Interesting, William K. Yet many of these companies are fairly competent with their marketing. Seems they would have a better bead on their customers. But, who maybe not.
Good point, Dave2012. Yet at a certain point, I would think crummy products would begin to come with costs -- both in replacement and damage to the brand. I think we're seen quite a bit of this over the past couple decades and once-stellar brands have taken a giant hit on quality.
It is possible that the tube was originally designed to be plated internally. The product was then shipped overseas for mass production at a low cost manufacturer. Someone there decided that skipping the internal plating would save cost and time on the production floor. The product was made and shipped to the US for sale hoping that no one would complain. Now the manufacturer is no longer a supplier, but the end company has too many in the distribution to change them out and the consumer loses. It has happened before and will happen again.
This reminded me of the last time I actually refinished my own deck--a ton of backbreaking work even with one of those sprayers that's built somewhat similarly to this one. Of course, I bought the cheapo plastic one, and of course, no one told me it would clog no matter how I tried to clean it. So yep, when I went back to finish the rest of the project a few days later, the $40 sprayer was plugged and could not be fixed. I was supposed to go buy another one. I did the rest by hand, cussing all the way. I later learned this is standard--what nonsense!
A lot of items are really only intended to be used once, with the rationalizing being that the average consumer would purchase the product for a specific use and then not use it again. Superscope did that with their cassette recorders back in the early 1980s. The mechanical parts were made of cheap plastic and they would wear out with any amount of use. The explanation that I was given was that "they are intended for somebody who buys it, uses it once, then puts it in a drawer and does not use it again".
That kind of thinking is more common today than ever, and it shows up as a constant string of products to be described in this column.
There are alot of products on the market that are not made to perform, they're made to sell. If you produce a product cheap enough for the big chains, it doesn't matter if it works well or lasts.
Busness is business. ...and that's the way Business is taught.
If the extension is chrome plated, then it was probably electroplated. While it might seem as if it would be easy to plate the inside surface of the tube at the same time the outside was plated, in reality electroplating is not this simple. Electroplating the inside of a long, narrow tube is difficult because an electrode must be placed inside the tube. I.D. plating is also made difficult because the anode area is so much smaller than the surface being plated. I am sure the chrome-plated tube looks cool (on the outside), but it was a bad choice because even if the inside of the tube were plated, it would probably be bad plating.
As you discovered, there are other choices for extension wand materials and finishes, such as galvanized steel or (unfinished) aluminum.
Your poly pipe fix won't stop the internal rusting (in fact, it will probably accelerate the corrosion), but at least you'll keep the rust out of the nozzle for a while.
Now how stupid can this be? Here's a device that is designed to be used with water, and it rusts up almost instantly. Apparently this product didn't get a decent field test.
By refining topologies and using new fluid technology, Moog's new peak sine drive controller increases available power without increasing controller volume.
Lantronix Inc. has expanded its line of controllers for sensor networks with the release of a rugged controller that improves management of automation systems used in a number of industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, and chemicals.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
7 
