OUR MISSION

We at Independent Tools are fully committed to creating and providing practical specialized products to serve the needs of the disabled and the public at large.  Because we recognize the need for high quality products within the health care and fishing industry, Independent Tools maintains the highest standards in producing the very best products for those who desire to maintain their personal independence in day-to-day living.  We are dedicated to designing reliable, affordable and long lasting tools.  We believe in the power of personal independence!

About Us

Independent Tools was started at the beginning of 2005 to launch a new portable multi-tool called the PocketDresser. Designed primarily for the needs of the disabled community, the PocketDresser introduces a bold new tool concept whose time is long overdue and has also proves to be a practical invention for the general public. The PocketDresser is an original design and has received U.S. utility patent # 6,698,409 testifying to its unique multi-tool design and specialized application. For years, little to no design improvement had been made in the tools manufactured for disabled dressing needs.  Only variations in the traditional stick-and-wire-loop were available.  The size of the loop limited the size of button it could accommodate and the thin wire assured bending and breakage with everyday use.  In addition, the wire-loop is not designed to tackle the leverage and reach requirements for pants or trousers.  This, combined with pocket importability, all led to the design parameters found on the PocketDresser.  During its development, innovative features were added such as the adjustable hand strap and the large triangle apertures for easy tool deployment.  Additional tools were featured on prototypes, which sported scissors, tweezers, and knife blades, attempting to maximize the designs utility. Eventually a practical design was agreed upon.  An ultra-lightweight “open frame” handle accommodating four strong specialized tools. After one year, real life testing proved the design was practical and the materials would hold up to routine everyday dressing jobs.

Our company not only holds itself to high standards, we also recognize the efforts made by others contributing to outstanding quality designs for the disabled public.  Our company is proud to include the expertly designed Maddox knife for individual food preparation.  The Maddox is everything a disabled knife should be and outshines any other product that would claim the same.

History of the Pocket Dresser: Tom McLoudrey Web Site Bio

First PocketDresser prototype 2004.  Note: Two additional tools, tweezers and scissors. Tool designs worked well but heavy, bulky and manufacturing costs way too high.

The long version is that I was diagnosed with the disease at age 2.  My parents began to suspect something was wrong when I would not pick up my feet to walk.  I was tested in a multitude of ways.  My parents remember that at one point, the doctor asked me to turn on a light switch that was too high so he could see if I was able to go on my toes.  Knowing instinctively I couldn’t do it, I found some blocks and put them together to form a step so I could flip the switch without reaching.

My wife says this illustrates how I “roll” to this day.  If I’m not able to do something the “normal” way, I just figure out an alternative—like the PocketDresser. 

Doctors back then did not have a lot of experience with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. They were only able to give my parents a general diagnosis of muscular atrophy and feared my brain would be affected, which actually didn’t take place until the arrival of our children (ha-ha), but the conventional wisdom back then was to institutionalize such individuals.  To say this was an awful prospect for my future would be a huge understatement.  Fortunately, thanks to my mother, I was pulled out of the control of the state hospital and enrolled into a regular public school.

It wasn’t until age 10 that I was formally diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth and much later in my twenties that I was found to have an autosomal recessive trait for the disease, meaning both of my parents are carriers of this defective gene.

As I grew older, a simple task such as dressing and undressing became burdening and time consuming.  Dressing also became fatiguing as it was something that I needed to deal at work and throughout the day.  I was faced with needing a caretaker or a tool that would solve my dressing problem.  Since my wife worked and was usually busy with the kids I really needed to solve the problem for myself. 

First limited production of PocketDresser in 2005.  Only 100 units produced.  Note: “Made in USA” engraved on top middle section and satin shine on stainless tools.  Overall production cost still too pricy for US market.

The only buttoning and zipping tool available for purchase was a wire-loop on a wooden-handle.  I had used these simple tools before but found they were only good for lightweight shirt buttons.  Even trying different versions of the stick-and-wire tool was a disappointment.  No matter what manufacturer produced it, they all were equally worthless.  The wire loop bent and broke easily. The one size loop did not fit all my different sized buttons.  The small brass hook, on the opposite end for pulling zippers, was ridiculous and I kept dropping the buttoner because there was no way to attach my hand to it. 

I was completely frustrated with dressing and tired of depending on someone else for help.  I had to think of a better way; a way to achieve independence for myself.

In 2002 I began to make drawings of all the different types of tools I knew I’d need to accomplish dressing chores from head to toe.  I settled on a multi-tool design with six specialized parts: a large button-hook, small button-hook, closed-loop buttoner, zipper-pick, mini-pliers, and scissors.  Satisfied with the way it looked on paper; I took my drawings to a CAD (Computer Aid Drawing) designer to work out the details and from there, off it went to the machine shop.  All the parts were cut out of plate steel using a computer aided milling machine.  As part after part was assembled, it started to take shape.  It was exciting to see my idea materialize.

I spent a month with my prototype PocketDresser evaluating the pros and cons.  I determined that all tools worked exactly as I had designed them and allexceeded my expectations for durability.   What I did not like about my design was its weight and size.  It was too heavy to carry and too bulky to fit in my pants pocket comfortably.  The design needed to be more practical.

At this stage I took my prototype to an industry analyst for a makeover.  The result: The PocketDresser received a sleek new look with two tools eliminated; the bulky scissors and tweezers.  I ordered a hundred units from a trusted fabricator and went into business.

I have to add that the most heart-warming experience thus far has been our contact with one of the soldiers injured in Iraq.  We read his amazing story in People magazine.  He expressed his frustration about not being to dress himself (of course I knew exactly what he meant).  He had lost one arm and most of the fingers on his right hand.  My wife did a Google search and discovered a phone number for the soldier’s dad.  Nervously, she made the call and was connected to a man who seemed as excited as we were to provide his son a PocketDresser.

For us it was a way of saying thank you for the sacrifice your son has made.  Not long after that, we began receiving requests from the hospital where his son had been treated.  So the tool that helped me in so many ways is now helping young men and women who have been injured while serving our country.