Emergency Water Storage and Quality Control: Putting Every IcePlate® to Work
What happens to IcePlates® that are blemished and don't pass our initial testing? Effective immediately, they might be useful to you.
We construct each IcePlate® using advanced, precise, high speed processes. But after an IcePlate® comes off the line and its microbe-resistant thermopolymer has hardened into its ergonomic shape, the work does not end. We take care to be sure that your IcePlate® will be a piece of equipment you can depend on, with every part individually checked along several dimensions by our QC team. Here's a sample of what your IcePlate® goes through before it gets out the door.
- Checked for color consistency
- Checked for weight
- Checked for excess material on inside
- Checked for soft corners
- Checked for airtight and watertight sealing with IceCap
- Checked for excess flashing or sharp corners
- Strap loop size and functionality verified
- Sanitized
- Closed and sealed
- Checked for Sleeve fit (if ordered in MOLLE Combo or IceVest configurations)
- Documented and photographed
Is this overkill? Maybe, but we know you're counting on your IcePlate® and people are counting on you.
While every full-price IcePlate® we ship has passed through this gauntlet (enough to be backed by our Forever IcePlate Warranty), occasionally an IcePlate® fails this process at one or more spots. Perhaps it is heavier than spec, or has a soft corner. Perhaps the finishing is a bit messy. But IcePlates® that can't pass the full test are still powerful tools; maybe for water storage in emergencies, for instance.
We recycle those with structural issues. For other IcePlates® that have cosmetic blemishes, we set them aside as Seconds Inventory. We use them for our testing of new ideas. We keep them full of filtered water and use them for our own emergency stashes. Occasionally we recolor them to do some market tests.
We have a few of these on hand, and they may also be useful to many of you in times of uncertainty. So we have begun to offer them at a reduced price through our IcePlate® Curve Seconds program, just like our IcePlate® Classic Seconds program that has been active the past several months.
While we still highly recommend purchasing a full IcePlate® Curve or IcePlate® Classic as your primary, go-to, trusted piece of equipment, IcePlate® Seconds can be useful as a fallback. They are final sale, and not covered by our Forever IcePlate Warranty, but if you're looking for a water carrier with great portability and excellent storage density for handling unforeseen situations, these final sale Seconds may be a great option for you.
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