New Product Design & Development Showcase

Black & Decker - The Alligator lopper

Black & Decker® was approached by an external inventor with a concept for cutting logs and branches. The concept was rejected since it was still in its infancy and regulatory approval would not have been possible to obtain. The inventor continued working on the concept and eventually submitted a wooden model of his revised concept for evaluation by Black & Decker®.

Challenge

The initial challenge with this product was developing the original non-working model into a fully working prototype. A fully working prototype was developed by Danny Bone, Manager, Global Innovation at Black & Decker® and was successfully presented to the Black & Decker® management team. The second major challenge was gaining regulatory approval for such a radical product. The working prototype was further used to assist development of relevant regulations with Black & Decker’s approvals officer working alongside the various regulatory bodies in Europe and the USA.

Solution

The engineering design team at Black & Decker’s European Research & Development Centre created the final product which successfully maximised the usability and comfort of the product.  Launched in 2006, the final design features a scissor-like action offering the user ultimate control while making cuts. The die-cast bottom jaw features rear-facing teeth to grip the branch or log securely. Operating the scissor-action handle arrangement moves the lower jaw to urge the material being cut into the chain saw. The top guard pivots as necessary to accommodate larger diameter branches.

Impact

The Alligator® lopper has become a global success story as it nears its half a million sales mark and has been awarded the International Forum for Design award.  At a consumer level, the product has received extremely positive feedback, including consistently excellent reviews and ratings at online retailers such as Amazon.

Danny Bone, Manager, Global Innovation at Black & Decker: “It was an interesting challenge to create the working proof- of-principle prototype as a ‘cut and shut’ construction using elements from commercially available products. It worked first time, which is always a good indicator, and its performance was really impressive. The concept maintains the effectiveness of a chain saw but with the simplicity and ease of use of scissors. A perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”