The USA spent $35,000.00 to make a pen that would write in space, the Russians used a pencil. For splinting, pillows still work the best in my opinion, but anything that holds a bone in place works, not sure why a SAM splint is any better than any other --- a splint is a splint. If you wish to pay for the name brand, just like a POLO shirt, then so be it, but the shirts that don't have the POLO logo work for me.
** Especially if you are an urban service, where these splints will never be recovered from the ER.