Patent Nonsense: When ‘Innovation’ Is Just Sandpaper in a Fancy Hat

Ever read a patent and feel like someone just tried to trademark toast? That’s the vibe with a certain so-called “proprietary” glass scratch removal system making the rounds. It’s a flashy kit, full of big claims, bigger price tags, and—get this—completely ordinary materials.

Yep. The actual patent confirms it uses off-the-shelf silicon carbide sandpaper and cerium oxide. No mystery. No secret sauce. Just basic abrasives that anyone with a grinder and a brain can buy at any supply house. The only thing special here is the attempt to corner the market and keep everyone else from selling the same stuff.

1. The Patent of the Obvious

The system’s own patent spells it out: regular silicon carbide sanding discs. Nothing engineered in a lab. No exotic compounds. Just standard abrasives that stonemasons, auto detailers, and restoration techs have used forever.

It’s like filing a patent for “circular motion with a sponge” and calling it revolutionary. They didn’t reinvent glass resurfacing—they just tried to claim dibs on the packaging.

2. The Three-Step Trap

The whole system revolves around a three-step grit progression. Sounds easy. Marketable. Foolproof. But in the real world? Three grits ain’t enough.

Deep scratches, graffiti tags, edge damage—these need a full range of abrasives, sometimes five or six steps deep, to avoid distortion and haze. Three steps is great for a brochure. Not so great for a seasoned technician. It’s like trying to play jazz with only three notes.

3. Cerium Oxide Ain’t Unicorn Dust

Ah yes, the “premium polishing compound.” Hate to break it to you, but cerium oxide is used worldwide for glass, optics, and even telescope lenses. There’s nothing exclusive about it. High-purity cerium works beautifully—but guess what? You don’t need a kit to get it.

The kit’s job is to make it look like they own cerium. Spoiler: they don’t. You can get the same results (or better) with cerium oxide from any reputable supplier—as long as you know how to use it.

4. Kits Create Dependence, Not Mastery

These systems are marketed like training wheels—“no experience needed!” “Guaranteed results!” But let’s get real: results come from knowledge. From understanding feathering, pressure, heat control, and grit sequencing.

You don’t become a pro by following a label—you become one by learning the craft.

And once you’re stuck in a patented system, guess what? You’re locked into their markup. Their pads. Their process. It’s less of a toolset and more of a tollbooth.

5. Don’t Buy the Box—Build the Skill

The best glass techs aren’t limited by a kit. They’ve got shelves full of grits—from 60 to 1000+, rotary tools they know how to handle, and the instincts to read glass like a detective reads a crime scene.

When you understand why things work—not just what order to use them in—you’re free. Free to improvise. Free to tackle any scratch, any size, any surface. Free to outshine the so-called “proprietary” systems using nothing more than smarts and sandpaper.

Final Thought: Glass Doesn’t Care What’s Patented

When a patent flat-out says it’s using basic silicon carbide and cerium oxide, that’s not innovation. That’s gatekeeping.

The glass doesn’t care about trademarks. It only cares about technique. And the people getting real results? They’re not paying for pre-made kits—they’re building their own process, step by step, grit by grit, polish by polish.

So skip the overpriced confidence kit. Grab the right tools. Learn the craft. And scratch that “proprietary” nonsense right off the surface.