[BULK] - Re: [pct-l] Manufacturer BearVault comments

[sales at bearvault.com (sales@bearvault.com)]

cycle time variation is due to the time a worker takes to remove the lid from
the female half of the mold and then unscrew the lid from the male half. As
they get tired they can take longer to do it, so they rotate workers.  There is
an inevitable variation which will be removed with an automated unscrewing
mold.
We have no way of accurately knowing have many lids are oversize.  What we do
know is if the user looks at the lid when they close it and that they close it
correctly then the product works fine. Of course we would rather not that this
variation in lid size, but we do.  If the user pays a modicum of attention when
they close the product this is not an issue.

Jamie


Quoting Mike Saenz <msaenz@mve-architects.com>:

> I would have previously refrained from commenting on these BearVault
> e-mails, BUT...
> 
> I am now the proud owner of a BV300 (woo-hoo!). Actually, my buddy just
> ordered one for me, including it in a bunch of other stuff he's getting
> for our upcoming trip. I was just informed yesterday that my BV300 has
> just arrived, but I've not seen it yet...
> 
> So....
> 
> "...cycle time variations."
> What does THAT mean? (just curious)
> 
> And- What percentage of lids have this defect?
> 
> "These oversize lids are only 0.02" larger than nominal, so you cannot
> spot them visually."
> How can I tell if my lid is defective? Considering that a manufacturing
> tolerance fine enough to allow product failure with a 0.02" deformity,
> any lid that is affected by this "cycle time variation" can be
> legitimately called "defective".
> 
> Will BearVault be replacing defective lids?
> 
> Considering the "growing pains" BearVault has (and apparently is still)
> endured, I am still sold of the product. I've been watching the previous
> "beta versions" of the BearVault and their design adjustments from the
> various field reports that have come in for the past couple years and I
> kept hoping that the BearVault became at least as bear proof as the
> Garcia can. I like the weight difference, transparency and volume of the
> BV, compared to the Garcia can.
> All said and done, I'm still very happy to finally have one of my own!
> 
> Michael Saenz, Associate Partner
> McLarand    Vasquez    Emsiek   &   Partners,   Inc.
> A r c h i t e c t u r e  |  P l a n n i n g  |  I n t e r i o r s
> MVE       MVE    Institutional       MVP    International
> w  w  w   .   m  v  e   -   a  r  c  h  i  t  e  c  t  s   .   c  o m
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net
> [mailto:pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Brian
> McLaughlin
> Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 10:32 AM
> To: bearvault; pct-l@backcountry.net
> Subject: [BULK] - Re: [pct-l] Manufacturer BearVault comments
> 
> 
> 
> > We want to point out an issue with our newer model BV250s and BV300s 
> > which the user needs to be aware of. We use a manual mold for the 
> > production of the lid and this can result in some lids being slightly 
> > oversized due to cycle time variations. These oversize lids are only 
> > 0.02" larger than nominal...
> 
> I'm fine with all this up to here. It seems a clear explanation of the
> problem, er, "issue".
> 
> > They work perfectly well if you close the lid correctly.
> 
> While I can sympathize with the problems of a small manufacturer making
> a specialty item for sale to a small market, ultimately this is a
> quality-control problem rather than a failure on the part of customers.
> It is disingenous to say the oversize lids work "perfectly well."
> 
> > We point out that this can happen in an insert in every unit we sell. 
> > The insert points out that this is easily remedied...
> 
> As a technical writer, I know the futility of getting customers to read
> an insert, or to remedy a problem in a product by 'correcting' their
> behavior. Like it or not, people expect manufactured goods to behave
> uniformly, and not to vary from batch to batch. One could argue we are
> 'spoiled', but if so, it's just something manufacturers must learn to
> live with.
> 
> I am very glad to hear the manufacturer plans to invest in better
> machinery that will result in more reliable tolerances.
> I'm sorry they have encountered problems that aren't due to the
> integrity of their design, but only to slight variations in the
> manufacturing process. That's rough. I'm sure they're frustrated by this
> situation.
> 
> > ...we need you to correctly close your BearVaults if they have an 
> > oversize lid or else you all may lose the option of buying a larger, 
> > lighter, easier to use bear canister.
> 
> I hope they succeed at their business, but I'm sure that if they fail it
> would not be their customers' fault. The tone of these comments very
> unfortunately sound like they'd like to imply otherwise. 
> 
> Just my $0.02.
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