There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
It honestly didn't take me long to find similar concepts from years ago, many equally less available to the public due to cost and scarcity: https://www.itstactical.com/warcom/knives/why-are-you-using-a-defensive-knife-to-open-boxes/ You can say your concept (of the TUKK XL, referencing the link) is original all you like, but it's just another variation on pre-existing concepts.
To put it differently, you would never be able to meaningfully patent what you have made, outside the generic, rectangular shape of it. And nothing about the design in this drop would infringe on such patents. Although the more I'm reading, it sounds like you're only here because you're butthurt about whatever deal you tried to make and failed at.
Sadly morals play no role in the open, capitalist market, nor should it ever impact a potentially competitive market.
Seriously, you do you. It's great and all you make an American product, but your presence here isn't inspiring any confidence in me. Make a superior product, and be confident in what you've made, rather than calling out similar products as inferior copies.
Here's a good example of what I mean:
Is the Moki Fish Owl
P.S. For what it's worth, I have no dog in this fight. I already backed the 3COIL Crane on Kickstarter, so my teeny pocket razor needs are quite satisfied. EDIT: Fixed image of Moki Fish Owl.
I get that you feel slighted by the presence of similar products, but it has never been the fault of an industry, only the incorrect assumption that having a great idea, no matter how simple, will lead to success. The only way you beat competition is having a superior product... or spending a superior amount on marketing. Patents are the only separating factor involved, and if someone is able to make a similar product without infringing on that patent, then your concept wasn't original or complex enough. No one is entitled to exclusive manufacturing rights to products outside a patent, and patents don't protect basic concepts that are easily duplicated.
This approach did not bring them much success, for all their acclaim; at Orville's death, the Wright estate was only worth one or two million dollars. The free market can be an ugly business.