The “Screw Grabber,” an invention designed to hold non-magnetic screws on the end of screwdriver, has attracted over $14,500 in pledges in the twenty-seven days since the launch of its 30-day Kickstarter crowd funding campaign. Los Angeles inventor Phillip Kauffman must raise $18,000 in pledges by March 22, 2014 or he gets nothing.
Los Angeles, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/19/2014 --The inventor of the Screw Grabber, a new tool that securely holds non-magnetic screws on the end of a screwdriver, has reached over 80% of his funding goal with 3 days remaining in his $18,000 Kickstarter campaign. “We’re all hustling to bring in that remaining $3,500,” says Phillip Kauffman, 29. Kickstarter is an “all or nothing” crowd funding platform, so if Kauffman hasn’t met his goal by Friday, March 22, he will get nothing. The Screw Grabber can be pre-ordered online at Kickstarter.com for a pledge of at least $7.00. Kauffman recently added a $40.00 Super Contractor Pack of 40 Screw Grabbers to the reward levels.
The patent-pending Screw Grabber is a simple silicone-like sleeve about an inch long. One end of the sleeve slips onto the screwdriver shank. The other end grips screw heads ranging from 5/32” to 7/16” in diameter (4 mm to 12 mm) to hold them onto the screwdriver, allowing you to use the screwdriver one-handed. The Screw Grabber is designed for non-magnetic screws, and works on virtually any shape of standard screw head, and any type of driver (hex, Torx, straight slot, Phillips, etc.) Kickstarter pledges will pay to machine the molds needed to manufacture the Screw Grabber. Kauffman intends to manufacture the Screw Grabbers in the U.S.A.
Kauffman grew up on a five-acre ranch in Lake Elsinore, California, where he spent several years helping his father pick up dropped screws as they worked together in the family's custom cabinet shop. “My family still lives near Lake Elsinore, so I go out to work on projects in the cabinet shop with my dad about once or twice a month,” says Kauffman. Kauffman now lives in the Los Angeles area and is the Manager of Creative Services for Iconisus L&Y Visual Communication Systems, a motion picture and television advertising agency in Culver City.
Kauffman’s invention for keeping screws screws on the end of a screwdriver has already sparked the interest of a major national hardware chain. “But we need to get our molds manufactured before you’ll see Screw Grabbers on the shelves of your local hardware store,” says Kauffman. “Our supporters on Kickstarter are really coming through for us, but we need about another 200 pledgers to meet the goal.”
Kauffman created the Screw Grabber in his spare time. “As a designer, I always look for simple, elegant solutions,” Kauffman notes,” and there just wasn’t one that solved this problem. There are other products that claim to do the same thing, but they were clunky, or awkward, or expensive. The Screw Grabber is so simple and easy to use and affordable that you can store one on every screwdriver in your toolbox.”
About Kickstarter
Kickstarter is one of the first “crowd-funding” platforms, created to allow individuals to raise funds for creative projects from people all over the Web. Since its 2009 launch, over $1 billion has been pledged by nearly six million supporters to fund 57,000 creative projects. Approximately 40% of Kickstarter projects reach their funding goals. For more information, or to make a pledge, visit Kickstarter.com.