Do you own something that, in all honesty, could have been designed better by a monkey?

Do designers really test the stuff they commit to the drawing board?

Sometimes I wonder.....

Anyway, my first two:
1: A Mothercare pedal bin, designed to hold bagged up disposable nappies:
The moulded plastic inner pulls out with fold back handles. As soon as you tip the bin down to empty the contents, the handles fall down to make the most effective nappy restraining device you could imagine :loopy:

2: Mamas & Papas baby bouncy chair. Assemble it from flat pack. The frame is made from thin metal rods, like fitting tent poles together. Once assembled, you would hope to carry bouncy chair from A to B using one hand. Once lifted from ground, the poles fall out and the whole thing collapses. :loopy:

Anyway I must go - I have an uncooperative nappy bin to empty and bouncy chair to reassemble :hihi:

Have you got any nominations?

Definitely got a nomination - my kettle!

I can't remember what make it is but it was a xmas present one year and not cheap either! Cordless and very shiny chrome... it looks very good on any kitchen worksurface - just don't bother using it!!

1) If you try to pour the water out within 5-10mins of it boiling you'll get your hand holding the handle steamed raw! So, wait for it to cool down then have a nice lukewarm cup of tea...
:loopy:

2) Due to condensation, steaming of the kettle etc. Whenever you open the lid, a nice trickle of water goes over your hand, the handle, and splashes on the chrome... even if it's been left over 24hrs since it was last used! And I'm sure most of you will know how painful it is trying to clean chrome.... :loopy:

There, I feel better now! :clap:

Briano, your post has inspired another nomination from me.

3. The small chrome teapots that you find at cafes in departments stores. Place 'teapot' above cup and aim carefully. Tea floods over sides of lid (nothing from the spout though) and floods the table.
Nothing in the cup apart from the sugar :suspect:

Plastic milk cartons, why does the milk always dribble down the carton and onto the worktop - never reaches the bloomin cup!

And the packaging of some (quite a lot really) things drives me MAD :rant:

What is that all about?? Some of the stuff you nearly have to destroy totally in order to get inside the packaging....

Halogen head-light bulbs, why design somethign that is so fragile that it can be broken by just touching it ?

Cant they make tough halogen light bulbs ?

Blister Packaging - unless you have the muscles of Arnie or a Chain Saw you end up tearing all your finger nails off! :rant:

Kids Toys which are tied to cardboard with stupid plastic tie things that you must not attempt whilst pre-menstrual otherwise the toy you are trying to unleash gets thrown against the wall! :rant:

Certain stupid child proof tops that my kids can open but I can't!!!! :rant:

The packaging on travel plugs that you buy in airport stores. It's made with the same kind of totally indestructable plastic that electric tooth brushes come in, and can only be broken with some very sharp, heavy-duty scissors or a sharp knife.

Hands up who travels with heavy-duty scissors or a sharp knife? :loopy:

Many a time have I battled, cursed and cut my fingers after forgetting to pack my travel plug and being forced to buy a new one.

Originally posted by dawny1
Kids Toys which are tied to cardboard with stupid plastic tie things that you must not attempt whilst pre-menstrual otherwise the toy you are trying to unleash gets thrown against the wall! :rant:

Certain stupid child proof tops that my kids can open but I can't!!!! :rant:


Hee hee. I second both of these suggestions. :thumbsup: :nod:

Originally posted by JBee
Hands up who travels with heavy-duty scissors or a sharp knife? :loopy:


And if you tried they would only be taken off you at check in or as you go through security!

A kettle I bought from Marks and Spencers 2 weeks ago - which has a seemingly pointless piece of metal near the lid, which is CORROSIVE :loopy:. The steam has made it gone really rusty and the whole of the top of the kettle has gone orange . I expect better from good old M&S :rant:

Rounded bottoms on 2 litre drinks bottles. :loopy:

Fragile items attached to card in bubbles of tough plastic. Safe in storage, buggered in opening!!:loopy:

Anything designed by men is guaranteed to lack practicality especially if it's kitchen related.

Take my kitchen for example designed by my landlord's crass surly git of a Maintenance Manager. He designed the last one an abysmal waste of precious little space in a pocket hanky.

What's he done now? More of the same. Never mind chuffing pocket hankie on Council instructions must include washing machine transferred from bathroom where it now is and gas cooker not to mention cooker, fridge, sink unit, a wall-mounted gas boiler and a freezer (in due course). That leaves only 1 floor space and I need a lot of storage space for pots, pans etc.

