The World’s Most Ergonomic Hand Tools

Bahco were having trouble with their screwdrivers in 1978. The handles were preventing users from being able to fully take advantage of the steel’s strength. In those days, Bahco had constructors who designed products based on the properties and possibilities of steel, which they then added handles to. Taking an opposite approach, Ergonomidesign asked: How can we develop this product based on people’s capabilities?

Ergonomidesign started development work in 1978 and the first so-called Ergo screwdriver was launched in 1982. The Ergo name was meant to guarantee that the screwdriver was developed and tested in collaboration with craftsmen. This was also the beginning of a collaboration with Conny Jansson, head of product development at Bahco, that would last more than 25 years.

By observing and filming craftsmen at work, Ergonomidesign discovered that they commonly used both hands to tighten a screw. But there wasn’t enough room for more than one hand on the screwdriver handle. Trials with prototypes showed that handles with enough room for a two-hand grip improved efficiency by 70 percent, and that a round, textured handle ensured maximum friction.

The screwdriver was followed by other hand-held tools such as chisels, pliers, knives, saws, paint scrapers and adjustable spanners. In 1991, Bahco was sold to a competitor, Sandvik, and in 1999 to the US-owned multinational tool manufacturer Snap-On. Today, the Ergo tools represent between 10 and 15 percent of Bahco’s turnover of over 2 billion SEK (about 220 million euros). More than 1.5 million Ergo screwdrivers were sold in 2004.
 

See the movie when Ergonomidesign got nominated in the Grand Award of Design 2010 with Bahco Handsaw System: