on end

...................................................................right..............................................?

Butsome things are inherently unbalanced. Electric shavers are the worst for this. If you need to use them on the face, then they need to be balanced in the hand, but to charge, they often come with a charger that has a small footprint, and the shaver then stands on end, but is easily knocked over as its centre of gravity is now high. The same problem seems to occur with other rechargeable items like portable phones and electric toothbrushes. I simply do not understand why they cannot just admit that it needs to have its centre of gravity in one place for use, and build the chargers to keep it horizontal so it cannot be knocked over. Brian

Interesting idea. I guess in general for sighted people you can guide the toothbrush over the charger spigot and then gravity keeps it there. Also the footprint is then low - I imagine that's why toothpaste tubes can stand on end these days.

If you want to keep it horizontal, do you still have the charger spigot entering the end, which presumably means designing thew cradle so the toothbrush snaps in, or do you want the charger spigot entering the side? It sort of seems to me either of those might be harder for a blind person to manage.

Good point.

Bill

You shouldn't be able to stand some things on end as they become hazards, like screwdrivers, knives, drills, etc. Next time you step on one you have dropped you will understand why.

Does that apply to vibrators?:-)

Bill, did this mode of thinking apply when you were choosing a new girlfriend?

I'm puzzled.

NT

I'm not. He's right in the sense that it does show that the designer has put more effort into the design if it will stand on its end or side properly, but the problem with that line is that there are some things like smartphones, tablets and knives where it isn't possible with even the best design and very undesirable with some stuff like knives.

You regard "standing-on-endishness" as a valuable attribute.

There's rather a lot of people who do not share this fixation - especially if the item can thus be easily knocked over and damaged.

Well one of the most illogical items in this respect and indeed in standing on its bottom is the Wok. Brian

No, in the case of a shaver, one can lay the whole thing on its side, at least you could if it had a flat side. Toothbrushes and phones could be made the same way. In any case the gravity held chargers are notoriously intermittent as you get some corrosion on the contacts. Far better y to use a proper plug and socket like Remminton seem to do, which is why I'm very surprised they do not have a flat on one side as well as the base. Brian

I don't know as I do not have the correct orifices to need one, but I'd imagine it might be the same problem. Incidentally, one of those useless spams told me the other day that the company now had vibrators with a blue tooth connection. Mind and boggling etc. brian

Actually the answer to getting most things to stand on end is to attach them to a gyroscope. Brian

That is where Blue tack is very useful of course. Brian

Its not always the designers fault, it can be shoddy work as in the two halves of a moulded screwdriver handle having a seem or ridge that hurts your hand. Good quality ones either do not use this mode of construction or are made more accurately. I am reminded of the Dindy cassette problem where they started to be very successful so they farmed out the manufacture to foreign parts and most of the new stuff was crap. Brian

I suppose that you have never had a good look around in a sex shop.

If Brian did that we'd all have to go and visit him in clink, having been banged up for groping the merchandise.....

(Brian's blind, Adam :-) )

Adam knows.