TechShop San Jose

I’ve been a member of tech shop off and on since the original shop opened up in Redwood City/​Menlo Park years ago. I’ll get a month membership when I have a project to work then may go a couple of months before I have use of their awesome shop again.
They do require you to take the basic classes to understand how to use the equipment and that really isn’t a big deal. Most people wouldn’t even know how to power up a lot of the things they may want to use without the class.
Location is great, easy to get in and out of in a tedious down town SJ as well. Lots of food choices that are walk-​able when you are pulling a marathon shift trying to finish a project.
The staff is also super friendly and will assist you (not showing you how to do something) vs fixing/​adjusting/​reloading a piece of equipment that you might be having trouble with.

I really like the idea.
When you add up the prices it doesnt seem to be all that worth it. If you do the autopay it comes to $ 150 a month. Then you have to pay for each class before you can use most of the machines. Some machines you need to take the class over and over to be able to use the machines.
If you are using some of the high end mills/​lathes/​cnc/​waterjet a lot then it is worth it. The second problem is logistics. If you have a big project or multiple day project you have to get it there and you cant leave it there. Lastly, a lot of tools are misplaced or missing.
I canceled my membership when I realized I was wasting tons of money I could have spent on tools. I bought my own compressor, MIG, etc and I am much happier at home.
I’d happily pay to use the mills/​lathes/​etc but dont want to have to play for the class too just to use them if I already know how (I understand the liability piece though).

After years of paying for membership at HackerDojo I’ve switched to the TechShop. Membership is $ 125 a month. Visitors can get a free tour. Anyone can take a class and get a free visit. One day passes are $ 50, but if you know a member they can sponsor you as a guest for $ 25. If you served in the military there is a special program where the government pays your membership. If you are an accredited investor and willing to fund a new location elsewhere you can buy your way into a lifetime membership.
My only gripe is that the internet speed is SLOW! There are several nearby coworking spaces with faster internet.
The place is now ²⁴⁄₇ so there is no reason why you can’t work on your project whenever the fancy strikes you! They have sewing machines, embroider machines, vinyl sticker cutters, heat press (vinyl stickered t-​shirts), electronics bench, wood workshop, metal workshop, 3D printers and laser cutters (the $ 40k Epilog ones).
Best of all you can use your membership at any location so when a class is full I’ve gone to the Redwood City or San Francisco location. Parking is free — just be sure to get a parking pass from the front desk to put on your dashboard or you’ll get TOWED!

TechShops are an incredible concept.
While maker spaces are all the rage these days, the reality is that TechShops were front runners in this industry early on and they continue to maintain that lead. Most other maker spaces are focused on some particular specialty. Some have welding, others focus on electronics. Some have sheet metal tools.
TechShops are the only ones I’ve encountered with the incredible variety of capabilities they have. An extremely well equipped workshop with everything you need for working with wood, metal, polymers (plastics), fabric, or just about anything else. Unfortunately, no glass furnaces, but just about everything else including water jet cutters, mills, routers, lathes (wood and metal), injection molding, 3d printing, laser cutters, Cnc embroidery, industrial and conventional seeing, Cnc quilting, and much much more, all the way down to a very well stocked bicycle maintenance bay.
If you can’t build it here, you might not be able to build it anywhere.
While I’m reviewing San Jose specifically, the reality is that the capabilities are similar at all TechShops and your membership automatically gives you access to all of them. My membership is in San Jose, and I have been to Menlo Park (and its new San Carlos location), San Francisco, and Austin TechShops. In Austin, there’s an attached Lowe’s which carries items not normally at Lowe’s stores in support of the TechShop clientele. Its a great combination.
The best thing about TechShops is not the tools, however. It’s the community. Trying to do something you’ve never done? The guy two tables down will probably come to your aide when he sees you struggling. Need someone to bounce an idea off of? Never any difficulty finding a knowledgeable ear. People are amazingly friendly and enthusiastic and willing to help.
I highly recommend their lifetime memberships as you’ll want to keep coming back year after year and in about 4 – 5 years, you break even.

Everyone here is friendly and knows how to host an excellent event! They allow you group to enjoy a catered meal inside among the work benches, and then do an excellent job of giving directions, building excitement, providing the materials, and helping you achieve your goal. Overall This TechSHop location is doing an excellent job with large groups and should keep up the good work!

