An Interview with Thor’s Jim Johnstone

Winter is coming. But you’ll be ready when you wield the mighty Thor: the dual-blade ice scraper that’s shipping now!

Inventor Jim Johnstone was kind enough to answer our usual grueling gauntlet of questions. Take a peek and find out more about how this powerful product came to be.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live in Urbana, IL; home of the University of Illinois and my alma mater. I have a motorcycle with a side car and a ’66 Mustang which is eagerly awaiting restoration. I’m the divorced father of two grown children. I work as a mechanical/production engineer and have been in that field for 30+ years. I have dabbled as an inventor since college and have worked on projects such as a heated carburetor riser to improve fuel economy (in the late seventies), a self centering doweling jig, a ballistic pavement marking system for police cars, rapid deployment Christmas lights, and a rapid tooling system for automotive weld fixtures. I have two patents. 5263222 is the double-bladed ice scraper that inspired my Quirky submission and 7524238 is a sex machine.

2. When did you join Quirky?

A little over a year ago.

3. How did you find out about us?

I actually don’t remember how I found out about Quirky but I was probably roaming the internet when it happened.

4. When and how did you think up the idea for this product?

Like most of my ideas, this one just popped into my head. It rattled around for quite a long time and I refined it in fits and starts.

5. Had you tried to make this thing on your own already?

I made lots of prototypes out of plastic and wood to test everything from the ergonomics to the correct angle of the blades; from how the hand grip would feel to how the product could be nested for shipping. My favorite part of that process was building a thermoform fixture in my Dad’s basement shop and making prototypes with a pizza pan on my Mom’s stove.

6. What do you think of the final product?

The final product looks almost nothing like the original but it addresses some marketing issues which I was never able to overcome. My version couldn’t handle snow; Quirky added a brush. My version wouldn’t work on large vehicles such as SUVs and trucks; Quirky added an extendable handle. So I have to say this looks to be a nice design and it solves a number of problems.

7. In your opinion, what is the most innovative product ever invented?

The most innovative products currently out there are the iPad & iPhone. Steve Jobs’s gonzo approach to inventing, product development, and marketing will be studied and modeled in engineering and business schools for the next hundred years. But enough slobbering about him. I love the Mag Light flashlights. Talk about an unlikely success. Flashlights are simple and durable and had probably been around for 60 or 70 years when the Mag Light came out. Imagine that you are the guy standing in front of a bunch of venture capitalists saying that you want to build the best flashlight ever. And, it will be waterproof and shock proof and have this cool adjustable focus beam and it’s only gonna cost $20. And the venture capital guy says “So you’re telling me that I can buy 10 Eveready flashlights for every one of yours and somehow that’s a sound marketing plan?”. I think it probably took a while to find the right funding for that project but they make a great product and every cop and soldier in the world probably has one now.

8. What inspires you?

What inspires me most are the problems of everyday life. That jar lid that’s hard to get off; the sharp edge on the table; the wrench that won’t fit into that space. As our generation grows older, the problems of old age will offer a great opportunity for inventors.

9. What are some of your quirks?

I think that, as a engineer and inventor, I see the world differently than most people. I fixate on problem solving. Where many people accept problems as part of life or something that is beyond their control, I see problems as an opportunity to make things better. I saw a piece on Andy Rooney this morning. Like Andy, I have a low tolerance for stupidity. Andy was great at pointing out all of life’s little annoyances. But a commentary on problems is not the same thing as a solution to them.

10. What’s your favorite cereal?

Ummm…I don’t really eat cereal. I’m a junk food kinda guy. I like Buddig ham wrapped around Swiss cheese wrapped around a pickle and slathered with mustard. I use cottage cheese as a dip with barbecue potato chips and I drink massive amounts of Diet Coke.

11. Any parting words?

Every person has been given a unique set of skills in this life. Every person has an obligation to leave some sort of positive mark on this earth when their time here is done. It doesn’t have to be the cure for cancer, but do what you can do to make this a better world.