EarlJ

Here we go, it was only a matter of time. Now that this case was won by the plaintiff and awarded damages the floodgates will open. Pity. Whilst sawstop technology is great we as woodworkers have a responsibility to take the necessary precations to prevent accidents. I didn't and I lost the tip of a finger. I can tell you I use about every safety item there is and it actually has improved my work from a consistency standpoint. In our litigious society it is so easy to claim foul against manufacturers that don't have the latest and greatest in idiot proofing their tools. Do we really need to go there? Look at the disasters in the car industry for example. We now have what are suspected as flawed claims of vehicle misbehavior. Is it the easy money, 15 minutes of fame? Heck, does adding all these driving aids make people better safer drivers? No, it simply makes crappy drivers less likely to kill themselves and others and gives the clowns a false sense of security.

So in the case of manufacturers picking up Sawstop technology, I wonder how much the licensing was? Did they figure that the technology was as yet unproven? Did they feel that lawsuits with extra safe technology that may fail may mean much larger payouts? Who knows but to sue Ryobi for technology they did not have that may have been available will only cause prices to go up as manufacturers ramp up litigation insurance costs and eventually add yet more costly upgrades.