Zipper: 95 years later pretty much unchanged

[Darren Dirt]

MBN to invent something so perfectly that a century later it is still in heavy use with essentially the same design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Sundback#Career
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:001_Sundback_zipper_1917_patent.jpg

[Mr. Analog]

It's one of those things that you never really think about but makes life so much better.

[Lazybones]

Well they make them cheaper now, I have broken the pull part of almost every jacket I have owned in the last few years.

[Thorin]

Lulu Lemon has improved on this design in their sweaters by including a built-in locker that makes it so the zipper can't open unless you are specifically pulling down on the zipper pull.  Unfortunately, when the zipper pull breaks you're now trapped in the sweater.  Still, it means that the zipper stays open / closed at precisely the spot you parked the zipper pull.

I guess that's why they cost over a hundred dollars?