, but most will forget the next day

[@cameronhumphries2377]

@@Deja117 Yes! hes replied to comments and liked mine many times. he engages in such a friendly and open way that feels like youre talking to a friend not a big youtuber. honestly shows what a great guy he is

[@hakunamatata324]

The best thing about him, he is down to earth asf He didn't let money to take over being humble. Mad respect.

[@OohzyJohnDow]

Right.. nothing says down to earth ASF like a 5.000.000 USD workshop and running your business as the edge of bankruptcy. I am sure he has everything over the top cause he is down to earth ASF ;)

[@MrGittz]

@@OohzyJohnDowhe’s in Canada. That’s 5 million Canadian.

[@MRtecno98]

@@OohzyJohnDow running on thin margins isn't "near bankruptcy", most tech startups for example run for years _at a loss_ before becoming profitable

[@riverpirate1022]

Because he doesn't have any money. Didn't you hear him? They run a deficit a lot of the time, and only sometimes make money. If it wasn't for the lightsaber torch they would probably be out of business. (How he got this past Disney without being sued is a HUGE question) As it is, clearly, success is killing them slowly. Spending $300k a month and no guaranteed product is extremely risky. The fact they are running on mostly selling merch now shows their business model is less than sound in the long run.

[@ThatLonelyBlob]

@@riverpirate1022Disney probably just doesn’t care.

[@JerryRigEverything]

Freakin sweet.

[@youshaei]

Thanks Zack! All credit to James. PS love your vids man

[@ayoni02]

Look at that, bro just took apart the mini lightsaber recently too😂

[@PeterHollens]

JON! This is an incredible video, and it's so awesome to honestly be introduced to James thru this content!! It makes me much more excited to watch a creator after you get to learn so much about them!!!!!! DO MOAAAAR OF THESE!!!!!

[@youshaei]

Thanks Peter!! Appreciate you so much man 🙏

[@JD-128]

Whoa, didn't expect to see Peter Hollens here! Hi!

[@jobofett5947]

Imagine my surprise to see the same name that lives on my soundtrack here.

[@brandonpitre4196]

I have been a fan of the hack-smith since I was in middle school back in 2013, it’s been amazing to see them grow to what they have become today.

[@teo7196]

same i was just done with highschool back then and it was always a nice break from all that time spent playing cod in college lol

[@Wildest_Wahoo]

James talking about the Schwartz is such a quick witted perfect timing joke 😂

[@youshaei]

hahah i nearly lost it

[@duacky]

@@youshaei same

[@Xenocrii]

I've been subbed to James for years, his love & passion for his work shows tremendously in this video. He 💯 deserves his success

[@kanou7473]

Dude dropping and showing yt numbers like he don't care, lots of creators are like super mysterious about that lmao

[@kobirelf97]

KZbinrs aren't mysterious about it they're just tight arsed I prefer if people was more like this

[@Fenrasulfr]

Well back in the day, youtube didn't allow to talk about how much you earned from them. Don't know when that changed.

[@msameerarif]

I am an Electrical Engineer who quit medical school to become an engineer after watching the Hacksmith and TKOR. So watching him go from a literall backyard with Ian behinf the camera for the exoskeleton to a full on Facility is the greatest inspiration to me.

[@ElJasperino]

You can see the emotion in James’ eyes sometimes like he lost something by archiving all this. Remarkable man and also a little bit sad to see. Full respect for him!

[@Lewenthh]

Yeah he burnt up a few times

[@AquariumInfo]

The intro to this video is Netflix level....Visuals + storytelling. Keep it up Jon, we love your content 💕

[@danrodrigues3531]

This is the first time I have heard of the Hacksmith channel. Have I been under a rock this whole time? Hell, this is the first time I've come across a video from Jon Youshaei.

[@chrishayes5755]

Check out Alex Lab he's the real Ironman of KZbin. Hacksmith is the hacksmith of youtube.

[@NightfurySkrill_Joel]

​@@chrishayes5755 this is true.

