advanced search

Product of the Month

Dec 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Matthew Halverson, Managing Editor

Monkey See, Monkey Lube

“Isn't there a better way to lube wire?”

It started out as one of those rhetorical, I'd-rather-be-anywhere-but-here questions that any employee will grumble when faced with a nasty task at work, but it inspired more than the typical “I wish” in response. Maybe it was because they were tired of washing congealed Yellow 77 out of their clothes at the end of the day. Or maybe it was because they'd slapped it on a few hundred thousand too many feet of wire in their careers as electricians. Whatever the reason, when Dennis Hartman and Tim Coder asked themselves that question six years ago, they decided to find out.

So when Coder could spare a minute, the self-professed “tinkerer” would hole up in the workshop on his farm in Effingham, Kan., where he'd cobbled together several homemade tools in the past, to hammer out a solution with Hartman's input. And three years later, once they were sure they had a self-contained wire-lubricating system that would work without the occasional kick or screw tightening, they put down the tools. “It took a long time,” Coder says. “And it actually had parts that I welded in my shop.”

The system they rolled out of Coder's shop that day wasn't much different from what's now known as the SoaperMonkey. A two-part, foot-actuated pump that Coder and Hartman invented pumps lube through a tube from a 5-gallon bucket to a collet that fits around the wire and screws into the conduit opening. The lube spreads evenly and without dripping because the user controls how much is applied. And most importantly, it's a hands-free device, meaning the days of sticky palms are over.

Despite having a product that saved time, reduced mess, and increased safety, though, it took the duo nearly three years to bring it to market. They tried to get a small business loan from the bank. (Not willing to take the risk.) They shopped it around to major manufacturers. (Wanted it for less than it was worth.) And when they'd exhausted their options Hartman mentioned his brother-in-law had made a small fortune in the software business and might be interested in investing the necessary capital.

Even though Jim Davis had no prior knowledge of electrical work, it wasn't long after Hartman brought it to his attention that he invested and created WLD, LLC to produce it. And just a few months later he was demo-ing it at trade shows to get contractor input. Their comments confirmed what he already thought: “Why didn't someone think of this 30 years ago?”

The electricians at Longchamps Electric, a Manchester, N.H.-based electrical contractor, were some of the first to try it out in the field for an extended time. Greg Bairam, a project manager for the company, says that although his team was skeptical at first, it didn't take them long to appreciate its no-mess application. “They like to think they're big rugged guys, but when you try to get them to get lube on their hands, it's no good,” he says.

Luckily for Bairam, he doesn't have to get excited about things like that. Instead, he talks about the ways in which it makes it easier for him to bring projects in on budget, like the fact that he saves time and money with every wire pull. “It can take as much as 15 minutes to clean up after each pull,” he says. “If you're doing a large building with multiple pulls, you could be looking at more than an hour in clean-up time.”

And what about that name? That's a house secret at WLD, but Davis is willing to say it's better than the others they considered. “We'd already kicked around that name when we had an advertising company think of some, and they came up with ‘Goober Luber’ and ‘the Lubinator,’” he says. “At that point, I knew it was going to be ‘SoaperMonkey.’”

For more info, visit www.soapermonkey.com.

Product Features

• 12 sizes of aluminum collets (0.5-in. to 6-in.) for threaded conduits
• Eight bell fitting sizes (1.5-in. to 6-in.) for threadless conduit
• 5-gallon pump that works with all brands of lubricant
• 12VDC battery with 110V charger and 12VDC charger
• Air-tight carrying case to keep collets lubricated when not in use
• Additional c-, t-, and lb-joints*
• 110V power supply for running on AC*
• Heavy-duty dolly that holds 5-gallon lube bucket, pump, and battery*
• Carrying tray for 1-gallon pump and battery*

* Optional

Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2012 Penton Business Media, Inc.

---

Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus

Browse Back Issues Select an Issue EC&M Magazine | April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 1, 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 1, 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 1, 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 1, 2006 May 1, 2006 April 2006 March 1, 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 1, 2004 January 1, 2004 December 1, 2003 November 1, 2003 October 1, 2003 September 1, 2003 August 1, 2003 July 1, 2003 June 1, 2003 May 1, 2003 April 1, 2003 March 1, 2003 February 1, 2003 January 1, 2003 December 1, 2002 November 1, 2002 October 1, 2002 September 1, 2002 August 1, 2002 July 1, 2002 June 1, 2002 May 1, 2002 April 1, 2002 March 1, 2002 February 1, 2002 January 1, 2002 December 1, 2001 November 1, 2001 October 1, 2001 September 1, 2001 August 1, 2001 July 1, 2001 June 1, 2001 May 1, 2001 April 1, 2001 March 1, 2001 February 1, 2001 February 1, 1995 January 1, 2001 December 1, 2000 November 1, 2000 October 1, 2000 September 1, 2000 August 1, 2000 July 1, 2000 June 1, 2000 May 1, 2000 April 1, 2000 March 1, 2000 February 1, 2000 January 1, 2000 December 1, 1999 November 1, 1999 October 1, 1999 September 1, 1999 August 1, 1999 July 1, 1999 June 1, 1999 May 1, 1999 April 1, 1999 March 1, 1999 February 1, 1999 January 1, 1999 December 1, 1998 November 1, 1998 October 1, 1998 September 1, 1998 August 1, 1998 July 1, 1998 June 1, 1998 May 1, 1998 April 1, 1998 March 1, 1998 February 1, 1998 January 1, 1998 December 1, 1997 November 1, 1997 December 1, 1996 November 1, 1996 October 1, 1996 September 1, 1996 August 1, 1996 July 1, 1996 June 1, 1996 May 1, 1996 April 1, 1996 March 1, 1996 February 1, 1996 January 1, 1996 December 1, 1995 November 30, 1995 November 1, 1995 October 1, 1995 September 1, 1995 August 1, 1995 July 1, 1995 June 1, 1995 May 1, 1995 April 1, 1995 March 1, 1995

browse e-newsletters