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Advice on helping electricians? (Developing new product)

2K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  MechanicalDVR 
#1 ·
Hello,

My name is Eric and I’m a San Diego based mechanical engineer creating a product to hopefully make electricians’ lives better.

I don’t know too much about the electrician trade, so I was hoping to survey a few electricians, in a 5-10 min conversational survey.

Not trying to sell anything, just want to make sure I’m creating something that electricians will actually find useful, and make sure I don’t spend the next few months in developing something that electricians don’t actually need :)

Can I ask for your help in finding electricians to talk to? Any advice / referrals would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Eric
 
#5 ·
I don't understand how someone outside a trade can come up with something that we need. There are more that a few products looking for a problem. Just the same reason I don't try and design aviation products to make a pilots life better.

Here is the reality with new electrical products.
New tools and material is very slow to work it's way in the trade.
Sure the exception is brand name tools used by many trades that make it onto box store shelves. Or if the updated NEC required use of a product only you have.

But a special electrical tool or material, it would talk a long time for it to be seen.
Would take trade magazines, trade shows, web site, online videos, counter displays at suppliers, demonstrations at supplier sales events, maybe even training events.
Even at that would take a decade or more.

Take hand tools for example. IBEW members have a contract with an established tool list. Each local negotiates their own tool list under their contract. Only time to change the list is every few years at contract negotiating. Adding tools to the required list is not seen as a positive thing for members. Established useful tools like conduit reamers, wire nut spinners, prybar, or even a file is not on some lists. Large employers look at small tools as a throwaway, because much of it disappears & not worth tracking.

For materials, many electrical tradespeople never step foot into a supply house.
They could hand everything off to the office, material manager, or supervisor.
Just the same many are not involved in trade conventions, web sites, supplier events, or reading publications. So if something is needed the same thing is ordered as if your product existed.

My experience is I came up with a small improvement to a common electrical product. The actual cost to make was probably the same but would eliminate a lot of costly problems or wasted labor at trim. Every experienced commercial electrician agreed it was a great idea. The item was produced. It costs more. Figure to cover the initial tooling cost and smaller volume. IDK, because by that point the manufacture ran with it and shut me out.
 
#8 ·
I think you are correct but u also have to make room for the ground breaking, game changing ideas.. if somthing is just a great product, it will catch on quickly enough. Example... the impact gun... I hated how loud it was, hated that it couldn't except all bits n tips and i thought it was a phase... well we know that impact guns arent going anywhere. Their a great tool and in everyones truck.
 
#12 ·
Can you provide a brief description of this product? Maybe a picture? Do you have a patent pending? Or submitted a parent application? Could you list a few general questions for consideration?
 
#13 ·
C'mon guys, the OP has only made one post on 4-30-2018 with no way to contact him. Doubt if he'll be back.
 
#15 ·
An email to him bounced back to me, so I think it's safe to assume this was some sort of weird trolling I've never experienced before.
 
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