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Comment by jmalicki | Hacker News Reader

Why is there an expectation that it should be a required feature?

The bottles were sold as "drink and food" bottles, but expiring/fermenting food turns the food bottle into a pressure vessel.

I was initially surprised too, because I mostly know Thermos from their coffee/water/etc bottles, but apparently they're also selling these with the intention of storing perishable goods, and in that case a pressure relief system of some kind is a necessity.

Often bottles have special threads with holes in them to let out the pressure when you twist them open, but it appears they didn't do that here.

Well for one, so it doesn’t get recalled after getting a reputation for making people blind

If the safety feature is THAT simple and the lack of thereof literally costs people eyes, why wouldn't that be expectation?!

I think most people have the expectation of not getting a cap in the eyes when opening something.

> Why is there an expectation that it should be a required feature?

What point are you trying to make here ?!?!

Given that it should be there, it is quite clearly a product feature on Thermos jars.

So, of many examples that cross my mind.... let's say you were a long-term user of Thermos products. There's your "expectation".

I assume it probably features in the product literature that comes in the box too.

> Given that it should be there

I've never seen a thermos-style container with a pressure relief in my life. However, I'm European, it appears that in the US (a country where you have to write disclaimers on microwaves that you shouldn't dry hamsters in them) common sense has been going down the toilet.

Frankly, I'm all for a bit of darwinism here. It's bewildering that there are people who think it's a good idea to open a thermos that has been fermenting for days if not weeks without a lot of caution!

Most lids you've ever used have pressure relief. It's not an extra part or valve or anything, it's just the simple geometry to ensure that the seal opens before the lid becomes mechanically free.

Thermos has only been producing flasks since 1904. There shouldn't be an expectation that they already have this on a checklist of things to watch out for in new designs. /s

One word for you .... context.

I said "given it should be there" because Thermos have just issued a recall notice where they openly admit liability and they openly state it should be there (see side by side photos in the recall).

I was never seeking to pass judgement on the factual element of whether "it should be there" in the pure definition of the term.

I was just saying "it should be there on THAT product because Thermos says so".

Thought the same, but the recalled bottles were "food and drink" bottles, and they do usually have a pressure relief system of some kind.

Seems to be like they sold a bottle designed for a pressure relief cap with the wrong model cap, turning food storage containers into launchers.

But all your last statement really does is make the problem someone else's, and more dangerously, because the design doesnt help even with caution.

If I have made an accidental kimchi bomb then I will want to defuse it safely before I dispose of it. If I put it in the trash and leave it for the refuse collector there is risk that it blows up in their face without any warning. That's a much worse outcome. The root issue here is that this thermos design doesnt have a way to safely defuse it.

I bet you actually have. Its those gaps in the threads for screwing on the lid. The pressure get escape through these gaps while the lid still stays on the bottle.

(That hamster-microwave thing is a disinfo campaign from manufacuturers to limit liability of corporations, BTW, see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restau...)

Because blinding people is bad and causes expensive lawsuits? How is this even a question.

And you also shouldn't put your dog in the microwave to dry it.

Are you saying that opening a food thermos is equivalent to cooking a dog in the microwave?

Everyone who knows what a microwave is knows microwaving a dog kills it.

How many people do you think realize that pressure can build up in a thermos if leftover food or drink ferments in it?

And even if you know the danger, how do you know if the thermals bottle you are holding is dangerous or not? Should people call the bomb squad every time they see a thermos with unknown contents inside?

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