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INNOVATION RESOURCES

Spyder Scraper

Breakthrough:
A small device that attaches to the end of reciprocating saws to make it easy to remove stubborn material from walls and floors.

Inventor:
Justin Kuhn, United States

Financial reward:
$1 million +

The Story:
Spyder Scraper

Justin Kuhn was growing increasingly frustrated by the amount of time and effort it was taking to scrape five layers of wallpaper off a farmhouse wall. And his tired hand and aching muscles were none too happy either. All he wanted was a simple device to remove stubborn material from walls and floors, and make his job of renovating and remodeling houses much easier.

His irritation had been building up over a number of years, especially as he couldn’t find the kind of device that he wanted in any hardware store. And that’s when he decided to invent his own, and within two years the Spyder Scraper had made its way onto store shelves. That was in 2007 and since then sales have been phenomenal.

Speedy Scraping

The ingenious scraper is a thin metal blade that attaches to any reciprocating saw so that it does the work not the person using it. The power and motion from the saw helps renovators get their scraping done fast. The blade is made from spring steel which is robust enough to break through sturdy substances such as linoleum, laminate flooring, tar, carpet, and glue. But it is also delicate enough not to damage the underlying surfaces.

Kuhn spent several months trying out and testing different types of steel until he had determined which one was the best. In all he reckons it took him about four months to perfect the device.

Important Trade Fairs

Kuhn left his job as a welder with a steel manufacturing company to concentrate on marketing and drumming up business for his product. He traveled to trade fairs where the Spyder Scraper caught the attention of power tools buyers and hardware stores. There were big order from Ace Hardware Corp. and Do It Best stores and initially the inventor couldn’t cope with the demand. He was only making about 50 blades a week from his kitchen. So he turned to his cousin who became a silent partner in JK Products, the company that Kuhn had formed, and they found a manufacturer, trademarked the tool and fulfilled all orders.

The former welder-turned-inventor also gained valuable exposure for his invention by entering it into competitions at trade shows, and he won the Retailers’ Choice award at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas in May 2008. It is the largest hardware show in the world and it wasn’t long before the scraper was picked up by hundreds of hardware stores across the United States as well as those in Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Bermuda.

In September 2008 the blades and JK assets were purchased by Simple Man Products LLC to take the innovation on its next journey. Meanwhile Kuhn admits that the invention of a successful product has changed his life, and he has plenty of other ideas that he’s now working on … in secret.

by Paul Arnold

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