HAND & POWER TOOLS
DIY TOOL BUSINESS SAWS OUT OF LOCKDOWN AND BREXIT
An engineer could not find a handheld saw on the market that would cut material precisely enough, so decided to invent his own DIY tool to do the job. Neil Refson, 60, designed the Exakt 14 Tool which can cut virtually any material in the world including hardboard, chipboard, plasterboard, ceramic, porcelain, marble, plastic, aluminium, brass and even steel.
R efson, from
Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, made an early prototype and,
after gaining
investment from venture capitalists
and angel investors, the product went into production. The Exakt 14 Tool is available
for retailers, wholesalers and distributors
to stock and resell,
but his business, like so many, has
been hamstrung by the
coronavirus pandemic and various UK lockdowns, as well as problems getting the product into Europe because of Brexit.
Refson has so far turned to teleshopping and started demonstrating his invention on TV Warehouse on Sky TV.
by trade but have always been interested
construction as a hobby,”
Refson said: “I’m an engineer in building and
said
Refson. “If I’m doing any building work, I want to have the right tool for the job. I came up with the Exakt Tool which is safe, flexible and can cut virtually any material. “The blade is fully enclosed by the safety guard making it much
safer than a saw with exposed blades. You don’t need to clamp the material before you cut, you can just use the floor, leaving one hand free to hold the material. This makes cutting and laying laminate flooring, for example, safe and easy. It’s also perfect for those small and intricate cuts to tiles in bathrooms.” Refson offers the Exakt 14 Tool, which costs £89.99 and includes a custom case, dust extract hose, 1.2m multi-rail, eight blades and a V guide, which is totally unique to the DIY market. Paradoxically, he believes sales of the tool have increased because of the fact more people are staying at home and watching TV since the Covid-19 outbreak began last Spring.
Homeowners are also
carrying out more DIY around the home than ever before as they are improving and updating their homes.
Refson insists the teleshopping
has provided him with a valuable route to market and has helped him reach over 20 million viewers on Sky TV and Freeview. It has led him to selling hundreds of Exakt Tools which would otherwise not have been possible.
He said: “We were definitely
impacted by the pandemic and it’s not as simple now as it was selling products in Europe since Brexit, so we tried promoting the product on TV Warehouse and haven’t looked back since. “Traditional
teleshopping
channels provide a very old- fashioned way of doing things. They will order stock and supply it in their warehouses on a sale or return basis and take a commission from all TV sales. It’s a type of ‘boom or bust’ model and very high risk for start-up businesses or SMEs. “But TV Warehouse offer a modern business model whereby we only pay for airtime and collect all the revenue from TV sales. The sales and distribution are separated which means we handle it all. The airtime is also much more affordable because we’re not supporting a large TV teleshopping network that has large overheads. These types of channels often have huge production teams, flashy studios and high numbers of staff. “We keep control of our product
throughout the whole process and we even use our own independent presenter, Andrew Bernard, who
brilliantly demonstrates the Exakt 14 Tool on TV Warehouse.” The EXAKT 14 is available to
retailers and wholesalers at trade prices. The actual price depends on the quantity they buy and, also how many they expect to sell. Visit
https://www.exakt.biz to
learn more. GREENMAN GARDEN TOOLS PARTNERS WITH NATIONAL SCHOOL GARDENING PLAN
The very first School Gardening Success Plan has been launched, the brainchild of CBBC Blue Peter gardener Lee Connelly who felt that every child in the UK deserves to
12 DIY WEEK APRIL 2021
leave primary school knowing how to grow their own vegetables. The aim is to give 30,000 UK primary schools the capacity to teach their children to Grow Your Own. Eliza Tinsley’s Greenman Garden Tools are included in the complete gardening tool kit and support package. “Through my seven years working in children’s gardening, talking to parents, teachers and children, I found that the one thing schools really need is continued support and guidance throughout the year. This scheme provides the complete package with the gardening tool kit hand-picked from tried and tested garden suppliers. The Greenman Garden
Tools are quality tools that the kids will love. Every kit comes with five sets of kids hand tools,” Connelly comments. Adam Greenman founder of
Greenman Garden Tools, adds: “We believe passionately in gardening and its ability to improve social and emotional well-being in children, as well as adults. When Lee approached us with the concept, we were thrilled to supply our children’s hand tools. It was a natural fit for us. With three children of my own, I know first-hand how hard lockdown has been. I have loved seeing my children enjoy the great outdoors, learning about gardening.” The School Gardening Success
Plan provides a complete solution. Along with garden tools, it also includes a raised bed, seeds, weekly video tutorials, all aimed at giving a seamless package to get every child in class working, learning and growing. Connelly goes on to say: “We
are working with trusted gardening brands to make the full experience easy and affordable for schools, supporting teachers at its core by giving them an easy plan and continued support. By 2025 we hope that there is at least one School Gardening Success Plan in every primary school in the UK (approx 30,000).” For more information, visit www.
greenmangardentools.com
www.diyweek.net
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