I agree entirely Too few of us take the time to use names properly. Way too many trade names are used in the generic vernacular.
A few of the ones that pop in to mind
SIS ERGO RapidFire Gripshift Goretex Teflon Velcro RockShox AHeadset Schwinn (probably the only household word ever in our sport) Vaseline Varsol Fuzzbuster Realtor (often mispronounced Re-LA-tor) Caterpillar FedEx Kodak Veg-o-matic Trampoline Yoyo ("if it isn't a duncan,it isn't a yoyo") Kleenex Positrac Ebay AlkaSeltzer Coke ViseGrips Liquid Wrench SpokePrep Camelbak Xerox* Kevlar Frigidare Magic Marker Trampoline Spam Tums Tampax Cirque LouDeeter
*employees of the Xerox corporation are prohibited from using Xerox as a verb, they go to photocopy something. They all probably talk about life and perform harassment at the Xerox machine, though.
Might have missed a few (hundred)
Larry Black
Smalltown, Maryland