The paws I trip type pans have been around for ever same with cast jaws. And 4 coiled traps have been around forever. Lots of trappers have added a rod to the dog to keep It from being bent.
The frame the jaws the levers have been around before most of us were born. I don't see where a ton of research had to be done.
No one said anything about the position trip pan.
Casting a jaw was never the issue either.THE exact 550 cast jaw was copied.If you think there was no R+D on developing a specific cast jaw,several different updated versions,you don't know anything about the design and casting process.Shocking.
The MB 550 has a unique frame.Oh yes,traps have had frames forever.Not this one.It was copied exactly.This took a lot of R+D to develope.
It takes a ton of research and developement to develope dies and equipment to stamp out all the parts.Even the levers are designed for that trap.It isn't about levers have been made before and you know that.Duke copied that specific part,albeit with cheaper material.
Why don't they design and build their own,better trap? Because they don't do expensive R+D.It is partly why they can sell cheaper.Let someone else do the expensive part.
The 550 is the most blatant example of this that they have done.Theft of ideas and intellectual properties deters talented people from creating new and better things.That affects all of use,even Duke.It can reduce their selection of traps to copy.I'm sure they are doing well.They have a solid business plan for making money.I couldn't do it.
Relax Beav,you're not going to buy either,anyway.