Dyson Award, Innovation - October 10, 2019

6 years after the Dyson Design Award: What happened next...

6 YEARS ago today we found out that Oscar’s early prototype of the BackTow lifejacket had been short listed for the Dyson Design Award out of 600+ international entrants.

At the moment we got the news Oscar and I happened to be sat in a hotel in Shenzen on a sourcing trip to try find a factory that could make his complicated design. I remember how jubilant we felt: this was the start of something big!

Fast forward 6 years & we’re still here, TeamO has grown up. We simplified the original design to make it easier to use and easier to make. We opened a factory in the UK in the end. It made more sense to keep it close to home. We’ve sold a few thousand lifejackets by this point and we’re launching new things again soon.

Nothing quite turned out the way we would have expected 6 years ago, but I’ve come to realize that is just a part of the learning curve now.

Design awards are a nice ego stroke but I think that feeling of hope & drive are so much more important. We still feel like this is the start of something exciting and big. We can’t wait to show you our new2020 range soon!

TeamO will be exhibiting at METs trade show from 19-21st November in Amsterdam. Find us in Hall 3 Stand 251. If you would like to come and meet us drop me an email to arrange a meeting time: lauren@teamomarine.com

Lauren

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Very Comfortable

I looked at a lot of different life vest and found these to be the most comfortable life jackets and with the option of being towed correctly was on obvious choice. Been very happy with the life jackets.

Offshore 170N

Fits very well, I was able to make all the adjustments necessary to fit me. The instructions are good so read them. I have not deployed the jacket yet. I also have worked out how to attach the MOB1. The tether works as expected and attaches to the jack lines with the clips. All in all, I am very pleased and recommend buying this life jacket.

Good choice

Would prefere any EU shop, customs and Vat procedure is boring :)

Excellent lifejacket

I purchased this life jacket in January and, although I have (fortunately) not had the opportunity to use it in a real emergency, I have used it several times. The materials and workmanship are excellent and the jacket is very comfortable to wear, despite being an offshore jacket, which is bulkier than many other “coastal” items (the jacket has a light, a built-in hood and can easily accommodate a PLB). For a more in-depth analysis, look for the Yachting Monthly review published in 2022.
There are only two “issues”: the backtow system does not appear to be all that easy to be repacked if the jacket has been activated and the system deployed. The manual is not very clear on this and the videos on the TemO website refer to older and different versions. I hope TeamO will address this by publishing an updated video for the current system. Otherwise, it would probably be a wise idea to open the jacket and record a video showing how the system is packed for future reference.
The second issue is due to Brexit: if, like me, you plan to buy this life jacket from abroad, be prepared to pay very high customs duties. It's not TeamO's fault, clearly (they seem to try to keep prices low), but if you end up paying 30% more than the listed price, other products might become more interesting. Of course, you'll have to give up the backtow system as TeamO is the only manufacturere to offer a similar solution.

I had a chance to use my new vest this October on 14 days offshore sail. It fits very well no problem to wear it many hours and the materials seems good and durable. Considering my heigh almost 2m i would appreciate even longer straps between legs (always easy to shorten than other way). I haven't fall over yet but once it happens, I will write the second part of review.

6 years after the Dyson Design Award: What happened next...

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