Inventors, Innovators - improvements for Arborists

I have been wanting to start this thread for some time and today I get to open it on a upbeat note.

Sherrill tree is now carrying X-Rigging Rings. They are the original, real deal XRR, not some cheaply made knock off. They are giving David Driver his due for bringing them to our industry. Kudos to Sherrill tree for doing the right thing.

I think it is important for us in the industry to expect and demand that the credit and the profit potential for any invention or innovation goes to the developer of same. More on this to follow....

I think SherrillTree should also be carrying the HitchHiker, Sidewinder, and Ropetek Comm Helmets.

Hey, I'm still impressed with my Gibbs ascender as a lanyard adjuster. I'm but a simple man...

It is nice that Sherrill is dealing directly with Mr. Driver instead of directly with the actual ring inventor / manufacturer.

Pelorus said:

It is nice that Sherrill is dealing directly with Mr. Driver instead of directly with the actual ring inventor / manufacturer.

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I agree with that. Also it often doesn't stop there, companies will go beyond cutting the innovator out of the line and have a poor quality knock off made that does not perform as well. That is a part of why I have wanted to start this thread. How long do we as consumers/end users of these products want to let that go on?

I think if we give money and recognition to creative types we will get more.

I think if we let creative types be robbed and disrespected we will get less.

I would like to hear every story both good and bad of a person developing something that benefits you/us and how it went for them.

After I got onto the idea of using friction savers I came to the flexible conduit friction saver at some point. Bought one, liked it but it was too short. Bought a second longer one and used it till I damaged it one day. In replacing it I noticed that TreeStuff referred to “The original, Dan House friction saver.” Huh? - bought from them.

OMG this thing is made so much better, out of better products. My rope feeds through it better, and the ‘kink’ damage to my previous conduit probably would have not happened to this better made product. I didn’t even know I had bought a cheap knock off. Lets get the word out to one another through this thread.

I don’t know how to quantify the value that the Dan House Friction Saver has brought to my work life. I have been climbing a lot of years with my rope on the bark of the tree. Now, no more damage to sensitive barks, no pitch loading up my rope in sticky trees, consistent and reduced friction so I can do more productive roped maneuverers. Dan, if we are ever at the same event you can’t even buy your own drink or your own dinner, I want to buy it for you.

Inventive souls please weigh in. Only as we the consumer know what it actually cost you in dollars and heart ache and (?) when it went badly can we begin to see the value to ourselves by voting for or against you with our wallets.

I enjoyed reading Dan's post on your thread over on the Buzz a couple of minutes ago!
It was interesting to hear the story behind the product.

Kudos to Tobe for dealing with David directly. That goes a long ways with all.

Yeah Pelorus that post of Dan House’s ‘back story’ was great. I think it is imperative for us to here from the person themselves. Hearing some of the good can connect us to them and their product, hearing some of the tough and bad can help us to understand why we don’t want something else from somewhere else.

Jerry I agree with you and see it as a ray of hope for better things in our industry. By the way if you ever felt like sharing some of your experiences in marketing and ‘getting it out there’ I think we would all benefit from hearing it.

Can you guys post some links to the Buzz discussion?
It will save some duplication.

Husabud said:

http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/showf...=375606&Words=&topic=1&Search=true#Post375606

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YOU'RE BANNED!!!

Just kidding, LOL.

Haha, I was going to put a disclaimer, like," Butch doesn't mind links, not like 'other' places"...

It's all good, and we are all brothers/sisters in the biz. There's plenty enough for everybody!

See...I knew that

I have to admit got a laugh outta Husabud's post

Bermy said:

See...I knew that

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Does anyone know of any inventors they can invite to weigh in and tell their own stories? I spoke to a couple who said they would. I also spoke to one who said he did not think it would be advantageous for him to speak out now.

Along the way I was told a story about an arborist product that a company saw and liked, researched and found that there was no patent on it. They patented it, brought it out themselves and ‘legally’ stole it from the original inventor. Now they vigorously defend against patent infringements. No need to put names to this second hand story at this point but, what if it were common knowledge that this kind of un-ethical activity were being talked about? What if any future infractions had very measurable financial repercussions?

The ring and ring cambium saver idea was ripped off and patented by an American in the states. That happened in the early 90"s pre Internet. I believe input small community, that type of thing is no longer possible with the Internet Facebook and YouTube. In the 90s it took someone to travel to Europe and bring back their ideas. Now everyone knows an idea within minutes of it being posted on YouTube and the name is now connected to that YouTube video permanently. Patents is no longer as important as it once was.

That’s a cool thought that patents might not be as important as they once were Kevin. I’m not thinking of ‘strictly speaking’, I’m not thinking of ‘legally’, I’m just thinking of how it plays out in real life and justice.

I am so excited about social media and justice. I look around and see so many examples that bring me hope for our future and the possibility that scummy behavior will not pay off for those who chose to act it out.

That Equipment dealer that was recently posted about here and elsewhere on the net. I have no doubt from his own posts that he was merrily screwing people over one deal at a time. ‘It’s all fun and games, no one can hold me to account.’ Ha! - It’s not so fun now is it MF’r.

I think we are closer to a time when it will cost a company more to screw an inventor over (by far) than it ever would have to go to him and strike a bargain. Great for the inventor, great for me the end user who wants the next better tool.

Yes I find my YouTube videos of much greater value than the incoherent lawer talk of my patent.

yeah, I just picked up a long X-Rigging ring sling from Sherrill. I really like the Tenex they use, it's stiffer than the Tenex on the ABR sling I got, which I can snag and pick with my fingernail. Love these things!

Really, different quality to the Tenex? Would that show up in a picture? The ability to pick so easily of the ABR slings is hands down my least favorite thing about those slings.

Merle, the way I see it is, it's the responsibility of the inventor to ensure themselves they are protected, get kudos, and the profits for their work. It's all part of the deal.

When I come out with the spur-ascender, I will expect cheap knockoffs. I'll constantly be making the product stronger, lighter, more versatile, incorporate a handsaw etc...

Bix - I agree.

That being said, I think we the consumer can have our say too - especially in this age of cheap, available to all, mass communication.

I once worked for a company that had about 30,000 people selling its products. The owner said one day that the supplier was providing an inferior product and he didn’t think we should sell it anymore till they cleaned up their act. Being a tight nit (near cult like) group sales went as close to zero as you could possibly imagine the next week.

Product miraculously upgraded.