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I am new to this forum as a member but have been a lurker for many months. I am the owner of Granite Grabbers LLC and have worked to develop a simple, sleek dishwasher mounting bracket utilizing a permanent bonding adhesive tape, eliminating the need to drilling, epoxy, or side mounting. After many years in the industry, I became frustrated with the hassles in mounting a very simple appliance.
I would love to introduce this product to you as I worked for over a year to develop an adhesive tape that would form a rock hard permant bond in minutes, yet bond to the rough uneven surfaces of the many solid surface countertops.
Please take a look at my website http://www.GraniteGrabbers.com
I would be happy to send out a sample kit to anyone interested. I am currently working with many fabicators and appliance installers and have been very encouraged by the positive feedback.
Regards
Joel Alwinson
Granite Grabbers LLC
407-340-7284Posted By Jpalwinson on 13 Jan 2009 05:34 PM
Please take a look at my website http://www.GraniteGrabbers.com
I would be happy to send out a sample kit to anyone interested. I am currently working with many fabicators and appliance installers and have been very encouraged by the positive feedback.
Regards
Joel Alwinson
Granite Grabbers LLC
407-340-7284Joel:
Your website looks good. As we discussed on the phone, you’ll send me a sample or two and I’ll post the results here.
Thanks,
Joe
Joe
The mounting kit and welded spring clamp is in the mail to you today! I look forward to hearing from you soon.
The Granite Grabbers arrived in the mail yesterday. Even though the top of my mailbox got smoked by a snowplow, the Grabbers and clamp were unharmed. I just put the mailbox back on the post, it’s happened at least five times this year. It’s kind of like a break-away design. Anyway, I digress.
Pictured here are the clear and easy-to-read-and-understand instructions, Joel’s business card, (2) Granite Grabbers and the specially made clamp.
After checking for exact dishwasher placement, you clean the underside of the deck with alcohol and screw the Granite Grabbers to the flanges on the top of the dishwasher as pictured here. The red tape covering the adhesive on the GG hasn’t been removed in this picture yet.
Here is a close-up of the spring clamp with the GG female brazed to the tip.
The special spring clamp is placed on the right and I thought I’d try some doubled Dani clamps on each side of the left. I’ll let you know if there is any substantial difference in performance, but a screwdriver shoved between the Grabber and the deck bottom wouldn’t budge either one after ten minutes or so.
Finished.
Joel:
I think you’ve got a great product here. The part I like best about it and which will have great appeal to many fabricators is the foolproofness of everything. It seems that installers can find a way to screw up almost everything at least once; I doubt even the newest guy on the crew will have trouble figuring these out.
Although I installed these in my own house (hope you don’t mind), I could have used a set the other day on a solid surface job that had non-standard overhang. I couldn’t hit my underlayment with screws through the flanges and I don’t like the brass inserts required to drill into Corian. They are a pain to place accurately (GG’s are stupid simple) and can fall out even if adhered in place.
If I may be so bold as to suggest how to bring your product to market, I wouldn’t try direct exclusively as much as I would like to see you buy an ad here. I would make a distribution deal with someone like Chemical Concepts that has an excellent reputation in the industry, carries and is familiar with similar products and attends many of the trade shows. It’s much better to have a smaller slice of a large pie than a small pie of your own.
You may consider a licensing agreement also. I know it’s difficult for a guy who’s fallen in love with his idea to sell his baby, but you may want to make as much money as soon as you can before you get ripped off. Yeah, I saw the “patent pending”, but that won’t intimidate a deep-pocket thief. He’ll put your lawsuit expenses into his cost of doing business without a second thought. I’m sure you’ve got a bundle of cash left over from your patent expenses to put up a good defense too.
I’m not talking through my hat here either. Marvin Wernick, a father of Avonite solid surface and inventor of the mood ring, lost a fortune when the chinese made and sold a cheap imitation. I did a countertop for the guy who invented those clocks that chirped a different bird every hour; the chinese ripped him too. His lawyer told him to look at it as a compliment. Ask Steve Lefebvre of Gorillia Grip fame about gettting ripped off.
Move quickly please. With a product this good, you are toast otherwise.
Joe
Joe
Thank you very much for your great review and detailed pictures. One thing I did notice that I failed to mentioned is that the brackets are facing the wrong way. There is a finished front lip side to cover the channel of the bracket which is to face out. (My explaination error)
Other than that, I appreciate your input and am working rapidly with various retailers along with my Patent Attorney to protect this product. As you all very well know there is no perfect way to protect the product but every effort is being made.
I will in the next week or so sign up to advertise with this forum as it is a great resource.
I am looking forward to working with many of you in the near future.
Regards
Joel Alwinson
Granite Grabbers LLC
Posted By Jpalwinson on 18 Jan 2009 02:50 PM
Joe
One thing I did notice that I failed to mentioned is that the brackets are facing the wrong way. There is a finished front lip side to cover the channel of the bracket which is to face out. (My explaination error)
Regards
Joel Alwinson
Granite Grabbers LLC
Joel:
I am not understanding what you are saying.
Joe
No big deal, simply the brackets have a finished profile edge in which to hide the gap created by the channel in the bracket on one side. I will post a picture to clairify!
Andy
We created the clamp as a tool for our installers to have in the truck to further ease the installation, but it is not necessary to use to form a strong bond. What the clamp does do is allow the installer to only use 2 of our clamps instead of 4 traditional clamps (1 clamp on each side of the bracket=2 clamps per bracket) if clamping all at once. (Andy I am sending your sample kit to you today!)
The clamps do not come with each kit, however cost only $5 each, and most installars simply order a set of 2 to have in each truck out in the field on thier initial order.
Joel Alwinson
Joel, Really cool idea. Do you think the price will ever come down ? My guys can drill holes and mount dishwasher in about 3 minutes. Hard to justify 10 bucks and actually slow the process down. Still a very good idea. Good job.
Posted By Travis H on 19 Jan 2009 02:48 PM
Joel, Really cool idea. Do you think the price will ever come down ? My guys can drill holes and mount dishwasher in about 3 minutes. Hard to justify 10 bucks and actually slow the process down. Still a very good idea. Good job.Travis:
Installation time saving isn’t the whole picture. Suppose the dishwasher isn’t on site at install. Which costs you more money, taping a package of Granite Grabbers to the bottom of the deck and let the dishwasher installer use them or sending your guy back out to the job for his three minutes of work? A couple of those call-backs saved and the GG’s are paying you.
Did you include the time to shop-vac the hammer drill dust out of Ms. Jones’ dishwasher in the three minute calculation or do you just take all the dishes out, wipe it and put the dishes back in again anyway?
If you’re screwing directly into engineered stone, you’re out of warranty at least if it’s Zodiaq:
Technical Bulletin, Z-1
Manufacturing and Installation Requirements for Dupont Zodiaq Quartz Surfaces
Installation General Requirements (last bullet point):“Never install mechanical fasteners (screws, nails, etc.) directly into Zodiaq. Inserts may be used with Zodiaq. If inserts are to be used, slip fit and glue inserts are required rather than pressure fit inserts.”
I don’t like the idea of mechanical fasteners into granite or any material especially with dissimilar materials combined with the heat and steam of a dishwasher.
On second thought, maybe I do like the idea. A lot of my business has been stone repairs lately.
Carry on,
Joe
P.S.:
Joel, I’d cold-call the estone manufacturers and get GG’s specified as the only recommended way to attach dishwasher flanges if I were you.
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