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He did mention that competitors use plastic precisely because it is lightweight.


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> And good plastics are plastic in the traditional sense of the word: if you drop them, they'll absorb the force by deforming and then spring back into place.

That's not what I was taught plastic meant. I was taught both plastic and elastic materials deform under force, but the elastic ones (not the plastic ones) return to their original form once the force is gone …


Did anyone say plastic is the only factor?

> …And that it wouldn’t be possible without plastics. No other type of material could ever achieve such durability, flexibility and precision; and that’s not even considering costs – no other materials _period_.

Mokulock may not be identical or cost the same, but it's basically the same product without plastic. They don't snap together or come apart as easily, but I like the idea of it. I'd love to see LEGO done in metal too.


Yeah and the author said it was the third most used plastic. Pretty much answered it there.

Yeah I understood his comment but plastic would be just a wrong word for it.

> Metal doesn't flex. Plastic does.

That's the benefit of plastic for portable, droppable, devices.


That's like saying "metal is strong". There are huge differences among different plastics.

> on top of that, there is not even one material "plastic" it's a class of materials

The article addresses that.


> anything made of plastic would shatter when dropped

So, they can make plastic, but not plasticizers. I always thought those had the same feedstock.


*Plastic

They're largely made of aluminium and steel, not plastic.

Right, and I'm clearly speaking in broader terms than merely plastics.

True. Just sounded cheap calling it plastic. My mistake!

No one in the thread was talking about plastic until you mentioned it.

> very fragile

Thin can always be made thicker by adding layers, but thick cannot similarly be made thinner. Thin is a feature.


Correct. I think Gordon just used the wrong word as he's a hardware rather than a plastics guy :)

“The new Ferrari - the body of the Ferrari Pro is unapologetically plastic. The polymers are designed to be the most advanced aerodynamic material ever.” — Jony Ive, Ferrari CEO

> rather than rectangular pieces of plastic

Finally, the U.S. gets a mention.


More than anything else, plastic is light for comparable strength. This is important for something that you're going to be pushing around a lot.

I had a Miele cylinder before this one. The experience of using it was that I dragged it around the flat and needed both hands to manage it. This Dyson model, I point at things, with one hand. It seems to be a combination of low weight, and the ease of pivoting on the ball that means it's rolling everywhere, but the difference is huge.

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