I’ve been unsure of the relation & history of American Sensors, Inc. & various life safety companies named “Dicon”: from what I gather American Sensors was a Canadian smoke, CO, & gas detector manufacturer while Dicon was once a separate company in either Europe or Canada that also made such detectors (though it also seems like they once had some kind of partnership given you can find detectors branded by both companies). In the late 90s both companies were acquired by another company named “North American Detectors, Inc.”, or “NADI”, who continued selling both brands’ detectors up to at least the late 2000s. Can someone please fill me in on the whole story behind these companies? (as like I said I’m not 100% sure of the specifics on their history. I’m also not quite sure of who “Dicon” is exactly as like I mentioned before at least 7 companies have either had a supposed relation to American Sensors/NADI or have had “Dicon” in their name)
Ask some smoke alarm collectors on YT, they may know about the history of the various DICON iterations.
I’d rather one or more of them answer my question here (there are some on this site like NLind, BA&F, etc.), at least if they notice it.
that would be what I would do too that way you would know if you are gettin a good answer
I found this trademark, which was registered in 1974, in the Canadian Trademarks Database. Perhaps you already came across the information on that page, so I don’t know whether this will be of much help. Interestingly, BRK is listed as the current owner of the “Dicon” and “American Sensors” trademarks.
I recall seeing American Sensors products on the shelves at my local Canadian Tire store until at least 2009. The last time I saw a Dicon/American Sensors-related product was in 2014, when I came across these detectors (branded as First Alert) at Lowe’s:
Although I’m not much of a smoke alarm enthusiast, I’ve always been somewhat interested in Dicon as I often saw their products in houses and other buildings.
I’ve found a reasonable amount of info on American Sensors/Dicon/NADI (though that doesn’t include the trademark registry you found), but I still don’t know the whole picture behind their history.
Yeah: seems like the three aforementioned companies once had some kind of partnership or relation to BRK/First Alert (heck you don’t suppose BRK acquired them at some point do you?).
Yeah: like I said NADI continued selling both brands’ detectors up until at least the late 2000s (though I think one of the websites related to those three companies existed until the early 2010s according to the Wayback Machine).
Really a shame if you ask me that they’re no more: it seems like American Sensors/Dicon/NADI made some really good detectors (including a residential smoke detector that’s 24VDC!). I believe I’ve only ever seen exactly two AS/Dicon units in person, both in a house that me & my parents were looking to buy & both next to Kidde units for some reason.
Found some evidence of what might have happened to American Sensors’/Dicon’s successor, North American Detectors, Inc., or “NADI”: if you search for “North American Detectors, Inc.” on this page, you get one listing, which says “First Alert Canada. Previous manufacturer name: North American Detectors, Inc.” This may very well mean that BRK/First Alert now owns what’s left of American Sensors, Dicon, & NADI (though the former two’s histories are still largely unknown & so is how BRK/First Alert came to own them exactly).
Just found more evidence when I decided to Google “dicon safety products”:
“Dicon Safety Products was acquired by BRK in late 2006 leading to BRK and DICON having the widest range of battery and mains alarms in Europe”
Is that the same Dicon as the one in Canada though: the one that supposedly started the whole thing? (to me it seems like Dicon was the initial company in Canada who then expanded to both the US as “American Sensors” & Europe as “Dicon”, though this & the above photo don’t take into account North American Detectors, Inc. (“NADI”), the supposed successor to both Dicon & American Sensors, unless Dicon managed to survive by itself somehow, either in both Canada & Europe or just Europe)
My search also led me to the site of “FireBlitz Extinguisher Ltd”, a UK-based fire extinguisher & smoke, heat, & CO detector manufacturer, who make mention of a “Jason Perrins”: he apparently joined Dicon Safety Products (apparently the UK/European branch of Dicon) in 1990, had become managing director of the company by 1999, & was still with Dicon upon its acquistion by BRK (though they give the date for that event as 2007 rather than 2006). Both Dicon Global, Inc. (supposedly a name that NADI later went under: “Dicon Global, Inc.” was Canada-based & “NADI” might have been too) & Dicon Safety Products (Europe) Limited are also listed on this December 31st, 2006 list of subsidiaries belonging to Jarden Corporation, who once owned BRK as well.
Regardless of any of this new evidence, Dicon/American Sensors’ history is still largely unknown as is the reason for BRK acquiring them, as I said in the last post here.