[@dexocon2658]

Same here😂

[@oo92829]

yeah, alex makes iron man stuff , hacksmith makes other stuff​@@chrishayes5755

[@omergrinberg5650]

The first time i saw one of james's videos was when i was 9, and it was the Captain america Shield video. And ever since then, i watched almost every video. English isn't my native language, but even though i didn't understand half of what he said when i was younger. James is the reason that i want to start an engineering degree next year.

[@yvesstocky9936]

nice doggo :)

[@omergrinberg5650]

@@yvesstocky9936 thank you

[@Aristheticz]

Seen a few videos of yours and this one by far has the best vibes so far! Much love!

[@youshaei]

Thank you! Appreciate you being here and watching 🙏

[@snizzol]

This dude is 100% honest.

[@youshaei]

Just wait til you hear everything we talked about in the sit down interview coming next

[@alphashadow8243]

Hacksmith has always been an idol to me, thanks for this amazing tour video!

[@heyimlilyx3]

I’ve been a fan of James since his exoskeleton project and I even got to talk to him for a while at opensauce and he gave me a 3d printer. Seeing his success has been extremely inspiring for me but I also get a melancholy feeling whenever he talks about his business. I sincerely hope he gets to do his own projects for fun, rather than only for views. He’s an incredibly nice guy and the conversations I had with him meant a lot

[@Yilz.]

Bro looks more like captain america than iron man

[@pileofstuff]

When he grew his sideburns out he looked a lot like Wolverine.

[@dmacpher]

@@pileofstufffits as he’s Canadian 😊

[@JH-zo5gk]

Yeah that true. Personality's don't line up tho.

[@k.vlmalsawmzualanotea7522]

Your comment looks like you don't know him before

[@dannyg.4421]

Whats cool is he made real adamantium bones like wolverine using this electro-plating nano metal and he also showcasing a real-life super soldier syrum? Idk because he hasn't dropped a video on It yet but he did mentioned it and showed a clip of him being injected and it supposedly fixed his back. Idk what that is actually going to be.

[@pdubyaz]

$300k per MONTH burn rate. That's insane.

[@youshaei]

Right?! Couldn’t believe it

[@jilatous6277]

Another fascinating video. Always amazed at how far these u tubers can go these days or how much money they are willing to spend to bring their ideas to life. U definitely make them feel very comfortable and ask all the right questions. Seeing all the things behind the scene must have been very cool . Love your laughs. Look forward to your interview with him 👏👏👏❤️very proud of u

[@swordsmike]

I loved watching the hacksmith during covid, but stopped for whatever reason. I recently saw him talk about the channel in a comment on LTT and was super impressed with the honesty. I hope it gets back to the good ol days! :) Keep it up!

[@MakeEverything]

Awesome to see the whole space and hear his perspective on the ups and downs!

[@Diamond_Hammer]

This was a great video, I've been watching James and the growing team for years and it's a travesty that they still struggle, James is a massive inspiration and deserves allot more. The power loader is by far my favourite build and they did it serious justice.

[@CatMeow24-qr7uo]

Thank you so much for showing us all of this!

[@amok00]

I remember watching his little videos about being in engineering school and if you could boil pasta at room temperature. then his Elysium exoskeleton kinda blew up. Amazed he's kept it up for so long

[@hacksmith]

Damn dude!!! Not many people have seen that video!

[@tomclanys]

I have a fun story too, when they showed that the parkour tutorial was their first video I recalled seeing it ages before but I had no idea it would become such a huge channel lol

[@AdrianGarcia-ww1ik]

I appreciate Jon’s candor and just how genuine he is. I hope he continues to find success and keep that spark that made him passionate about what he does.

[@youshaei]

Thanks Adrian! Appreciate you being here and saying that 🙏

[@squarrildog1803]

This was great. Been watching hacksmith for years. Love to see the behind the scenes

[@Ectopl4sm]

Damn how does this only have 9k views, this is some insane quality!

