In the course of our day, we answer two dozen inquiries about SoftSlam and how it can help a myriad of problems that pop up with doors. While all the inquiries stand out in our mind because we LOVE our customers and we LOVE what we do, sometimes, we hear things, see things, learn things that are too shocking for us to keep to ourselves. 

Last week, a new customer sent us photos of the damage he has encountered due to slamming doors in his home. While I did not ask his permission to show the photos here, I am going to describe it. His door frames, on multiple doors, had torn away his walls in a very violent manner. 

We have seen, quite frequently, cracks in paint and plaster, broken or chipped trim, and many times, shattered glass. I had never seen anything as violent or destructive as the damage done in the photos that he sent. His doors were all, like mine, solid core. He lived, like I do, in a high wind zone. Unlike mine, his framing was yellow pine, mine is hardwood (you get that when you live in a very old house).

​Doors are dangerous. Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your home with SoftSlam.

I never thought that I would blog about Covid 19. I'm sure most people have heard enough of it. Hopefully, I will shine a different light and not just repeat what everyone else has said for the last two months.

First, I'd like to say how grateful I am that our business model has allowed us to stay open during the complete lockdown. While we were unable to ship our product until we were at Level 3, we were able to pull parts and manufacture the items that were ordered during Level 4. As of this writing, we have 0 backlog, finally.

Second, I would like to say how grateful I am that our business model does not rely on any manufacturing outside of New Zealand. With many people now wishing that parts and finished goods were not so dependent on China, we can honestly say, that we were not and have never been reliant on production from China. 

It was always in our business model that we would support local manufacturing and design for the sake of our local community. Investors walked away from us because we held firm on this point. We have been lectured and even ridiculed,  told that we would never make it if we didn't take our product to China. I can't say that we have "made it", but we are still going, and getting stronger by the day, without China.

Third, I would like to say how grateful I am that the youngest and most innocent among us are not being seriously affected by Covid 19. Our business was created with a heartfelt wish to keep your family safe, starting with your children. That is still our number one priority. 

Stay safe.

Elizabeth

It's not just you.

A recent poll shows that the majority of people answering the question hate the sound of a slamming door.  Check out the poll on our FB page. (No, it was not our poll.)

Usually, when our minds are hard wired to not like something, there is a reason for it. Most of us naturally avoid spiders, snakes, hot surface, sharp objects and slimy things. We are wired to do this from infancy to protect ourselves. 

Slamming doors are no different. Like snakes and spiders, doors serve their purpose but they don't have to slam. Check out our website at www.anti-slammer to find out how to stop your doors from slamming.

Sleep is essential for the well being of every person. If you work nights, sleep can be elusive. If you work nights and have a family that works, it can be nearly impossible. 

Imagine this scenario. You arrive home from work at 8:30 am. Your family is at school or work. You have a shower, a bite to eat, check out the latest news and prepare for bed. It's 10:00 and you have 10 hours before you need to be at work again. At 3:00 the first of your children arrive at home. You know this because you heard the front door slam when she entered. At 4:00 the second of your children arrives safely home. You know this because you heard the front door slam. At 4:30, they go to the back yard to play. You know this because you heard the back door slam. At 5:30 your spouse comes home. You know this because you heard the front door slam. At 5:31, the kids come in from the back yard. Yep, the back door slammed again. At 6:30, dinner is ready. You know this because you heard the bathroom door slam as your daughter decided that your son didn't need to wash his hands at the same time she did. You pop out of bed, grab your packed dinner, kiss your wife good night and head to work.  You are lucky, you got a solid 5 hours of sleep and only have 2 more nights on this shift before you get to catch up.

Don't let this be your life. SoftSlam can take the slam out of your doors allowing you to get the rest you need to be the best you can. www.anti-slammer.com

The most innocent among us need to be protected from hazards in the environment. You wouldn't have a house without a baby barrier on the stairs or latches on the cupboards. Why would you bring baby home to house where the doors can amputate their fingers with a gentle breeze?

Statistics show that the scenario above is not all that uncommon. Many babies are lucky and keep their fingers. Many are not so lucky. 

