Hi Claudio---
I can't imagine the heartbreak of developing and owning rights to a wonderful
tool that no one is interested in marketing for you---there's a reason we say
"Satanley Tools". So many dreams crushed by one of the first mega-corporations.
IT IS amazing that people still innovate....
But I beg to differ with your Robertson screw example: in use they are not
'undeniably superior'm not in in my experience. Handy, yes, when you're doing it
as fast as you can, with power and for screw-holding and stabbing in they're
among the best. But they are as prone to destroying themselves and their driver
points as the rest of the fasteners in power-driving use, and in careful hand
tool use---for the ages---a slotted screw is a perfectly fine fastener.
The Frearson cross-point of Reed & Prince fame---often confused with the
Phillips point but infinitely superior to it----actually did lose out to an
inferior system. Meaning Phillips. One might think everyone would get it--- a
screw system wherein every driver fit every fastener is the right way to go,
even tho it costs a bit more... but no. Robertson screws have been available in
the US for as long as I can recall, since the 70s anyway, and they're certainly
everywhere now.
my 2c gam in OlyWA
How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing one
cares for none of them!
Jane Austen
On Monday, February 18, 2019, 12:02:11 PM PST, Claudio DeLorenzi
wrote:
Slightly off topic: We had an interesting conference lecture this morning
about the loooong and painful process of getting an idea (for a surgical
product) from the ‘back of the napkin’ sketch to an actual marketable
product (protected by international patents) by an earnest surgeon who’s
been hard at it for nine years so far. He might have his product finally
available at the end of this year.
Given the mind boggling amount of money that people have to risk to bring
a good idea to fruition (esp for surgical stuff) it’s amazing that we have
any innovations at all. Costs can run into the tens of millions of
dollars. It was illuminating hearing about the huge number of
professionals —packaging designers to patent attorneys— he had to deal
with. I can understand now why big companies prefer to buy a company
rather than invest in R&D themselves.
One simple misstep can mean that a superior product (Robertson screws are
undeniably superior) isn’t available in the USA.
Sad. Many such cases.
Cheers from Park City
Claudio
On Mon, Feb 18, 2019 at 12:32 PM Don Schwartz wrote:
> On 2019-02-18 12:05 p.m., Claudio DeLorenzi wrote:
> > Wasn’t Robertson drive a Canadian invention?
>
> Yup. The company didn't want to give over the rights for US
> distribution, so their market was mainly - perhaps wholly - Canadian.
> More for us!
>
> Don
>
> --
> A thermometer is not liberal or conservative. - Katharine Hayhoe
>
> A good row does wonders for raising interest, and to be 'good' a row must
> have something to be said on both sides,
> and a proper issue in the middle." - Rosemary Hill, 'Writing About the
> Crafts', in The Culture of Craft, Peter Dormer, ed.
>
> Being offended doesn't make you right.
>
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traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
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