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Shark Tank season 12 episode 17 saw Andy Watne and Patty Watne asking for $75000 in exchange for 20% of their company Hairy Grabster.
Sadly, they couldn’t get a deal because the Sharks didn’t think that the problem was big enough. The duo noticed that hair falling during a shower is a very common problem that people must be annoyed by.
It also leads to problems like blocked drains, messy bathrooms, and the challenge of cleaning extra fallen hair altogether. That’s when they came up with the idea of Hairy Grabster.
Despite having a rather unsuccessful appearance on the shark tank, and ending up raising no money from sharks, they sold over 2000 units immediately after the shark tank episode went on air.
HairyGrabster is still in business and is successful as a company today. Hairy Grabsters are currently available through their website and e-commerce giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Zulily.
What is Hairy Grabster?
Have you ever had the wet, tangled hair from your shower clump together and get stuck in your hand? It’s so gross and annoying, and it seems like no matter how much you try to wash it off, it just won’t budge.
The annoying hairs get stuck in your hand and then you can’t get them out no matter how much you try? And then it just gets more and more tangled and you start to panic?
Well, you’re not alone. This is a problem that many people have faced, and it can be frustrating.
If you have found yourself with a tangled mess before, we are sure you have tried to gently untangle it with your fingers or a comb, maybe even tried detangling sprays and combs that may make it easier to get the knots out and if all else fails, you can always cut the tangled hair out right?
Well let us tell you something, there is no need to go through so much fuss cause Hairy Grabster is here to help you out.
Hairy Grabster is the most elegant solution in the market for this problem, and it will get the job done. So, next time you find yourself with a hair stuck in your hand, don’t despair. There are ways to deal with it, Hairy Grabster got your back.
But how exactly does Hairy Grabster work? You might ask. Well, the Hairy Grabster is a fairly easy-to-use tool, you just have to swipe your hands through the Grabster and it traps all the hairs from your hands making your hands hair-free.
It makes sure to keep your drains hair-free and your hands clean, maintaining the hygiene of both your hands and your house.
The Hairy Grabster is a fairly small rubber disk-like product that gets attached to any horizontal or vertical surface using 12 powerful suction cups placed on the back. Each Grabster has 12 hair-hungry bristle cups attached to it.
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What Happened at the Show?
Andy and Patty appeared in Shark Tank’s Season 12 Episode 17, their ask was $75,000 in exchange for 20% of their company.
Andy starts the pitch with a suspenseful imaginary situation like you’re watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie, patty screams as he removes the curtains and reveals the hair-filled shower wall.
Then patty goes on to continue the pitch discussing how when we wash our hairs, some of it comes out which is natural but some of those wet hairs end up tangled in our fingers.
And in an attempt to remove the hairs from our hands, we end up wiping the shower walls. This is the part where Hairy Grabster comes in.
Instead of wiping the walls dirty with your hair, you can use a hairy Grabster to clean your hands. Although none of the sharks were interested in investing in the company.
At the time of the episode they had barely made $600 so far, and their Facebook advertising hasn’t yet produced a profitable return on investment either, this is the part where things started to get a bit rocky for andy and patty and when sharks found this out, Kevin said it is not a good thing and mark also has a skeptical face.
They needed funding for marketing. According to Kevin, he made an investment in Drainwig, but customers keep replacing them and because Hairy Grabster is made of plastic, it can’t be thrown away easily, which is a drawback.
Daymond says he is leaving because there are many problems that they have to address and figure out. Barbara is done because she believes the problem is too little to be resolved.
Due to his previous investment and his belief that the problem is not significant enough to warrant a solution, Kevin withdraws. Although it may be a solid little business and is too small for Lori to invest in, she is out.
Andy and patty left the set with a little advice from mark- Try Influencer marketing. At the time of the episode airing, it cost $1.30 for Andy and Paty to make one Hairy Grabster that they retailed for 9.95$.
Andy shared that they have around 5,000 units of Hairy Grabsters in storage and had invested their own $63,000.
None of the sharks seemed to be interested in making an investment in HairyGrabster due to one reason or the other, but Mark Cuban did make a suggestion that they give away some products for free to try and get the word out and receive feedback among friends and family.
Kevin O’Leary, on the other hand, does not want it to reach the market and suggested that they find another endeavor to pursue.
You have a solution that people don’t know they need and that’s the problem- said Mark Cuban during the episode.
Hairy Grabster Update (What Happened After the Show)
Even though the premiered episode was a flop, the company’s revenue is still thriving. Immediately after the episode aired, they sold over 2000 units, and as of July 2022, they are still in business.