[@herotech]

Incredible interview, thank you for doing this. Hacksmith was the inspiration for me starting KZbin and getting my engineering degree!

[@premch2856]

This video made me fall in love with james all over again as a fan. I teared up when he talked about getting back to his roots. He was my childhood. I saw him build ironman suits and that blew my mind. The segment about Grant brought back memories. I was his subscriber and i used to watch all of his videos and somewhere i lost access to that account and somehow completely forgot abt TKOR too. When they showed the clips my mind just went crazy realising how I've forgotten everything that made my childhood awesome. But i did not know until this video abt his passing...RIP grant...thank you so much for all the videos. Thank you jon that was a fucking rollercoaster of a video.

[@pioj]

I really respect James and the Hacksmith team, and I wish NASA or JPL approached them somehow to make a deal and have them on the payroll....

[@ForrestOutman]

WOW, what an actually literally amazing video. Absolutely fascinating on multiple levels, I'm really looking forward to the next video with the interview. I have so much more respect for him and what he's done after seeing this, truly open and heartfelt responses. So rare in the shiny world of social media to see someone being transparent and even vulnerable and self effacing .

[@joedadi]

Man this is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

[@movieman2782]

We need Mark Rober studio plz

[@tomclanys]

This is severely depressing. I watched the Hacksmith channel since the beginning and knowing how hard it was, how less fun it is, and how it became a chore instead of a dream, I gave up on following that dream. I saw someone else reach that goal, saw how it isn't even worth all the effort, so I gave up. I don't even work in engineering anymore, even though I spent 6+ years of my life full-time studying it. At least I got the skills for my own needs. All I would really need was just a shop/shed full of tools, just like the first garage they had. When I heard that James had to get help (IIRC therapy), it really hit me hard. It sucks to see how the old rule is still correct, that you can lose joy in any hobby if it becomes your work. Thanks for the interview and thanks James for being honest with us.

[@3ATIVE]

😮Judging purely by the number of times Jon said "Wow"... I think he was impressed. LMAO

[@asall9918]

Literally the coolest dude ever

[@ParkerSwanson-k9w]

the hacksmith have have been a mentor for me an sparked my passion to make animatronics. right now i am working on a grave crawler for halloween. first vid i loved it keep it up.

[@soflo_fpv2]

19:13 I love how even after spending 5+ years on that build he still gets a slight smirk when destroying that car. I can only dream of creating something that magnificent that I can come back to showcase and still entertain myself

[@IWETROBOTICS]

I started building things because I got inspired by watching the hacksmith's videos way back in 2016 when I was in junior high school. I found it so cool to actually replicate some of the cool tech we see in movies and video games in real life. Am a grown up now and I still watch the hacksmith's videos. I even started my KZbin channel to document some of my personal build projects because of the hacksmith.

[@dave_granfield]

The most amazing video to date! I can’t wait for the interview pt.2

[@ChrisParayno]

Great episode, love the honesty and transparency.

[@youshaei]

Thanks Chris! Yeah grateful to James for keeping it so real 💯

[@ipinhathaway]

this is way better than the other video i watched from another channel i forgot because i've not subscribed to that channel. basically that guy also went to youtubers studio but his tour is so focused on camera and stuff that's used to shoot videos rather than the details or specialty of the studios he's visiting. there's one video where he goes to woodworking studio and there's so much interesting tools and whatnot there but all he asked is just what camera what lighting what camera setup stuff like that. i imagine if he goes to hacksmith studio, we won't get to see much of the interesting stuff that's shown here. i get it that the guy's channel is a camera gear channel or gadget channel but he left out so much interesting stuff.

[@donahuefilms1895]

Man, so much goes on at HERC. I just wish the internet didn't do it's thing and forget about everything in a matter of hours and move on to the next best thing.

[@ezraanderson842]

33:38 had me tearing up. It takes a special man to make that happen

[@Dtansing1]

Absolutely brilliant video content. AWESOME. Hello from Australia.

