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Unitasker Wednesday, er, Thursday: Desktop V Twin Engine
All Unitasker posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. To make up for skipping yesterday’s regular feature, we’re sneaking one in for this light-hearted themed Thursday. Enjoy!
Reader Sarah sent us what she believes to be the worst unitasker ever. I may have to disagree with her, because as far as I can tell this product is a no-tasker. It doesn’t do anything. It is so pointless that it may not even rise to unitasker status. Introducing, the Desktop V Twin Engine, which powers nothing!
After filling its reservoir with butane (commonly available at drug stores), the engine is started by turning its solid brass flywheel … Its non-toxic exhaust allows you to operate the engine in a ventilated room. It operates up to 10 minutes from a full tank.
I stand corrected, it does do something — Wastes butane! For 10 whole minutes!
For all you butane haters, this is the device for you. At just $1,000 Canadian dollars (US $967), you can burn, burn, burn butane in your ventilated room to your heart’s content. Vroooooom, vroooooooom!
39 comments posted
Posted by Rue - 01/14/2010
What…the…HECK! Most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.
Posted by Aslaug - 01/14/2010
This sentence “The individual movements of the valve rods, crosshead, and crankshafts are clearly visible at lower revolutions” helped me figure out what it is probably intended for: teaching about how engines work. I can see this in a middle school science classroom, so the kids can watch exactly how a simple engine works. (I’m a science teacher, so I found a purpose quickly)
Posted by bradw - 01/14/2010
It looks beautiful to me. A beautiful piece of moving art. Not that I would want it on my desk, or even afford to pay for it…
Posted by Zyzzyx - 01/14/2010
OK, as a gearhead, I’d love something like this. As mentioned above, to me it could be a piece of moving art. I’ve seen far, far worse pieces of ‘art’ displayed in homes or offices. I’d even be willing to pay $200 for it, but not $1000, eeesh.
Posted by Jack - 01/14/2010
It *is* a nice, expensive, working model of an engine.
You could throw a belt on the flywheel and power other devices, like a desktop lathe, or a fan, generator to charge your cell phone. You know, in case you run out of electricity.
Posted by Pete - 01/14/2010
I would put this in the same category as all the rest of the desktop toys. No real purpose other than it’s fun. We all need fun in our life.
Posted by Ruth Hansell - 01/14/2010
I totally get the gearhead fascination, and would definitely use it in a teaching situation. It wouldn’t sit on my desk and run, because I really want to breathe as little combustion exhaust as possible, even in a ventilated room.
As an object of mechanical interest, though, I think it looks pretty neat.
Ruth
Posted by Handy Man, Crafty Woman - 01/14/2010
Ok, except for MAYBE the purpose of teaching students, I see absolutely NO point in this whatsoever. Even for students, there are probably better ways to show them how an engine really works!
Posted by Fat Bob - 01/14/2010
What are you talking about? This is beautiful. Do you ask whether a painting is a no-tasker?
Posted by Andrew - 01/14/2010
Butane is C4H10, the reaction: C4H10 + O2 +energy would yield something like 2C02 + 5H20 + energy.
Carbon Dioxide and Water which are not pollutants… unless you believe the EPA: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/ad.....85005BF252
Posted by Sarah - 01/14/2010
Posted by Eric - 01/14/2010
Is this anymore of a unitasker than a model someone built and displays? As it is not intended to perform a “task” it cannot be classed as a unitasker. It is no different than a model or a painting (as mentioned). Is everybody here so uncluttered that if an object doesn’t perfom 20 functions its useless?
Posted by Dan - 01/14/2010
If you want it to perform a ‘task’, then remove the flywheel and attach a fan blade. Then it will cool you. Some people have no appreciation for beautiful machinery.
Posted by Matt - 01/14/2010
I have a model ship on my desk THAT DOESN’T EVEN FLOAT
Posted by Jellybaby - 01/14/2010
I can’t imagine having to dust that thing.
Posted by Pete - 01/14/2010
@Matt
How do you know?
Posted by Ron C - 01/14/2010
The “Visible V8″ (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi.....tterer-20/ is both cheaper and more instructive. Plus it’s fun to build. It can’t actually power something and isn’t quite as cool as this, though I can get ~15 of them for the same price as one V twin…
Ron
Posted by Seth - 01/14/2010
I was about to launch into its likely value as an educational tool – it would be amazing in a science classroom! Until I got to the $1000 part – that’s just too much.
Posted by chacha1 - 01/14/2010
I agree that this is a beautiful piece of machinery and, as a piece of art that appears to be completely hand-built, probably “worth” the price to those who would enjoy having something like this in their daily space. … We all have our special Things. Heaven knows my cats have cost well over TWO thousand dollars apiece over their lifetimes so far, and they don’t “do” anything!