Patty and Andy had significant challenges after incubating the concept for Hairy Grabster since American manufacturers were unable to produce a prototype that pleased the couple.
After a few roadblocks, they eventually discovered a Chinese firm that produced the Hairy Grabster just as they had envisioned. It’s interesting to note that they acquired a 3D printer in late 2019 to produce their own prototypes.
Online sales of the product got things going, but Patty claimed she started distributing samples to local saloons to draw in additional clients which was genius on patty’s part and definitely helped the company flourish further.
When the Covid-19 outbreak placed the whole world on lockdown, their sales had only begun to soar.
The pandemic had an impact on the couple’s company since all the saloons closed, but that wasn’t the end for them as internet sales still persisted.
The duo claimed to have sold a few thousand items so far, but they plan to expand their business nationally. They also stated that If they are forced to sell just locally, they would like to close the firm.
Currently, customers may purchase Hairy Grabsters from their website (where delivery is free of charge) and through well-known online retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and Zulily.
| Company Name | Hairy Grabster |
| Entrepreneur | Patricia Watne, Ande Watne |
| Product | Hairy Grabster |
| Investment Asking for |
$75000 for 20% equity |
| Final Deal | No deal |
| Sharks | No Sharks |
| Episode | Season 12 Episode 17 |
| Business Status | In Business |
| Website | https://hairygrabster.com/ |
Meet Hairy Grabster Product Founders
Andrew and Patricia Watne, a married pair, started the business Hairy Grabster. The business is located in Illinois, USA.
Patricia spent thirty years working at Mitchell’s Flowers, Inc., where she worked on everything from catalogs to shop layouts, because of her passion for flowers and design.
She did her Bachelor of Science from Indiana University Bloomington. But she didn’t start The Watne Group LLC until 2018 with the exclusive objective of developing straightforward answers to common problems!
Patricia is also on the Board of Directors of Crisis Center for South Suburbia. The Crisis Center for South Suburbia provides shelter and services for victims of domestic violence. It is a nonprofit organization and Patricia does not get paid for it.
Although Andrew’s career began in the area of options trading, he has subsequently worked for a number of organizations.
Andy was an options trader till 2006. Then in 2013, he became a project manager at TEK Systems – State Farm Insurance. After that, he worked in two more organizations as a project manager.
He was at Conifer Health Solutions for 2 years (From 2015 to 2017 ) and then for 4 years and 11 months he worked at a company named MultiPlan.
Andy got his education from a number of institutes. He did his Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois from 1990 to 1995.
Then he did his master’s from the Illinois Institute of Technology. From 2004 to 2006 he spent his time studying financial markets.
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Hairy Grabster’s Pros and Cons
Pros
Removes tangled hair from your hands: This is the basic function of the product. The company claims that the Grabster completely removes all the hairs from your hands hassle-free.
Traps hair in place: Do you ever get annoyed and grossed out to see hairs everywhere? It could also make a bad impression if you have guests over and they use your bathroom.
One very huge advantage of using Hairy Grabster is that it keeps the shower wall and floors clean by trapping the hairs in one place.
12 Suction cups: The build quality of the Grabster is such that you can attach it wherever you want. The 12 little suction cups will get attached to any wall in your house and use can use them seamlessly.
Cleans out easily: The “hair-hungry” bristles of the Grabster are very powerful and well, hair hungry. They make sure to grab every last strand of your hair and make your hands clean. The powerful bristles make it easy for you to clean out the hairs from your hands.
Unclogged drains: Tired of unclogging your drains because your hairs keep clogging them up?
This is one of the advantages of using Hairy Grabster that also solves the pain point of many customers, they are tired of unclogging the drains. Hairy Grabster saves you from having to do that.
Cost-effective: With such use cases one would think the hairy Grabster would cost something around 30$. No, it’s not that expensive, it’s not even $25 or $20 or $15. The hairy Grabster is a very cost-effective product with just a $9.95 price tag.
Cons
Cleaning the Grabster: Very powerful bristles can be a pro, but they can also be a con when it’s time to clean the Grabster. The powerful bristles won’t let go of the hairs easily while cleaning which can be annoying and time-consuming.
Less effective as you keep using: The more hairs there already are in the Grabster, the less effective it will be. That’s why with each swipe it becomes a little less helpful.
Patented technology: You will not find another product like this in the market. Hairy Grabster has no competitors because they have patented the technology and they are the only ones who can manufacture this product.
This is undoubtedly great for businesses, they can have the whole market by themselves but from a consumer point of view its a disadvantage.
