Buckyballs Throws In the Towel 383
RenderSeven writes "As previously reported the immensely popular Buckyballs office toys have been targeted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Last week Maxfield and Oberton, the maker of Buckyballs gave up the battle and announced they would discontinue sales and close. However, being driven out of business is not enough for R Buckminster Fuller's estate, who has filed yet another lawsuit that they own all rights to the name "buckyballs" despite widespread use of the term. If you still haven't bought your own yet, a few thousand sets in stock are still available."
Search for spherical neodymium magnets... (Score:5, Informative)
... on eBay, and you will find multiple vendors selling exactly the same thing, but not called buckyballs. They still exist - just not under that stupid name.
Re:Search for spherical neodymium magnets... (Score:5, Informative)
This is what they are, seriously?
Having never heard of Buckyballs, I had to check the site out. Turns out that $30-$40 per set won't exactly break the budget, but you can assemble a similar kit from eBay for a LOT less (including shipping).
Zen Magnets (Score:4, Informative)
Zen Magnets [zenmagnets.com] hasn't yet caved to the CPSC.
Re:I'll need to stock up (Score:5, Informative)
Well I learn a couple of things today because of this post. 1) A dragée is the name for that metallic decorative ball thing they put on cakes. 2) never accept candy from skipkent.
Re:Search for spherical neodymium magnets... (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.magnet-shop.net/ [magnet-shop.net]
German outfit, huge range of Neodymium magnets, spherical, cylindrical, banana-shaped, what-have-you.
Re:State gone Mad (Score:5, Informative)
They do not market them to children. The products have extensive warnings on them.
Warning Label (Score:4, Informative)
Keep Away From All Children!
Do not put in nose or mouth.
Swallowed magnets can stick to
intestines causing serious injury or death.
Seek immediate medical attention if
magnets are swallowed or inhaled.
It says right on the little plastic container that this isn't for children. The cardboard retail box gets torn up and thrown away, so I can understand a label on that *possibly* not being enough. The inner plastic cube is pretty explicit too, though.
There are a handful of stupid people somewhere out there, so bureaucrats close down a business that I like and decide that I can't have something that is of no risk to me or anyone around me. Gotta love this world we live in.
Re:If your #1 product kills children, you fail (Score:5, Informative)
It's not the fault of the product when parents don't supervise their children and allow them to eat random household objects.
And I realize its not easy. Parenting is hard. If you're not up for it, don't have kids.
This is an adult product. It says it on the box. It shouldn't be required to meet child toy standards.
Lies, Lies and More Lies (Score:2, Informative)
They do not market them to children. The products have extensive warnings on them.
Here's the package that was sold at my mall [typepad.com]. I see no warnings. In fact if you can read that scribbling on the front in a playful font it says "The amazing magnetic toy you can't put down." Is that how you market to adults?
Jesus Christ, who's lying to who here? This company seems to not want to properly label their product and just throw their hands up and rage quit when a consumer protection agency makes them!
Re:If your #1 product kills children, you fail (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, wait, now you say 'I meant injuries not deaths'. OK lets play that one:
There are approximately 2.2 million Buckyball magnet sets in circulation, and as each set has 216 magnets, there is a grand total of 475.2 million individual magnet pieces. This equals to approximately 1 injury per 100,000 Buckyball sets and less than 1 injury per 21.5 million individual magnet pieces.
Dogs are statistically over 120 times more dangerous
Tennis injuries are 1,228 times more dangerous
Soccer, Cheerleading, poisoning through common household chemicals are all over 1,000 times more dangerous.
Skateboarding is 890 times more dangerous.
Pools, cars, kitchen knives, firearms, balloons, snowblowers are all statistically more dangerous than Buckyball magnets.
That is a LOT of fails by your criteria. Yet where is the CPSC outrage on dogs, racquets, soccer balls, draino, skateboards, pool life jackets, ginsu knifes, and so on?
Re:Lies, Lies and More Lies (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Zenmagnets has cheaper, better magnets... (Score:2, Informative)
I take it you didn't watch the video which included correspondence between zen magnets and buckyballs? The relevant part as to why they're jerks is in the first few minutes...
Re:Search for spherical neodymium magnets... (Score:3, Informative)
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/09/04/2012-21608/safety-standard-for-magnet-sets [federalregister.gov]
"Under the proposal, if a magnet set contains a magnet that fits within the CPSC's small parts cylinder, magnets from that set would be required to have a flux index of 50 or less, or they would be prohibited."
So, yes, I do think that no one can sell spherical magnets. (Or won't be allowed to, once this has passed.)
Technically, the proposal as is only applies to sets marketed by the manufacturer primarily as a manipulative or construction desk toy for general entertainment [federalregister.gov], and they are seeking comment on what to do about magnets included in science/craft/hobby kits or sold individually. So as it stands this technically wouldn't prohibit them from being sold as industrial parts or maybe even science kits. However, mind that government 'suggestion' is all powerful... See how amazon delisted them, and ebay said they would, before this policy is even finalized. You may technically be allowed to sell these in some context, but you'll need a lot of luck to actually do so.
Re:I'll need to stock up (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Lies, Lies and More Lies (Score:4, Informative)
Mind showing the left side of that package, or would such honesty interfere with your agenda?
http://www.getbuckyballs.com/blog/wp-content/themes/buckyballs/images/xblog-graphic.jpg.pagespeed.ic.KAJoHdy4ZS.jpg [getbuckyballs.com]
http://images1.vat19.com/covers/large/buckyballs-standard.jpg [vat19.com]
http://sale.images.woot.com/Maxfield___Oberton_216_Piece_Magnetic_Buckyballs_Set___2_PackuhdDetail.jpg [woot.com]
http://www.wired.com/geekmom/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/orig_box_with_case-350x486.jpg [wired.com]
http://alyssaroyse.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/screen-shot-2012-09-20-at-4-42-56-pm.png [wordpress.com]
http://media.oregonlive.com/themombeat/photo/11374268-large.jpg [oregonlive.com]
http://ds_product_photos.s3.amazonaws.com/large/16261.jpg [amazonaws.com]
Same exact packaging you show. Except in these pictures you can see the left side of the packaging more easily. The warning is pretty obvious to me.
Re:Search for spherical neodymium magnets... (Score:2, Informative)
Actually kills kids?
So how many kids were actually killed?
Actually ZERO.
Re:State gone Mad (Score:4, Informative)
I didn't say 100% of the time, though we are talking about babies and toddlers here, and they do require considerably more supervision than older children. If the kid's in an environment with things he's not ready to handle -say, small shiny objects- then you watch, or else you don't bring him into that environment. This is what it means to have a kid.