No matter what our DIY aptitude, nearly all of us have a simple tool kit around the house to take on basic jobs. You probably have a hammer, a couple of screwdrivers, a pair of pliers, an odd assortment of hex keys for your IKEA and Target furniture and often, an adjustable wrench.
One of the main frustrations users have with the adjustable wrench is trying to keep it tightened down on the bolt they're working on.
Enter the hand tool division of Brookfield-based Milwaukee Tool. They believe they’ve built a better mousetrap, or at least a better adjustable wrench. Their new Cheater Pipe Wrench addresses the problem of the wrench jaws loosening, and it seems they're the first company to do it. That could be due to the fact that the company is relatively new to the hand tool game.
Bobby Shaw is the director of product management at Milwaukee Tool, and he credits their success to the company's development process. "We get out of that laboratory," he says. "We not only do it in the Milwaukee area, but we travel the country to do it. So we'll put some products, you know, down in Texas in the summer where it's hot. You know, see what that does to a tool. In the Northwest where it might rain, so we can test the corrosion resistance."