LOVE this place. the equipment is well maintained and the staff is SO friendly and helpful. Not intimidating or anything at all, they will help you do whatever you need! Karen (I think she’s new) is so sweet and helpful. Love it!

TechShop is one of my favorite places on earth! I have a membership here and visit weekly to use the laser cutters to make jewelry, as well as the 3D printers on occasion too. It’s a great place for those of us who want to make stuff, but can’t fit (or afford) to have a whole machine shop/​wood shop in our apartments. The staff is always helpful and friendly, and the computers are well equipped with all the design & engineering software you could need to make whatever you can imagine!

I had a great experience at TechShop starting first with the prompt email responses concerning my 3D printing request of a turtle from a file created by
. While at the facility I saw that it was a very productive environment packed wall to wall with people working on every kind of project imaginable. I was very pleased with the end result of the print job and the patience the staff showed me. I was in such a hurry I left a personal belonging in the meeting room and they kept it at the front desk for me to pick up the next day.
A total of 3 team members (Ally, Katsu and Scott) assisted with the job from the first series of emails to finish because we had to switch out the printer.
Location notes:
There is parking between TechShop and McDonald’s.
Amenities:
Large meeting room, wifi, comfy couches and chairs and a community of creatives!

BEWARE of POOR MAINTAINED EQUIPMENT!
The concept is great, i love it, too bad that the service and the management SUCK!
I ruined several high priced pieces of wood on the Planer machine because of poor maintenance, I repeatedly complained and asked for repairs, and — GUESS WHAT? — the planer still leaves marks on the wood!
COME ON! with a $ 1,000+ annual fee, 20 minutes drive to get there, only few hours a month on my busy schedule, and I have to put up with all this S*IT?
Don’t even get me started with regular tools, always misplaced, damaged and such!
Too bad, they are really giving TechShop a bad reputation.

Techshop has been graded «F» by the Better Business Bureau of San Jose, and thats a grade that a business really has to put effort into getting. In my opinion, their service is sub standard, and their management is unprofessional. It’s too bad, since it is a great concept.
Update: after posting this review, I received a hostile letter plastered to both the driver and passenger side windows on my car, which was parked in TechShop parking lot
We will see if this review disappears like the last honest review posted about techshop.

Every time I come to use the sandblaster, there’s something wrong with it.
Last time, the viewing glass was blasted so much it was opaque.
This time, there were holes in the gun, and in the pickup tube, so it didn’t work at all.
You spend an hour driving to this place, waste time setting up, only to find that the equipment doesn’t work.
This routine has grown quite tiresome.

I’ve been to TechShop in SF, Menlo Park (old and new location) and now this place. Of the 3.5 places (Menlo counts as 1.5!) this place is probably my favorite. It seemed like this place is the biggest of the locals. There’s plenty of room to get your projects done.
Like all other TechShops, the classes are really fun. I actually like taking SBU courses. I’m almost ready to start work on my projects now that I’ve taken all the SBUs I think I’ll need. That’s probably the most important tip before signing up… take all the safety classes BEFORE signing up for a membership. I didn’t and it was basically wasted.

What a great spot, I joined the tech shop back in 2012 and this place allows me to work on my ideas and test them. You don’t have to worry about buying expensive equipment and work tools.
they do offer classes but I have yet to attend any. If you are a tech enthusiasts and would like to bring tour ideas to life, this is the spot.

I started taking classes at the Techshop in October of 2007. I love the Techshop. I do new product development and use the Techshop’s bricks & mortar, computers, software, machines, and work space. I purchased a life time membership! If you an idea for a product and/​or service your first stop should be the Techshop. Purchase a corporate membership and run your business out of the Techshop in the middle of Silicon Valley.

Got a tour of Tech Shop when I came in for a class that was cancelled but they hadn’t told me… The place is full of cool stuff and awesome machines. Couple it with knowledgeable people, and it’s a definite win… minus how expensive the membership is… :-/

I can’t even begin to express how cool this place is…
Basically anyone who loves to make things and create; there is every type of machine, device, program, or material here that will help you make that idea into a reality (you just have to bring the motivation and drive… and pay the membership).
I took a class here through my Geek «Meetup» group where we put together programmable LED light strips by saudering electrical wiring connectors to Arduino boards; it was awesome!
They also offer specialized classes on just about everything. This is what I’ll be doing until I decide on a project and commit to a membership. :)
Take the tour when you have a project ready as they offer you a 72 hour «deal» window. Parking is directly behind the building and I overheard that they provide parking passes if you are taking a class… but I’d call first to make sure.
Bottom line: I felt like a kid that had entered Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory… the possibilities are endless!

