Made by Monkeys

Products that somehow slipped by the QC Cops - Email us your examples at kfield@reedbusiness.com!

El Cheapo Flashlight Doubles as Paper Clip Holder

Posted by Karen Field on November 19, 2009

Brit John Goldsmith sent in this example of an el cheapo shake-to-light flashlight he purchased at a filling station - it was a discounted offer if you bought enough petrol. Well, he got what he paid for, though given the price of petrol in the UK, the station probably could have given away a Surefire flashlight. “As the closeup photo shows, the power comes from a magnet and coil, being st ...... Read More

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Industries: Materials/Fastening

Raise Your Hand if You Don't Have a Faulty XBox

Posted by Karen Field on November 19, 2009

Our sister publication Electronics Weekly has written about the Xbox 360 before - see Xbox 360 Recall: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish and Xbox Faults Cost Microsoft. Now they’re commenting on a new report that has looked further into the failure rates of Microsoft’s gaming console. A rather astonishing 23.7% have problems within the first two years…The study by SquareTrade covered ...... Read More

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Misdirected Directions: The Baby Food Label

Posted by Karen Field on November 3, 2009

Jon Titus sends in this seal from a baby food jar with one extremely helpful warning on it. Glad they included the 800 number, just in case! ...... Read More

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I Feel an EMF Headache Coming On!

Posted by Karen Field on October 23, 2009

Eek! “EMF (electromagnetic waves) are everywhere, in your home, office, car … all electronic equipment radiate them. In addition, radio stations, cell phones, satellite communications also operate via EMF waves. Some products that generate EMF are computers, hair dryers, heating pads, microwave ovens, and cell phones, and many more. Some common symptoms of EMF exposure are headaches, ...... Read More

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Update: Chinese Knock-offs

Posted by Karen Field on October 22, 2009

In a recent blog post, Chinese Knock-offs Move Beyond Gucci Bags, I described how some high-end Italian machinery makers are seeing copies of their equipment pop up in China. They’re fighting back through technical innovation, lower-cost manufacturing, service, and quality. But it made me wonder what sort of legal recourse they have, if any? I asked Thomas Babel, an attorney specializing in ...... Read More

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Latch Spring Keeps on Breaking and Breaking and...

Posted by Karen Field on October 21, 2009

Wolfhard Homma has a nagging problem that just won’t go away: The patio door lock on his house. He writes: “The door is locked in place by a metal knob in the jamb over which the movable slotted latch in the door slides. This pinnacle of American engineering suffers from two problems: First, bad material selection or insufficient dimensioning causes the spring holding t ...... Read More

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Corrosion Outbreak on Whirlpool Machines

Posted by Karen Field on October 21, 2009

Peter D’Aloisio sends in this example of a six-year-old Whirlpool Duet front-loading washing machine with a serious case of galvanic corrosion, which sort of begs the question: What period of problem-free performance can one reasonably expect out of an appliance these days, even if its under warranty? My mother had the same washing machine for the first thirty years of my life, and though i ...... Read More

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Corroded Pizza Cutter: A Happy Ending

Posted by Karen Field on October 19, 2009

We love stories with happy endings, which we’re delighted to report is the case with Chuck Martin’s aluminum-handled pizza cutter that corroded after a run through his dishwasher. Not only did he receive the letter below from retailer Williams Sonoma, the manufacturer also is sending him a brand spanking new cutter. It has a polypropylene handle. <G> Click to read full email ...... Read More

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Chinese-Made Stereo Has a Meltdown

Posted by Karen Field on October 15, 2009

Engineer Andy Morris recently discovered an unwelcome feature among several Chinese-made stereo sets he owns: Shoddy work, leading to scorched pinkies. Andy bought this Emerson model ES50 stereo new and to his dismay after 9 months of fairly light CD use (no teenagers in the house, presumably), the CD player literally melted. Although the resulting product is likely the result of a series of bad-t ...... Read More

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You Wanted What Capacitor Rating?

Posted by Karen Field on October 7, 2009

I just got back from the Pack Expo Show, where I was chatting with a few engineers about Chinese knock-offs. One engineer told me that recently they had a huge problem with a prototype system, only to discover that a key electronic component was a cheap knock-off. And, worse yet, they bought the part from a reputable distributor, who apparently had been conned themselves! So much for the the ...... Read More

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"Hot Wheels" Gets a Whole New Meaning

Posted by Karen Field on September 30, 2009

I complained about lousy suitcases recently, but I must confess that I never realized how bad things could really get. Though this story about a cheap roller bag, submitted by Robert Oppenheimer (no relation to that Oppenheimer) goes back a few years, it’s a true made by monkeys ordeal: “I bought a rolling bag for one of my very infrequent business trips. Granted that it was a ...... Read More

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Chinese Knockoffs Move Beyond Gucci Bags

Posted by Karen Field on September 24, 2009

Notorious for copying items like handbags, videos, software, and bearings, Chinese manufacturers are getting even more audacious. They’re copying entire designs sold by some high-end Italian machinery makers and selling them in China at low prices, made possible by using lower cost components and avoiding import fees. In one case, one brazen company even attempted to register the original I ...... Read More

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