An American tool manufacturer has been making waves with their range of waterproof power tools. Nemo’s Becky Fienberg catches up with Jacob Harris to explain.

Nemo Power Tools started out as an engineering firm that designed goods for people who needed a specific product but didn’t have the technical knowledge or ability to design and build it themselves. But when a military client came to them and wanted an underwater cordless drill, the company decided it was something that deserved a closer look.

“We thought it was a really cool product so we decided to develop it further,” says Nemo director of business development Becky Fienberg.

The drills were custom designed and built one at a time before small scale production began in 2013. Nemo’s first clients were in the pool and spa industry, shortly followed by marine researchers, but their client base soon widened to include
everyone from commercial divers to plumbers. Since then, the company has developed several iterations of that first product and it is now available worldwide.

There are a whole lot of variables to consider when designing and developing a tool that’s capable of operating under 50m of water. And with both a general manager and a chief executive with diverse engineering backgrounds the company knew the importance of using the right materials and components.

“We’ve gone through I don’t even know how many testings in a variety of different places to make sure that we have the best components. For example, we now use mechanical seals from the Italian company EagleBurgmann who have been making seals for around 50 years and really know their stuff.

“Every single aspect of the tool has to be waterproof and prevent the ingress of water. If water can find its way in, it will. So that’s how we have to think when we are designing our tools,” says Becky.

As the range of professions interested the tool broadened, Nemo decided it was time to branch out.

They developed a ‘pool and spa’ drill that has the same power as the ‘divers’ edition but is only waterproof to five metres so there’s no need for it to be pressurised.

“We’ve made it simpler to use and it’s also less expensive. That’s because we thought there are a lot of people who could benefit from using a tool that’s waterproof but who aren’t necessarily going to dive deep with it: plumbers, electricians and even general contractors who happen to work in really muddy or wet places who are interested in having a waterproof tool,” says Becky.

As of 2016 Nemo will be expanding its offering further, adding an angle grinder, an impact wrench, an impact driver and a hammer drill to its stable. The company also has several new developments in the pipeline including a ‘special ops’ brushless drill that will be waterproof to 100m.

Nemo Power Tools
www.nemopowertools.com