MetMo Grip: Bringing an icon of engineering into the 21st Century

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Welcome to the MetMo Grip Indiegogo campaign!

After a hugely successful campaign on Kickstarter raising over $500k from over 3000 awesome backers, we are now live here on Indiegogo whilst we manufacture all of the Grips. Here you can join us on our journey and pledge for your very own MetMo Grip from the available perks! 

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Not since the early 20th Century have we seen a design like MetMo Grip. A piece of engineering history re-imagined for the modern day, MetMo Grip is both a fidget toy and tool, keeping you satisfied for hours on end either fiddling with it or using it to clamp the life out of something.

Getting to grips…with history!

Nowadays, we’re all used to seeing the adjustable wrenches that come in every multi-piece toolkit from Ikea or where-have-you. 

Before the era of the modern adjustable wrench, there was a bloody conflict in the early part of the 20th Century. A conflict which today remains largely forgotten but is of the utmost importance to the development of modern day tools.

We speak, of course, of the Wrench Wars.

During the Wrench Wars, the battle for supremacy in the world of the adjustable wrench was fought by many companies, some of which remain in business to this day. 

Unfortunately for many firms, they lost out and their designs fell by the wayside. One of those designs that never quite made it into the big leagues was the concept MetMo Grip is inspired by.  

*Disclaimer* Gravity was reversed in the making of this video

Why have we created MetMo Grip?

We found a patent of an early 20th Century variable grip wrench and immediately fell in love with the concept.

MetMo Grip is our tribute to the furious innovation at the start of the last century that lead to an overhaul in the means of production and design of everyday tools. Made using modern methods from contemporary materials, MetMo Grip is an engineering oddity and marvel that’s as comfortable as a fidget toy as it is clamping together steel.

Who’s it for?

Made for designers, engineers, thinkers, and anyone who wants to just take a moment to focus, relieve stress or just play around.

A fidget toy that’s also a handy tool

The MetMo Grip isn’t just a super satisfying desk toy! We made sure it could step up when a job needed doing.

We engineered-in an array of useful features. From a standard 1/4 inch bit holder to a handy box opener, the MetMo Grip is ready to tackle your daily tasks with ease.

Simply sliding the jaws open and closed is huuuuuuugely satisfying. The weight feels reassuring in the hand and you know that if you do ever need to get a grip on something, MetMo is there for the job.

No more fiddling with your adjustable wrenches, spinning the gear over and over til (maybe) you fix it in the right place. The MetMo Grip design is snappable in a second and securely locks in place so you get it right first time, every time.

Are you tired of wasting SECONDS?! No more!

Sure, we’re talking about saving a few seconds here. But if you’re using a tool every day over and over, again and again, those seconds will mount up into a neat time saving! You could use all that saved time, perhaps to learn a language, take a nap, or play with your Helico’s for extra inspiration! (shameless plug, sorry).

What’s MetMo Grip made of?

MetMo Grip is machined from solid stainless steel, with a hard anodised 6061 aluminium adjuster.

Stainless steel components form the body of MetMo Grip with a precision formed solid rod and CNC machined jaws. The helix shaft is machined from 1020 passivated carbon steel that’s ready to take on the rigours of any tough job.

6061 hard anodised aluminium is the chosen metal for the adjuster. Lightweight and durable, aluminium adds function without adding extra weight.

Precision manufactured using five axis CNC machinery puts the grip a cut above the rest. With the precise tolerances achievable with modern manufacturing, our re-imagining of this grip is more fluid and satisfying than the original, as well as being stronger and more reliable.  

Weight: 300g

Size: 180mm x 60mm x 13mm

Finish: Sandblasted stainless steel

Grip Force: 1.2Kg (2.6 lbs) 

Materials: 304 Stainless Steel – 6061 Anodized Aluminium – 1020 Carbon Steel 

Built in automatic locking – Simply adjust to a size and the jaws will hold firmly in place.

Why this design? Why not a modern variable wrench/spanner?

We found the original tool and immediately fell in love with just how satisfying it was to use and fiddle with. We found ourselves constantly playing with the mechanism whilst at our desks. It was so fascinating watching the motion and feeling the weight of such a well constructed tool, it left us feeling that this was something we just had to share with the world!  

So we set out to recreate this ancient design with the focus on making it useful as well as enjoyable, to have and to hold even when it’s not being used as a tool.

We wanted it to stand out against modern tools by keeping its vintage design roots, resembling the trusty engineers precision calipers.   

We also wanted to honour the legacy and impact of the Wrench Wars. Without this period of rapid innovation, we’d likely have much fewer options in terms of the tools we have today. Necessity begets invention, as they say, and though now a half-forgotten relic, the Grip style can make a comeback in the 21st Century.

This isn’t our first rodeo with Crowdfunding. The MetMo Team are the gang who previously brought you the design innovations of MetMo Cube (488% Funded!) and Helico (491% Funded!) and here’s what some of those lovely folks had to say about us.

So, what’s the deal, why does it cost £99?

The choice of materials in this product adds to the overall cost. As you probably know, stainless steel, while extremely durable, is costly and difficult to work with. Getting the threads of the Grip precision machined requires a specialist manufacturer, one who we’ve worked with before and one who is capable of producing such critical components. Normally tools are made from low cost metals that are stamped out: we wanted to create a piece that was less mass manufactured and more fitting to the grips heritage, as well as being top quality to last a lifetime.     

MetMo is our philosophy. Metal in Motion. The peak of engineering excellence in industrial, aesthetic and functional design. Precision engineering of cutting-edge quality, delivered to your hands.

The MetMo Team are Sean and James, engineers by heart and trade, both the brains and beef of the crew. Mark manages our marketing communications and relationships. Ryan is our logistics man on the ground, ensuring all the parts are in play and your item gets to you on time. Mike looks after the money side, Laurra oversees the operation and Peg (me!) is the Project Manager and communications guru. 

We have teamed up with a specialist manufacturer that creates high quality tools for brands all over the world.

Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed learning about our project. Choose a perk above to help bring this project to life!

Risks and challenges

Bringing in product from overseas will have its own risks in terms of delivery time so we’ve planned accordingly with a good amount of production and shipping lead time. Existing accounts are set up with Royal Mail to ship the majority of the pledges with some sent via FedEx. We’ve already sourced a manufacturer for MetMo Grip and we have an existing relationship with a packaging supplier from our Helico and MetMo Cube campaign. Once we have all the bits, we’ll ready to go! Our previous two campaigns are fulfilled so we can give MetMo Grip our full attention.