#HTE

A Smart Design Entrepreneur: Justin Myers Creates Metal Sheathes for Multitools

Justin Myers is the owner, designer and engineer of R.A.E. Gear USA, an Illinois-based manufacturer that has moved thousands of units on Etsy. What Myers has correctly identified a market for, then designed and fabricated, is a series of metal sheaths for popular multitools made by Gerber, Leatherman and Victorinox.

By adding magnets to the inside, Myers cleverly enables the tool to not only be held fast, but opened one-handed:

Myers sells his sheathes through both the company website and Etsy, where he’s doing a brisk business–and most importantly, netting rave reviews for both the quality of the product and the customer service. (He’s 5-stars-out-of-5 with over 2,500 sales.) He appears to make sheathes for every multi-tool each manufacturer makes.

This is a smart business, and Myers proves that Made-in-the-USA is still possible. While metal is expensive these days, he’s created a useful and desirable metal object that’s small enough (i.e. uses little enough of an expensive material) that he can profitably sell them at $30 a pop. I think $30 is an easy click for most multi-tool lovers, and with the EDC craze seemingly getting bigger each year, Myers’ market will only grow.