We have a thread on stupid product design. Let’s look for the positive in the world. Since IANAP(lumber), I thought this shut off valve that can be installed on a pressurized water line is pretty cool (not cheap). What’s yours?
Youtube(4:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBfqJ8ugUQ0
News for that guy (not sure if he is a plumber either): if you don’t have a local shutoff valve, you shut off the whole house until you can install one in the area you’re working on. If you have the kind of water jet showing in the first few seconds of that video, then you’re an idiot.
Not to say that the product isn’t useful, it probably is. But come on.
Also, that thing is hella expensive compared to a regular shutoff valve (which you mentioned, but actual numbers make the point better). The cheapest one (a “complete kit”) that I could find on Amazon was $250. I found a “starter kit” somewhere else for around $110. I don’t know what the difference is between the two. A normal shutoff valve for bathroom or kitchen is under $20.
edited to add: sorry to jump on the first thing cited as ingenious, it may be ingenious design, but it has its drawbacks too.
One candidate is the auto-darkening welding helmet.
Having used the old-fashioned “passive” version, this device brings to mind Arthur C Clarke’s famous quote: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.
Greatest innovation of the 21st century so far: the slow-close toilet seat.
It’s a miracle! How does it work? Magic.
I couldn’t believe it when I first got one. I felt like it was a miracle.
I once had a key made that had a little light attached to it, fit flush with the metal part in the back. Made opening my door late at night so convenient. Then I changed my locks and couldn’t find a place that did the key lights.
Has to have the built in night light though. It’s great at 3 in the morning.
I’m guessing the slow-close toilet seats are based on magnets, or more specifically, eddy-current brakes. Though they might be based on hydraulic drag, for a similar effect.
My nomination is the Sawstop, table saws with a built-in sensor to tell if the blade is touching flesh, and brakes to stop and retract it before it can do more than a minor nick. Though stopping the blade that quickly takes its toll on the device: The repair job after it’s triggered costs nearly as much as a new saw. Still cheaper than a finger, though.
I assume they still have these:
The rear view mirror in your car. The kind you flip the tab to keep from being blinded by the mook behind you with his high beams on.
When that first came out they had a video of it barely scratching a hot dog. Pretty amazing.
I occasionally cut aluminum on my table saw. I wonder if the sawstop interferes with that?
This vintage Sunbeam toaster that lowers and raises the bread automatically, which is done using the thermal expansion and contraction of its own heating elements. As explained by the Technology Connections Youtube channel.
I think you can either disable the sawstop temporarily (like you press an override button and it turns off the sensor for that session only, but you can of course still cut yourself after you disable it), or (not so sure about this) you can cut conductive materials as long as you isolate the blade from the ground path by wearing insulated rubber gloves.
My 40 year old Craftsman table saw has a cast iron table, so I don’t think that’s possible. The video’s I’ve seen of the Saw Stop shows a metal table as well. Maybe it can’t cut conductive materials. But that’s not it’s main purpose anyway.
This doesn’t seem to me to be a “stupid product design”. On the contrary, it appears to be very useful in certain situations. On the other hand, you wouldn’t want me working on your plumbing (tsunami!), either, so I’m probably a poor judge. So, why the “stupid design” designation?
If you wear gloves, the Sawstop will only trigger when it has cut through the glove and made an electrical circuit by touching your skin. You can cut metal on it by using the bypass function, which temporarily disables the safety.
I think it must be using capacitance rather than grounding.
I think you’ve misread the OP. This is the not-stupid design thread.
I thought he said he took the example from a “stupid design thread”. My bad.
I don’t plan on buying one, but nice to know they’ve thought it out.
Thanks for posting.