[@JamesWilson-ts5xk]

Wow. James is super open, honest and down to earth. Great Canadian engineer and ideasman! 🙌💪🇨🇦

[@erenkuzu]

I don’t understand how hacksmith doesn’t get over 10 million views per video

[@AnakinSkyobiliviator]

I'm glad James gets to have this outlet to express his grievances to a degree (I'm sure the upcoming video will have more of this too). I know that the business for the past several years has not been kind to him and I know that he expressed his disappointment several times through the replies he gives in the comment section, but having him lay out the specifics gives us plenty of perspective.

[@samscrib8719]

He's so open to everything I love it

[@AnUndertaleEnjoyer345]

I like seeing this real side of The Hacksmith And I can't really understand, but I can feel the some, a very little part, of the struggle in his voice I hope to be like him. Maybe better. That's ambitious though

[@GregoryJohnston77]

This dude is a GENIUS. How in the hell have I never seen his KZbin channel? I am going to sub to it RIGHT NOW!

[@daylen577]

I remember watching James' videos before the whole thing blew up and thinking 'hmm, I wonder where this goes'. Insane to see it go from a shack to a campus.

[@J0nas.]

Thor's Hammer that can only be lifted by Canadian engineers is the coolest thing I've ever seen

[@frankgeimer5952]

What a great vlog! Keep them coming!

[@thebigtipowski]

Thank you for this video. I just got released from my job a week ago and I’ve been slowwwwwly growing my channel. I’ve been working on my own magic and giving back, so thank you

[@corrpendragon]

Jon's reactions while holding fire capable of instant death, and flagging everyone with a flat gun... I wouldn't invite him to my shop 🤣

[@youshaei]

Hahah I don’t blame you one bit

[@chriswilfrid]

Amazing interview admin 🎉❤

[@TheDailyBA]

Very well done, thanks!

[@christianmbabazi9722]

This man inspired me to pursue a career and mechatronics also taking some classes in IT I might touch in cybersecurity but I think we're megatronics I like working with my hands

[@mcbrite]

17:04 That's SOOOOO sweet! You can tell he's annoyed at how little people value the engineering inside and then immediately offers it to him to hold, as soon as he shows any interest at all... 😀 When in reality, there are COUNTLESS people that would love and value the work that went into this, just not the average/median TikTok/YT audience!

[@robdibatt8416]

If my life were a bit different today I would come to work for free, just to learn and be part of something amazing like this.. I wish you continued success.

[@MartinPittBradley]

I super respect these guys, get that out of the way. I do find it wild how much the $s per view vary so much, and Google doesn’t want transparency.

[@gdidieu]

My kids and I love The Hacksmith and his creations

[@bensjamming8310]

You two mad men together is hilarious. Loved the video !😂

[@RayfuzuLearning]

Hacksmith is such an inspiration for my channel. They are the best STEM channel on youtube. ❤

[@gabrielgrassmayrtoo]

The way that Jon is able to talk with creators from almost every niche and truly explain what they do is insane! Love the Content 🫶

[@youshaei]

Thanks Gabriel! Appreciate you being here since the early days 🙏 and grateful to all the creators who have come on the show and opened up

[@JH-zo5gk]

Its so true. If you turn you passions into work, they become work.

[@AmazingTransformationLux]

Thanks to guys like James, Mark Rober who promote intelligence and knowledge. Many young guys have decided to become engineers after watching their videos)

[@Deja117]

I love HERC, but I honestly worry about James sometimes. I know that he struggled a lot with his mental health in the past, and as odd (and possibly parasocial) as it sounds, it sometimes makes me worry that he might slip back into that period of depression if he's not careful. I hope things start picking up for them because honestly it's hard when I read comments from the team saying something isn't possible as they just don't have enough overhead, they usually put it in different words, but it's easy to read between the lines. Anyway, they definitely make amazing stuff! It's great seeing some behind the scenes on it. :D

[@christianornelas994]

Im sure these interview questions helped lmao

[@deheiligebron]

That was a blast! I swear I just saw little Jon running around like a kid in a candy store, eyes wide and pockets full of snacks!