I am a creatively wired person that went from a kid that grew up around classic Chevy’s and racecars, to a (broke but happy then, not broke but still happy now) musician, and then into high tech and start-​ups. I love free-​flowing art, as well as the greatest technical depths and details. I thrive when I can be creative and work with my hands. I love to learn, and to challenge and stretch my intellect. It makes me happy.
I have always worked hard, especially when I had nothing. One of the few «breaks» I have caught in life is TechShop. I have spent a small fortune building a nice selection of fine tools over the years. Nevertheless, with all of that, I had no access to the sexy (i.e. super expensive) stuff, nor did I know where to start. Life is busy and things are expensive. TechShop has considerably changed the game.
Concerning small tools, consumables, etc., I expect to buy most of my own stuff (e.g. machining bits that wear out, Tig welding filler metals, etc.). For the rest, I am grateful that TechShop provides the rest. The items they provide now far exceed what I would expect.
To the lazy-​ass, unaccountable people with a false sense of entitlement: please go find a dark corner and some dirty donkey parts. Do your thing. For the rest of us, TechShop provides amazing opportunities, every day. The staff there is awesome, and they want to help. If we had TechShop locations «everywhere», this entire nation would be sooooo skilled, and the world would be a better place.
TechShop is beyond rare. Nothing is perfect, some people suck and do not treat tools right (jerks), things wear out and require occasional downtime and maintenance, but that is real life. TechShop and its staff are not there to feed my ego, and they are not charging thousands of dollars per-​month. They are doing the best they can to help the members pursue their goals and dreams. I have a lot of respect for TechShop and its staff.
I do not write reviews often (or write this much) but I call it as I see it…
Cheers

I’ve been coming here for a year now (since they opened in SJ), in that time I’ve learned to weld, form sheetmetal, use lathes and milling machines and I’ve sandblasted and powdercoated everything not bolted to the floor in my garage. I’d never have had an opportunity to do this without this facility.
I’ve found the staff to be friendly and helpfull and as I’m usually there after 7pm on weekdays its quiet in the metalshop. The equipment is kept in good shape and its never been dirty/​messy (no more than you’d expect in a machine shop that is !)
In fact its probably time I renewed my membership for this year !!.

Well, I’m here at the Tech Shop now. Just killing time till they close. I’ve been coming here for about a week. It’s great to have a place to be zen while I work on my project. What’s not so great is that tonight the staff has decided to act like prison wardens by telling people to wrap it up 25 min. before closing. If I paid to be here, I want my money’s worth. As long as I’m ready to walk out the doors when it’s time to lock up then I don’t want to hear about it.
Soooo… it’s 11:45 on a Sunday and these guys have pretty much shut everything down. Let me preface things by saying at TechShop, as a member, we are entitled to free coffee and popcorn. I brewed a pot when I got here and when I went to have a second cup everything had been thrown out and put away. Starting to think these guys really don’t want my money. Damn shame I signed up for a 3 month commitment. Really starting to consider not coming back once it expires.

What an ingenious idea! Having a facility where you can have access to what would otherwise be really expensive equipment to invest yourself… and have it available in a place where you can become a member to use.
If you’re someone with an idea to build something that can make a profit, by golly… why not invest in a membership here?!? Whereas, perhaps someone like me that would rather just make things for myself or as gifts (not turning a profit). I can see why the membership fees can be a little up there.
I knew of TechShop ever since Menlo Park, and I always had an idea for a place like this… though obviously it already exists. Once I saw the TechShop sign in downtown San Jose, and knew that they were going to build a location here. I was ECSTATIC!
Have an idea, and want help to make it happen? This is a community based place. and not only do you have friendly and knowledgeable staff that work here. there’s always someone else around that can probably help you as well.
Now to figure out how I’m going to pay for a membership once it expires in February… (need… income. perhaps find something I can make that I can sell. and yea. a lot of people do that there… lol.)