Launch Right A Fireworks Safety Option

[displayfireworks1]

While at the NFA Convention I saw a safety product that impressed me for novice users of Consumer Fireworks. Rarely do you see someone trying to bring a fireworks safety item to market. After speaking with Tim the creator and patent holder of these , I told him I would use a few in some of my future fireworks video. Remember , this is more for the once a year novice user and not advanced fireworks enthusiast. Tim is out of the State of Maine and has at least one fireworks store.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD4KFp8njUM

[BMoore]

Great concept. Most consumers don't give a single thought to stabilization or even finding a flat surface to shoot off of. I'm just not sure the typical consumer will be willing to pay what they perceive to just be a piece of cardboard, especially at the price point mentioned. The only way I see these getting into the hands of the novices who need them will be if the retailers eat the cost and provide a few to customers free of charge.

[Birdman]

Great concept. Most consumers don't give a single thought to stabilization or even finding a flat surface to shoot off of. I'm just not sure the typical consumer will be willing to pay what they perceive to just be a piece of cardboard, especially at the price point mentioned. The only way I see these getting into the hands of the novices who need them will be if the retailers eat the cost and provide a few to customers free of charge.

I had the same thoughts. Most people could care less about bracing and at that price point would just rather spend that money on another firework. The one positive is that it could at least get more fireworks stores talking to customers about bracing. But I think most people that are intelligent enough to realize bracing is a good thing to do are also intelligent enough to come up with their own solution using materials they already have at home. If I were Tim I would try and get these put into assortments so the cost becomes a bit more hidden to the consumer. Or just design assortment packaging with the concept built into it since most assortments come in a cardboard tray already. Either that or get retailers to hand these out free like some places do with punks and safety glasses as BMoore suggested.

[Jabez]

This is interesting to me since I am already thinking about next 4th of July and making cake boards. Safety is very important to me and wondering if this is better option than what I have seen people using to build finale boards?

[Salutecake]

Well perhaps there is more to this product than meets the eye? Jabez makes a pretty good point with finale boards. I believe many here make finale boards or just boards. Picture using a product like this to make your boards up - stick, go and throw away. No caulking gun and adhesives to use, or no bricks, rocks or steaks of any kind to lug around, pound into the ground and store.
Now I believe the product might have to be modified, like bigger pieces to cut your own shape, heavier or a stronger material to hold and carry "premade" finale boards to the place where they would be shot, an of course cost. Again something I might consider using, instead of lugging stuff around, and storing things, when done just pick up throw in the burn pile and thats it.

Hey Dave, if you do more vids on the product, can you fuse a couple of things together buy running the fuse on the sticky part to each of items? Also if you do a vid like that can you cut and stick a piece of foil of at least one leg of fuse to see if that make things easier or not. I think I'm just see more potential than newbie use.

[Birdman]

Best I can tell, you're looking at about $40 to cover the same area as a 2x4 sheet of plywood. I'm not sure if the cardboard used in the Launch Right has any special properties over what is used in the basic cardboard box but it seems to me you could do the same thing with some cardboard and hot glue for pennies. I'm interested in seeing how they perform. I'm thinking they could be stapled to plywood but I still believe the $5 price point is too high for most hobbyists that would need more than a couple of these but could be wrong. I'd buy one to try and I could see myself buying one if I was just picking up a couple cakes to hand light for a little pyro fun some weekend. But IMO, they are too costly to incorporate them into my larger shows. Get that price point down to about 1 or 2 bucks per sheet and I would consider using them to add additional stabilization or replace what I've been doing for my shows.

[displayfireworks1]

Well perhaps there is more to this product than meets the eye? Jabez makes a pretty good point with finale boards. I believe many here make finale boards or just boards. Picture using a product like this to make your boards up - stick, go and throw away. No caulking gun and adhesives to use, or no bricks, rocks or steaks of any kind to lug around, pound into the ground and store.
Now I believe the product might have to be modified, like bigger pieces to cut your own shape, heavier or a stronger material to hold and carry "premade" finale boards to the place where they would be shot, an of course cost. Again something I might consider using, instead of lugging stuff around, and storing things, when done just pick up throw in the burn pile and thats it.

Hey Dave, if you do more vids on the product, can you fuse a couple of things together buy running the fuse on the sticky part to each of items? Also if you do a vid like that can you cut and stick a piece of foil of at least one leg of fuse to see if that make things easier or not. I think I'm just see more potential than newbie use.

If I am reading your suggestion properly. I have to wonder if the fuse will catch the cardboard on fire. i am eventually going to test these out on some mortars. I'm still thinking I need a smooth hard surface. I imagine if I place these on a grass area , the cardboard holding the mortar may float on top of the grass.

[Salutecake]

Exactly, what i was thinking Dave, will it catch fire and how stable on a 6inch high grass field. I like the idea, press and stick, and instead of fuse an ematch or ignitor that you can press and stick to keep it organized.
I also agree with Birdman about cost and such, 4 bucks to cover a 2x4 sheet of plywood, perhaps, but it does eliminate the need for electric for the glue gun, adhesive and caulking gun, and it's pretty instant.

Just trying to help keep some innovation into the craft and not dismiss it so quickly.

[Birdman]

If I am reading your suggestion properly. I have to wonder if the fuse will catch the cardboard on fire. i am eventually going to test these out on some mortars. I'm still thinking I need a smooth hard surface. I imagine if I place these on a grass area , the cardboard holding the mortar may float on top of the grass.

I noticed the directions didn't mention to place it on a hard flat surface. Of course nothing is fool proof, but it seems to me that some thought is needed to ensure things are stabilized properly depending on how it's being used. Their could be a potential for this giving a true novice a false sense of security. I've been waiting to see some test results but this comment sort of confirms what I was thinking.

[RalphieJ]

This is a great idea. I would buy them in a heartbeat if they were available where I purchase my products.

[WithReport]

I applauded any effort to make things safer for the industry - especially, for those mostly unfamiliar with stabilizing and just buying a few items to take back home and shoot off in the neighborhood on certain holidays.

However, to be viable it either needs to be packaged with product, free to the consumer, or built in to the price. I just don't see many people buying them (I'd like to be wrong). Also my first thought is someone is going to buy one of them and then put their big 500g cake on this board and then realize they don't have any room for any of the less stable items.

In comparison, Lowes has Cinder Blocks for less than $2/brick - squeeze cakes between two of them, Set fountains or mortars in the center of them, and they are reusable and fire proof. When living in a suburb years ago, I went and bough two Blocks for each house on the street and asked them to use them - most of them did. When they were done, they stacked them up on the side of my garage for the following year.

[Salutecake]

Hey WithReport I mostly agree with you on how to make the product viable, especially with so many Free options available. The part I'm not especially keen on is lugging all those blocks around, I've been doing that for years and it is getting old along with me getting very old, lol.

Question, for finale boards, I have always used some type of adhesive with a caulking gun, any body use anything different? I was wondering about spray on adhesive?

[WithReport]

... The part I'm not especially keen on is lugging all those blocks around, I've been doing that for years and it is getting old along with me getting very old, lol.

Sure, the blocks come with much more weight, but I just don't see the average (most of us here on this forum or others are not "average) consumer buying lots of the product at checkout- maybe one. If I was in their situation and just looking to stabilize a few items, I'd go with the blocks.



Question, for finale boards, I have always used some type of adhesive with a caulking gun, any body use anything different? I was wondering about spray on adhesive?

I no longer use blocks, and no longer use glue. I have dedicated 2ft by 6ft cake boards that work great and get reused or use stakes in grass.


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