"Bob Schmall" wrote in message
...


Disclaimer: I ain't gonna get political, and I find this kind of
"marketing"
strategy offensive.
However...

Given the climate of personal security in the country--e.g., lots of
people
fall back on perceived "safety" as the reason for buying an SUV--SawStop
is
very clever. This is necessarily a SWAG, but if they can get before a
government committee or into court, they can force saw manufacturers to
appear and defend the safety equipment presently on saws and explain why
it
is "good enough." When it comes out that a high percentage (90?) of
woodworkers remove the clunky blade guards and spliters now installed as
original equipment, SawStop can step forward with a working system that
they
can demonstrate as being safer and non-removable. Again, this is just a
hunch.
One probable strategy is to lease SawStop's technology to existing
manufacturers rather than market their own saws; the recent installation
on
a Powermatic may have been a demo of their system's effectiveness and
practicality.
Or they can settle for a "go away" payment from the manufacturers.
They certainly won't be able to sell their product on its safety merits
alone. The auto manufacturers found out a long time ago that safety
doesn't
sell and they didn't install belts, air bags, etc. until they were forced.
IMHO, this was a good thing for the public, and so is the SawStop.

The auto industries did not succumb to government pressure, but to pressure
from insurance companies, which were losing a fortune in jackpot jury
awards. Insurers threatened to triple insurance
premiums for non-safety-equipped cars, and the auto industry knuckled under.
-- Ernie