Posted by Vicki K - 01/14/2010
This is a beautiful model and would be inspirational and fascinating to those mechanically inclined. For me, however, having to dust it makes it null and void. Or, like many things I don’t want to dust, I could sew a dustcover/slipcover. At that point I have made it a no-tasker.
Posted by Anita - 01/14/2010
I think the point to get across here is that this is designed to be a decorative working model of an engine, and not an object meant to fulfill a task.
In purpose, it’s not that different from other models (planes, cars, boats, you name it), decorative “perpetual motion” machines, or Szymon Klimek’s solar powered miniature cars and trains (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....power.html ).
I suppose the fact that it uses up additional resources (i.e. butane) is what irks Erin. Fair enough, it might be slightly more wasteful than similar decorative machinery, but I’m not sure that’s reason enough to single it out from among the countless other “non-taking” decorative objects people use to enhance the aesthetics of their space…
Posted by Anita - 01/14/2010
Oops, that should read “non-tasking” rather than “non-taking”.
Posted by Cynthia Friedlob, The Thoughtful Consumer - 01/14/2010
Sorry, Erin, but I must agree with several commentors that criticizing an item because it performs no “task” misses the point if the item is a work of art or clearly meant to be decorative. This is a beautifully designed sculptural piece that could appeal to many people. Even those of us who encourage living in an uncluttered environment enjoy having some things on display simply because they bring us joy when we look at them.
Posted by Jim - 01/14/2010
Yeah, once again, the author mistakes “art” for a uni (or no) tasker. This is amazing. If you can’t appreciate the learning tool this embodies, then you don’t deserve to drive a car.
Posted by George - 01/14/2010
Another science teacher, thinking she’d like one to use in class! This is only as much as a unitasker as a beautiful painting or ornament that you love – these things are beautiful to watch!
Posted by Tim - 01/14/2010
The Mona Lisa is a no-tasker as well. Can we make fun of it next? Geeze….
Posted by Mark - 01/14/2010
This thing is a beautiful work of craftsmanship and art and I would love to have it on my desk. To each his (her) own I guess but I think you goofed on this one…
Posted by Thanh - 01/14/2010
I would love to meet the minds behind the design. It’s very cool looking!
Posted by Another Deb - 01/14/2010
Science teacher number three here, but I’ll take the thousand dollars and buy more baking soda, tape, markers, food coloring….With nine science teachers in my middle school we didn’t even have that much money in the budget this year.
Posted by STL Mom - 01/14/2010
Has anyone else read the novel “Trustee from the Toolroom” by Nevil Shute?
The main character builds miniature machines and writes about them for a magazine. By showing off a tiny working engine that he has built, he impresses people so much that they help him travel halfway around the world to regain his niece’s legacy.
But even though I love that book, if I was going to spend $1000 at Hammacher Schlemer, I would buy each of my kids an child-size electric Mercedes Benz SUV, complete with Ipod jack and cup holder. http://www.hammacher.com/Produ.....8;catid=60
Posted by landrecord.ws/ - 01/15/2010
I shall request to all probable as well as confused customers that instead of spending a lot to this “dreadful”, “good for nothing” machines you better to invest a little for the people of Haiti. They need it most.
Posted by Kristen@TheFrugalGirl - 01/15/2010
I think the thing to be careful of with art pieces like this is just not to collect too many of them. A house filled with Mona Lisas to the point where you couldn’t function in the house would be a problem. A house with a few nice pieces of art work is fine.
Posted by Melanie - 01/15/2010
My brothers each had something similar to this growing up. It had little fuel tablets that were used to power it. As I recall it was one of their favorite toys. They sure played with them a lot. And it was a sort of rite of passage when one got old enough to have his own.
I’m sure the type they had were not that expensive. But they were still considered a special possession.
Posted by Ed - 01/15/2010
you’ll have to admit it looks pretty damn nice!
Posted by Karyn - 01/15/2010
To some of you it may be a Beautiful Work of Arte. To me it’s a Fugly Butane-Chomping Overpriced Hunk of Metal.
Posted by Louise - 01/15/2010
Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. If this piece speaks to you, then it isn’t a Unitasker. Art performs multiple tasks: it makes you think, it makes you feel; it helps you understand the world, or yourself.
On the other hand, if the art doesn’t speak to you, it is clutter.
I can’t define art, but I know it when I see it.
Whether I see it in this particular piece is irrelevant. All that matters is how YOU see it…
Posted by Another Deb - 01/15/2010
@ STLMom, I read “Trustee From The Toolroom” a year back. Charming! That was the first thing I thought of when I saw this device.
Posted by martin - 01/16/2010
I find that the coolest desktop adornment I’ve ever seen. I checked the Web site and plan on ordering one in the next couple of weeks. It’s for things like this I keep the rest of my life uncluttered.
Posted by juice - 01/17/2010
This is a gorgeous pice of art. Let’s all go make fun of scultures – after all, what do they do?
Talk about ridiculous crticism.
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