24/07/2019 UPDATE
Thanks for your comprehensive reply. It was particularly good to read about your projected pricing evolution.
I do want to pick up on a couple of points in your reply:
POINT #1
You wrote that you were surprised to learn that the Family Formula didn't work out as well as I had expected. Relatedly, you wrote that it's safe for prolonged contact with skin.
Seeing as with the Original Formula I needed only 5-10 minutes for it to sufficiently set in my ear *without the thinnest part losing shape* when I removed it, and seeing that the Family Friendly formula sets slower and is seemingly wetter and stickier while curing, how long would you recommend keeping the Family Friendly Sugru INSIDE MY EAR in order for it to set to a sufficient level, so that it is not deformed while I remove it?
After providing your estimate, I'd also be curious to know if YOU would be comfortable keeping a wet, sticky product INSIDE your ear for any amount of time? I ask that sincerely and genuinely. If you have full confidence that Sugru is safe even INSIDE the human body (e.g. custom earbuds, custom mouthguards, custom snoring plugs) then it is a product even more revolutionary than I had originally imagined. The examples you gave re: prolonged contact with skin all related to external exposure: wristband, headphones, eyeglasses, inside shoes). And if it is safe for internal skin contact, then may I humbly suggest you market that too.
POINT #2
After reading your reply, I checked, and indeed, the differential in curing times is mentioned in the FAQ. Yet to reiterate, having been a longtime Sugru user, I had no reason to wander around the website, let alone in the footer, and let alone in the bottom part of the footer, to consult with the FAQ section, Vto see if there may be a difference in curing times. It's something that I would have benefited from knowing directly in the product description while shopping online.
Neither in the ABOUT section or even the MORE INFO section of the Family-Friendly formula packs in the online shop, is there any indication I can see regarding prolonged curing time, nor is there any specification that it bonds less strong than the original formula. Those are the two pieces of information that were directly relevant to me -- in my earbud project the Sugru sets inside my ear. I wasn't willing to leave it there indefinitely to set fully, and by definition, removing it from a curvy ear canal necessitates some pressure to deform the Sugru in the process. It's just with the original formula, the deformation is neither as severe or as irreversible as it is with the Family-Friendly formula.
Again, assuming this online marketing material was an innocent oversight, then I am hoping that this level of specificity I am providing can be of assistance moving forward.
The fact that Sugru is this responsive, interactive, and transparent with customers here on TrustPilot is admirable.
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Summary: "I think Sugru could be more proactive and transparent in explaining how the Family-Safe formula is not as well-suited for certain applications of the product. I would never have opted for the Family-Safe formula had I known. "
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I've been using Sugru for a few years now. While I've used it with success on my sunglasses and to fix the connection point that was fraying with my laptop adapter and cord, it's still a bit too pricey for me to experiment with different uses. There's been one exception, however, where I am happy to dedicate two packages for one hack, and it's moved me from Sugru user to Sugru proselytizer -- customizing the fit of a mobile bluetooth earbud. I loathe holding a phone while talking, and I am yet to find a bluetooth earbud that stays put in my ear, so that I don't have to hold a phone.
Enter Sugru.
Traditionally, I wait five to ten (maximum) minutes for the Sugru to set in my ear, and then gently remove it, being especially careful not to distort the part of the mold that fits in the ear canal. Once set, it's this part that really anchors it to my ear/head.
As I would come to realize -- albeit too late -- this was only feasible with the original-formula Sugru, as the Family-Friendly formula seemingly has a different consistency and sets slower.
Excited to share my earbud hack with my wife and new in-laws (we're a tech-friendly family -- yay!) I gifted each of them a couple of packs after a recent dinner, and they pulled out their earbuds and together we walked through the process. I bought a multicolor eight-pack which would help us not to mix up molds by each choosing a different color. Frankly, in my case (I'm of legal age with no children), if I even noticed that it was now labelled 'Family Friendly,' was an afterthought. And if I did think about it, I likely attributed it to the new colors, and to the happy assumption that kids won't die if they inadvertently ingest it.
'Good on the Sugru,' I thought then, and continue to think now.
What I didn't realize, and what was not specified or evident, was that it takes a lot longer for the mold to set with the family-friendly formula. For most uses, this would not be a big deal. Yet to my disappointment, and to the disappointment of my wife and new in-laws, my 'incredible hack' became an exercise in frustration. Every time we took the mold out of our ears, the part that goes deeper into the ear canal would inevitably bend. Again, it's precisely this part of the mold that helps anchor it.
Instead of leaving it in-ear for ten-minutes maximum, we could conceivably have left it in for an hour or two to better set, but I'm not willing to leave anything in my ear that long, and I doubt they or anyone else would have either.
In short, I think Sugru could be more proactive and transparent in explaining how the Family-Safe formula is not as well-suited for certain applications of the product. I would never have opted for the Family-Safe formula had I known.
Especially when the currency conversion is done for Canadian Dollars (we live in Canada), 'losing' an eight pack by trial and error is a frustrating proposition.
Keep up the good work Sugru, but please update your website with an advisory on the type of applications for which the Family-Safe formula is and is-not best-suited, and the reasons why.
P.S. I was just perusing others' comments, and only here at Trustpilot do I see precisely the type of specification issued by Sugru, that would have been helpful had it been placed more visibly on the website: "once it's on it will take 24 hours for each 3mm to cure (the Original Formula) or 2mm deep (the Family-safe | Skin-friendly Formula) at room temperature (21°C/70°F)." Even that is a bit technical, but it's still the type of information that would have helped in making a more-informed purchasing decision.