Surly git forgot the radiator, boiler and gas cooker make a space 6x6 ft as hot as the inside of a convection oven. And aint got nowhere to store vegetables or perishable food apart from bathroom.

Isnt that where you've always wanted to store your food? Is it time to call in DEL's Gary McGrogan or being a mere man not understand health hazards. These thugs doing their job and what they're told to do in a Council engineered, rubber-stamped scheme. :suspect: :loopy: :loopy: :help: :help:

Originally posted by JBee

Hands up who travels with heavy-duty scissors or a sharp knife? :loopy:

*puts hand up*

Hmm, wonder what you might make of that......I just like to be prepared.

I know what you mean though, you do wonder why they make it so hard to get into them.

Every morning I have to contort my fingers about one of these (http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100645&ts=74911&id=17415)
*stands back to count the blank looks*
You can tell they were invented by somebody who bites their nails!! :rant:

Originally posted by wendygs
Anything designed by men is guaranteed to lack practicality especially if it's kitchen related.

Some of us men can design kitchens very well thanks :D

I tend to see a lot of cheap stuff made for kitchens, bathrooms etc. that is a complete waste of time and money - magic corners that actaully reduce cupboard space etc. Too many to list....

Originally posted by MrH
And if you tried they would only be taken off you at check in or as you go through security!

Only if you carry them in your hand luggage or on your person.

Originally posted by JBee
The packaging on travel plugs that you buy in airport stores. It's made with the same kind of totally indestructable plastic that electric tooth brushes come in, and can only be broken with some very sharp, heavy-duty scissors or a sharp knife.

Hands up who travels with heavy-duty scissors or a sharp knife? :loopy:

Many a time have I battled, cursed and cut my fingers after forgetting to pack my travel plug and being forced to buy a new one.

I actually think this is a conspiracy against the shopper. if you buy anything from one of these shops that say "if you are not completely satisfied with the product you can bring it back in saleable condition for a full refund within 14 days". But after you have hacked at the plastic packaging with a pair of heavy duty scissors you usually have unintentionally cut through the instructions and thus the product is no longer in saleable condition! :mad:

Originally posted by wendygs
Anything designed by men is guaranteed to lack practicality especially if it's kitchen related.


Not universally true Wendy. I designed and installed out current kitchen and SWMBO is still very happy with it after five years.

All the base units have a combination of deep and shallow pull-out drawers rather than cupboards. Saves getting down on your hands and knees with a torch to find those elusive pastry cutters ;)

Heres another.....
A baby gate that requires two free hands to open it. :loopy:

The outside of the BMW 1 series (assuming you are talking about a monkey that has had both it's eyes poked out!) and the Scotish parliment building which looks like it was regurgitated by a monkey!

Toilet seats which swing back down "mid-flow". Thanks for designing those.:blush:

the internal combustion engine, and by extension, the car.

It smells, it's noisy, it's got more moving parts than a space shuttle, and has obsolescence built-in.

Originally posted by wendygs
Anything designed by men is guaranteed to lack practicality especially if it's kitchen related.

I'd go one further.

Any building designed by men, as it is almost guaranteed to have an equal number of square feet devoted to male and female toilet cubicles.

Originally posted by Strix
Every morning I have to contort my fingers about one of these (http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100645&ts=74911&id=17415)
*stands back to count the blank looks*
You can tell they were invented by somebody who bites their nails!! :rant:

I have the same problem, and the nail on my right index finger is permantly broken.

The bl**dy glue that holds the ends of bog rolls down! When you want to start a new one you end up ripping through about 18 layers of paper to get at it!

The cellophane wrapping on DVDs and CDs. Argh!

Ready meal packaging where there are two sections - so you go tip out say, your rice, and half the curry goes with it, all over your hands, red hot!

Dining chairs with metal legs - they are so uncomfortable for some reason, and the noise they make when they scrape on a floor is just horrible.

Originally posted by wendygs
Anything designed by men is guaranteed to lack practicality especially if it's kitchen related.
Kitchen designed for a wee little 19th century woman to work at.

Before my back got really gnarly I refitted my kitchen and raised all the surfaces 12 inches. I can actually wash the pots without crippling myself now.

those £10 toasters from tesco!

theyre absolutely useless; no matter what setting its on, it burns half the toast, and leaves half cold. if you try and turn it over to get a nice even spread of carbon that first burnt side is cold!

AND everytime you press the "cancel toasting" button, in a desperate attempt to salvage your once beautiful slices of bread, an almighty spark shoots out of the toaster.

ARGH