Independent Tools

About Independent Tools

Independent Tools was started at the beginning of 2005 to launch the PocketDresser. Designed primarily for the needs of the disabled community, the PocketDresser is a bold new tool concept whose time is long overdue and has also proved to be a practical invention for the general public. The PocketDresser is an original design and has received a U.S. utility patent testifying to its unique multi-tool design and specialized application.

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.

The idea for Finnegan’s Fly Tool came simply from angler friends expressing their wish for a “dream gadget” to us in an effort to maximize their freedom and enjoyment of a day on the river. Finnegan’s Fly Tool was expressly created to fulfill those wishes, resulting in a multi-tool that will allow anglers to quickly thread hooks, identify tippet tapers, tie nail knots and more.

About Our Founder

My name is Tom McLoudrey. I invented our first product, the PocketDresser, for my own use due to a genetic defect I was born with known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. This disease attacks the muscle development of the extremities (arms and legs) so I do not have the strength to support my weight and walk. It also leaves me without arm and finger strength for fine motor skills. A wheelchair provides a simple solution for legs and mobility, but fine motor skills have been more difficult to deal with…

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. 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 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 back then they told my mother I should be institutionalized. To say this was an awful experience would be a huge understatement. Fortunately after about a week, my mother pulled me out of the state hospital the doctor had recommended and took my therapy into her own hands.

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 was burdening and time consuming for me. It was also something that I needed to deal with throughout the day. I needed help in the form of a caretaker, or a tool that would solve the problem for me.

The only buttoning and zipping tool available was a wire-loop on a wooden-handle. I began using it for buttoning chores and quickly found out it was only good for lightweight shirt buttons. Even in trying different versions of this “tool” I was disappointed. 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 unmanageable and I kept dropping the buttoner because there was no way to attach my hand to it.

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

In 2002 I began to make some 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 even exceeded 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 PocketDresser received a sleek new look. We also eliminated two tools--the scissors and pliers. 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 and 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 give his son a PocketDresser. For us it was a way of saying thank you for the sacrifices he had 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.