[@youshaei]

Haha you pretty much summed it up

[@joshuaadi2754]

We need to get this man proper funding, cause I feel like he may be putting in more work than nasa rn (outside of rocket science)

[@ALLkatrazX]

the way he describe the lost of fun, i can relate and its hard. Good job guys

[@King_prado37]

I’m a new subscriber and I love the work. You are doing so far.

[@DaveCoolMusic]

Keep doing what you love. You are doing a great job and your videos are amazing!!!!!

[@MouseCourage-bw4it]

I live in Paris, Europe, come from Poland. Studied physics and imformatics. It's my dream to build similar Hacksmith in here from 0 ,D Thanks for the Video. So cool stuff! ,D

[@mathieugervais3407]

Always cool to see the money side of youtubers, very insightful!

[@mattymatt2323]

What an awesome place he has created.. impressive dude

[@EagleReelsGaming]

Bro I just subscribed I love him and the fact that you went out of your way and got this information that's amazing!

[@stevememc]

The Greatest Studio Tour Of All Time! And I dare any youtuber to have a better studio

[@YoKKJoni]

amazing video! really show a whole other perspective of his channel!

[@saintspotjude]

Just like working as Disney Imagineer. Thanks for sharing James. I want that Light Saver 😊

[@krypton9984]

All fabulous. The moment that got me was the secret passage hidden in the secret room leading to the secret mezzanine... omg, its all just fun but, its fun loaded on fun.

[@KREW1111]

I love driving past your new shop! WAY nicer then the old one! in fact im pretty sure i seen you filming this exact video lol. it would be so cool to walk through that building after having watched all your videos knowing the cool shit i would see!

[@Ohshdhaha]

Amazing guy, he is the cool uncle that everyone wants.

[@terrydouglas2777]

Great video. I watched his channel Alot, but KZbin removed most of the channels I subscribed to and I'm starting to find them again, an thanks to you I found his channel a second time. Thank you little brother for this video.

[@ryangonzales6542]

Jon made the lightsaber so much more dangerous because he was so scared of it

[@youshaei]

Haha you’re so right low key I thought I’d get burned

[@ryangonzales6542]

@youshaei it was still great to watch. And when you almost got your hands crushed grabbing the elevator rails. I thinknyou were stressing him out. Lol

[@conorstewart2214]

Reminds me on what my teacher said to the class the first time in the workshop. Every tool on the workshop is safe, the only dangerous thing in here is you.

[@Dunriteproducts]

I believe the saying is "polish a turd" not "shine a shit" 😂 love the channel! Your living my dream! I think you guys could do some amazing collaborations with grind hard plumbing on larger projects like the mech suit stuff and make some really amazing projects and i think the individual strengths of each channel would really compliment each other!

[@ericchenard8636]

Great idea looks really cool! Love the extra ens cap!

[@chefgiovanni]

It's 2024 and no one here has ever seen his videos. Makes toys, makes money, spends all the money and dreams of being a super hero. Hollywood and Fanboys are paying him for these sellable props.

[@NicholasMocha]

Saw this intro at Vidsummit. SO excited for this

[@Caseytree]

I didn’t even know who this guy was until you did a episode about him. Cool

[@mayhem035]

Love that guy... so authentic... he's no way fake! 🤟✌️👍👌♥️🇨🇦

[@Trylleven]

Wow. What a cool and honest man.

[@EverythingCollectable]

Wow....... Just Wow!

[@NBTJacklyn]

Insane hook

[@potato287-e]

Verified?

[@tapejara1507]

W channel I was blown away the first time I found him.

[@raymck2115]

Great tour and super video. super nice guy

[@dragonslayerps4134]

grant's room brought back memories, went back to their channel only to find out that it was ruined by getting rid of nate (his successor) 2 years ago. such a sad thing to see