Reckitt Benckiser Lime-A-Way®

Lime-A-Way’s new nozzle design is dangerous!

Before turning nozzle on, you have to PUSH to disengage the detent.

Reckitt Benckiser Lime-A-Way®
Lime-A-Way’s new nozzle design includes a venturi which injects air to convert the spray stream to a foam – a very clever and useful design.
But the new design has a dangerous flaw: It has a circular, razor-sharp edge, made worse by micro-serrated flash. The first time I used this new nozzle, I gripped it firmly, and, assuming it was just a high-force, child-resistant type of detent, I tried to horse it. This resulted in deep, bloody lacerations to my finger and thumb.
This is an extremely poor design for a circular knob designed to be gripped and turned! Before turning the nozzle “on,” you have to PUSH to disengage a non-obvious, non-intuitive detent tab. I learned this the hard way.

Lessons Learned/Solution:
First of all, to design a grip-and-turn knob with a circular, razor-sharp, micro-serrated flash edge is horribly irresponsible. It is just reckless, willful endangerment. If molding this venturi really necessitates such a sharp edge (and I don’t think it had to), then Reckitt Benckiser should have molded, hot-stamped, or applied a label with a “PUSH HERE” instruction, as per my photo. This was ommitted because the parting for this molded shroud is in the wrong direction for such a detail. They attempted to make up for this shortcoming by including an instruction in tiny print on the rear label. But come on, who really reads the instructions for a spray nozzle??? As mentioned above, the detent should have been made either more intuitively obvious or been labeled.

This design also provides a classic example of Murphy’s Law: If something can be done wrong, it will be done wrong. Granted, once a user understands how to release the detent, the nozzle works very well. But punishing a user’s ignorance with horrific injury is not good practice.

KRUPS Model 408 Coffee Mill

This coffe mill is a veritable showpiece of poor design.

KRUPS Model 408 Coffee Mill
This coffee mill, or grinder, is only a few years old, yet it’s falling apart. The rim is too thin, and material obviously too brittle, resulting in the chipped away section seen in the photo. Worse, though, is that the “Actuator Pin” was also obviously too brittle, and snapped off. Now I have to use a toothpick to turn this mill on. Note: The recessed switch and actuator pin are otherwise a well-conceived safety feature, designed to prevent injuries that might be caused by operating without the cover in place.

Lessons learned/Solution:
Material selection is critical to the successful function of a product. The plastics used for this coffee mill were too brittle, lacking adequate toughness. These failures should not have occurred. So much for legendary “German engineering.” 😦 I am disappointed in you, Krups, and no longer consider you a premium brand.

Triangle Home Products Medicine Cabinet

I find it especially ironic that a medicine cabinet, to which we turn to help heal injuries, itself inflicts injuries.

I find it especially ironic that a medicine cabinet, to which we turn to help heal injuries, itself inflicts injuries.

Triangle Home Products Medicine Cabinet
The door frame on this medicine cabinet is made of steel U-channel. The corners are formed by punching V-notches into the channel, then bending it 90 degrees. The punching process leaves sharp burrs, which are inadequately (or not at all?) deburred. These burrs are made worse by the forming process. I find it especially ironic that a medicine cabinet, to which we turn to help heal injuries, itself inflicts injuries. Well, at least the bandaids are close at hand 😉

Lesson Learned/Solution:
Sharp edges are to the metal-working world what flash is to the injection-molding world, and they’re just as often an offender. Again, deburring sharp edges doesn’t cost that much. Shame on you, Triangle Metal Products.

DELL SK-8100 Keyboard

Dell Keyboard produces undesired and sometimes catastrophic Left Mouse clicks.

Low-angle photo shows bumper on keyboard that causes unintended mouse clicks.

Work-around: Set mouse atop a book to raise it above the “keyboard bumper.” Nice, huh? Thanks, Dell!

Dell SK-8100 Keyboard
A bumper-like protrusion on the Dell SK-8100 Keyboard very frequently produces unintended, and sometimes catastrophic(!) left mouse clicks with various common mice, including the one Dell shipped with the system. If you simply bump the mouse into the corner of the keyboard, it has a perfectly-designed “ramp” that produces a left-click every time. Besides being extremely irritating and inconvenient, this can sometimes have catastrophic consequences, depending on where the cursor happens to be when the unintended click is issued. Extremely thoughtless design on Dell’s part. Tsk tsk tsk…

Lessons Learned/Solution:
Don’t design in a vacuum. Don’t just focus on the component – consider the interaction of the entire system. As a work-around, I now use a thick book as a mouse pad to elevate the mouse above the height of the keyboard. An ugly, messy, and inconvenient solution, but an effective one! Shame on you, Dell!

Amana SofSound II Automatic Dishwasher

Dishwasher door presents a jagged, razor-sharp edge of untrimmed flash at ankle-height.

Dishwasher door presents a jagged, razor-sharp edge of untrimmed flash at ankle-height.

Dishwasher door presents a jagged, razor-sharp edge of untrimmed flash at ankle-height.

Amana SofSound II Automatic Dishwasher
The door of this popular home dishwasher opens downward, as most do. In its “open” position, it presents a razor-sharp edge caused by untrimmed flash from the molded plastic cover panel. In a very predictable and common use-mode, such dishwashers are often left open to allow loading. At ankle-height, the sharp edges can cause deep, painful and bloody wounds to the ankles and shins of any hapless person who may trip or catch his ankle on it in a crowded kitchen, made even more crowded by the door’s intrusion into walk space. My own scarred ankles inspired this addition to the Rogue’s Gallery.

Lessons Learned/Solution:
Sharp, jagged injection-molding flash is a chronic offender. Trimming it doesn’t cost that much. I find it difficult to forgive on a such a name brand appliance. I’ll take the blame for the bruises on my shins, but the deep lacerations didn’t have to happen – Shame on you, Amana.