In 1981 Joel Marks wanted to invent something that would gain him financial freedom - or, at the very least, freedom from a 9-5 job in a white shirt and tie.  Working on his 1967 MGB (which, after two cross country trips and 300,000 miles, he drives to this day), he became frustrated by tight spaces in the engine compartment.  A light bulb switched on in his head.  And the SqueezeDriver® was born.

From 1982-1985 Joel worked on the SqueezeDriver every chance he had.  He invested over 2,000 hours to achieve a "final design."  (Today he could accomplish better results in less than 1/10th the time).

In 1985 Mike Marks, Joel's brother, and Brad Golstein, Mike's college friend, joined Joel to found WorkTools, Inc. SqueezeDriver® was introduced by WorkTools in 1988 and won immediate acclaim (see Awards).  Unfortunately, 1988 was also the year that the battery powered cordless screwdriver made its hyperbolic debut.   Overshadowed by the cordless screwdriver, SqueezeDriver failed to find fame and fortune.  

Nonetheless, SqueezeDriver provided WorkTools with a priceless education.  In its efforts to find success for SqueezeDriver the company explored every avenue - WorkTools created and operated its own semi-automated assembly line and located new sources in China.  WorkTools assisted its marketing partners in producing 2-minute direct response TV spots and a 30-minute infomercial.  The company set up sales agents and distributors throughout the US and in over 20 countries around the world for both consumer and industrial distribution channels.    more...

And there were some initial retail successes: Brookstone put SqueezeDriver on the cover of its Fall catalog and in all of its retail stores.  Mike went on QVC a dozen times and sold more than 30,000 SqueezeDriver kits.  The product was a good seller in the Sears catalog (until the catalog closed).  Credit card mailings provided a ray of sunshine.  NAPA, K-Mart and Target bought the tool under private label.   But SqueezeDriver suffered the curse of Sisyphus.  Each time its retail rock was poised to roll forward, it rolled backward instead.  Simply put, once SqueezeDriver achieved retail placement it did not sell through fast enough to keep it.  

Ironically, the small success SqueezeDriver had on TV engendered many knockoffs.  Today there are at least 6 Chinese companies making some version of SqueezeDriver.  Some of these even include the name "WorkTools" in the housing!!!  (Although SqueezeDriver has patents in Taiwan, it has none in China.  Moreover, given the tool's lukewarm success,  the cost of enforcement outside of the US has not been justified).   more...

WorkTools itself assembled its last SqueezeDriver in 1995.  The company still believes in the tool and hopes to launch a new version in 2007.  

Products    Top