SoftSlam can take the wham! out of a door. When the door "rests" on the SoftSlam, there is still plenty of room for a small finger to safely linger in the jamb. A larger finger may feel a bit of pressure. A big finger can feel a pinch. Compare that to "a small finger can be severed. A larger finger can be crushed. A big finger can be seriously damaged or broken."  I know what I would chose.

SoftSlam - for the baby that you love. www.anti-slammer.com

Doors that slam in the wind or because of drafts in the house can pose an incredible danger to family members and pets in the house. Slamming doors also cause irritation, frustration and damage to the structure they are mounted in. 

Many a friend has lost the glass from their door. Found cracks in the door framing. Lost a finger or had their kitten maimed or killed. Doors are dangerous.

The force in a slamming door is enough to break wood, slice carrots, kill small pets, do major damage to hands and fingers. We learn to live with the slamming as there were not many options to stop slamming. 

One option is a door closer. Door closers are frequently seen on commercial doors. Without proper maintenance, doors closers can fail. They can be set too firm and cause the door to slam anyway. They prevent doors from being left open to catch a breeze. And, a door closer is designed to close a door. Many times, this means closing even if there is a little hand in the jamb. A descent door closer will cost a few hundred dollars. 

A new, better option is the SoftSlam. SoftSlam will take the force out of a slamming door making it close softly or rest on the soft slam not closing until you tell it to. 

Click the link below for more information.

www.anti-slammer.com

It was a still, hot August night. The crickets were chirping but other than that, the night was silent. My a/c was out so the doors were left open in a desperate attempt to catch a breeze through the house. We were sitting at the table with candles lit and a bottle of red wine between us. The conversation had a life of it's own. The words were flowing faster than the wine. The conversation was intriguing. A breeze rushed past the table. The candles flickered. The air felt cold on my sweat soaked skin. The door slammed. The conversation stopped. The mood was broken. The spell ended. "Oh look at the time!" My companion made a hasty retreat and was gone.

It was a still, hot August night. The crickets were chirping but other than that, the night was silent. My a/c was out so the doors were left open in a desperate attempt to catch a breeze through the house. We were sitting at the table with candles lit and a bottle of red wine between us. The conversation had a life of it's own. The words were flowing faster than the wine. The conversation was intriguing. A breeze rushed past the table. The candles flickered. The air felt cold on my sweat soaked skin. The door swung partly closed onto its SoftSlam then slowly opened again. The conversation continued with a new rush of life after the refreshing breeze.

The choice is yours.

Did you know that you have more nerve endings per square inch in your fingers than on any other part of your body?

They are little miracles. You can tell the difference between cotton and silk, hair and fur, warm and cold. You can apply just enough pressure to hold a glass, crush a can, drop a needle.

Each one of those tiny nerve endings sends a signal to your brain giving you information that you need to live. 

They can tell you, very pointedly, that your first three fingers are currently stuck in that door that just slammed shut.

We turn our heads off to the consequences of most actions. If we dwell on what could happen every time we got in a car, on an airplane or stepped out our door, we would never leave our houses. 

A friend of mine recently texted me that he was mountain biking with his daughter on a popular trail where another friend of mine had an accident that resulted in partial paralysis. I suggested that he be careful out there and then told him the story. "Thanks for putting that damper on my day."

Well, you are welcome. Because the damper on your day may have saved the rest of them by helping you focus on what could happen if you don't take safety seriously. 

Okay, so your lose a finger tip. How bad could it be? 

How easy is it to prevent? - Ah, now there is a good question. $75, 25 minutes. Is your finger worth more?

​See our installation and sales pages for more information.

One of the more exciting activities that we undertake in the course of our day is reaching out for different kinds of testing. We contact labs and outfits that test doors, frequencies, material compatibility and the like. Having an all new to industry, patented technology can get a little hard to explain. There are those days when we hit the nail on the head. One recent conversation went something like this:

Slammer: Hi, I am calling about testing a new door hardware that stops doors from accidentally slamming.

Testing outfit: Really? I didn't know there was such a thing. My daughter lost her finger in the door when is slammed shut in the wind. I can start your tests tomorrow.

I feel bad because we were too late for his daughter. Hopefully, we aren't too late for yours.