"JackD" wrote in message ...

I'd say this discussion is not about safety. It is about the business
tactics of SawStop. One of their tactics is to show gory pictures of
fingers
which have been chopped off. One of their tactics is to say "if you are
against this you are against safety". One of their tactics is to petition
the government to get their proprietary product mandated so that they can
sell it. I find this approach manipulative, offensive, anti-competitive
and
generally sleazy.

It has come to not being about safety... Seems to have come to a few
thinking they are loosing their entire rights as they always use the rights
in a plural term.


Leon, you seem to keep insisting that this regulation is necessary in
order
to bring the product to market? Why is this the case?
Can't they sell it without someone MAKING you buy it?

No, I don't insist. I simply hope this product or one like it is still on
the market when I decide to buy again. My openion is that if the government
makes it manditory, I will not have to worry about this feature
disappearing.


Leon, safety sells. How many million$ were spent producing advertisements
that you have seen showing side airbags and other automotive safety
features? How many soccer moms bought volvos based on their reputation for
safety? I know many many people who have taken crashworthiness as one of
the
prime criteria in selecting a new car. People will pay a premium for an
automobile which is safer. That SawStop can not capitalize on people's
demand for safe products and must have their product mandated by the
government is an indication that their product is unwanted at the current
price.

You make a good point. But, Oldsmobile had the air bag in the early 70's on
the Toronado. Ford and Chrysler did also IIRC n certain vehicles. But, we
did not see the air bags become main stream until they were government
mandated. Also, the air bags came one at a time so to speek. Frst the one
in the steering wheel..then some years later, the passenger side air bag,
then the side air bags, then the back seat air bags.
For what ever reason, Air bags did not become a common feature for a good 15
years after they were introduced.
All these corporations are huge and had the money to do the research and
development and were already in the car building business. Saw Stop is a
start up company with much less capitol and an equally effective safety
device. I would hate to see it disappear because of lack of capitol or the
inability to hold out for 15 years like the automotive industry did.

Perhaps they could try to make it better and cheaper so that people
will actually demand it instead of trying to ensure a monopoly through
regulation? Build a better mousetrap and all that...

I believe that they have taken that route. The have attended numerous trade
shows, contacted most all the saw manufacturing companies and while the
trade shows appear to have been successful with the puplic, the saw
manufacturers apparently felt that our safety was not warrented and would
not take the first step. I would be willing to bet that if the
manufacturers had taken a survey of their dealers, and customers, we would
see the option today. So IMHO part of the blame can be cast towards the saw
manufacturers. While I would prefer to see the devices offered as options,
the saw manufacturers have decided not to voluntarily offer the option. Why
are we not jumping down their throats to offer a similar device of their own
design? I believe that if the product dis become readily available the saws
with out the feature would eventually be gone from production.