About Us
John and Jeff Sutherland - Quadventure Quadtools
The Quadtools Reacher was invented in 1988 by John Sutherland, a C5-6 quadriplegic who was looking to increase his independence. It became his goal to design an affordable, functional, and durable reacher for quadriplegics and other persons with limited function.
He started in his garage making prototype models by fabricating his own parts and using hardware store items. It has evolved after many improvements into a finely-crafted tool, using high quality materials such as laser-cut stainless steel parts. The original name of the Quadtools Reacher was The Cripper.
- In 1995:
- John's son Jeff started Quadventure Quadtools. Jeff took over manufacturing duties at this time. Since then, the Quadtools Reacher has been sold in 20 different countries and 40 U.S. states.
- In 2007:
- Jeff started making a short reacher model to help with grabbing closer items. He also began making knives for kitchen use.
- In 2011:
- John and Jeff redesigned the Quadtools Reacher for rod actuation instead of string.
- In 2013:
- John, Jeff and Doug Shippee designed the Sip-n-Grip Reacher. A sip and puff actuated reacher for higher level quadriplegics.
- For 2014:
- John, Jeff and Doug Shippee designed the Quadtools Garden Shears and the Mini Reacher.
Quadventure Quadtools' goal is to provide custom reachers to fit any size arm and hand. We believe that most products for quadriplegics are overpriced or poor quality.
It is our mission to keep our tools at a reasonable price, while maintaining a high quality standard.