Because they are the only ones who work on this. There will be less and slow innovation and improvement in the product because only a single company is working on it.
What People are Saying about Hairy Grabster?
There are people who have liked this product and there are people who weren’t that happy with it. Some customers have complained that the suction cups don’t stay attached to the wall and they find the hairy Grabster on the floor every morning.
So, according to some people, it’s a great idea with a lot of potential but the execution and design of the product are where the company seems to lack clarity.
More complaints about the product that is constantly being bought up by a lot of customers are that the bristles are too strong and because of that, it is an absolute hassle to clean the Grabster. “I couldn’t get the hair out, and I tried using my fingers, a comb, and a brush.” Said one customer.
Because of this problem some people would rather roll the hair in their hand, form a ball with it, and toss in the trash or just stick it in the shower wall because that is much easier to clean.
One user was disappointed with the performance of the product because it did remove some hair when they first used it, but with each subsequent swipe, the Grabster became less effective as the device filled up with hair.
And the user suggested that to make the product better and more effective they should make the Grabster much larger, with more ‘grabbers’ so there would be increased surface area to swipe more hair on.
While a lot of people seem to be unhappy with the product, there were people who loved it and said they would buy more as soon as more colors come in.
Users could only choose from white and blue up until this point and they are hoping for more color options to be available soon.
Colors like pink and tan seem to be in demand since a major chunk of the users who use this product are women.
A user said their husband is happy to not see their hairs all over the shower wall and some customers said they were getting really tired of unclogging the drains that were full of hair because they often forget to clean off the bathroom wall, and Hairy Grabster really came in their life as a blessing.
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How does Hairy Grabster Work?
The little rubber disk-like device gets attached to any surface with the help of suction cups and its bristles are designed to trap hairs from your hands.
Hairy Grabster is 3 in one solution: Easily grabs hair tangled on hands, Traps hair avoiding them to fall here and there, leaves shower walls and floor clean, and Catches hair before it clogs your drain.
How to Use Hairy Grabster?
Hairy Grabster is a fairly simple-to-use tool. It is a small silicon-made pad that is five inches by five inches in size.
You have to attach it to your bathroom wall or any wall in the house you want, according to your own convenience. Because of the small suction cups it easily gets attached to any material be it glass, ceramic, or tile.
Make sure both the wall and the inside of the suction cups are clean. If they are not clean and there is any kind of dirt or dust, it may affect Grabster’s ability to stay attached to the wall which may lead to inconvenience while using.
Start by swiping palm-side down and following with the front of your hand. Repeat as essential; it is just that simple!
What should I do to Clean Hairy Grabster?
Lose hair remain caught within the bristles until you clean the HairyGrabster. At the point when the hairs are dry, you can clean the Grabster as you would a hairbrush: delicately pull hair out of the bristles by running your fingers on it or by combing out the bristles.
What is their Return Policy?
According to the Hairy Grabsters website If you are not fully satisfied with your purchase, you have 45 days from your order date to make a return.
Hairy Grabster’s competitors
Since this technology is patented, Hairy Grabster has no direct competitors. Today we are gonna discuss some broad competitors who are still operating in this overall domain. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into it.
TubRing
Because of her Korean puppy, sonny, the founder of TubRing evaluated the majority of the drain covers available in the year 2018.
The puppy used to shed too much hair, and every time she’d take a shower her hair would clog the drain of the bathtub.
The problem Tubring’s founder Hyunjoo was facing at the time was that none of the drain covers performed as she wanted them to perform.
So, she made a decision to construct one of her own. After almost three weeks of thinking, she came up with a concept of a drain protector in the form of a ring-shaped donut that according to her would be the best option for both bathroom sink and bathtub drains.
The tubing comes in a variety of colors like grey, white, blue, purple, etc. They have two categories of products, TubRings, and SinkRings, and in both products, customer has two options- Regular and floral.
The way these products work is that they directly get attached to the drain or the sink and they catch every single hair without stopping the water drainage.
One more advantage of using this product is that you will never have to worry about losing any small valuable item into the drain.
The company was granted 2 design patents in 2019 and a lot more patents are still pending worldwide. The pop-up drain stopper is sized between 1.85″ and 2.16″ in diameter and fits perfectly in standard drains and sinks.
O’Malley
The O’Malley Hair Snare is a high-volume selling product that is blister packaged on a full-color card for increased turnover. It was invented and patented by the O’Malley Valve Co.
High-traffic areas are ideal for Hair Snare. Since it is intended for almost all residential drains, anyone can use it. The Hair Snare prevents contact lenses, jewelry, and other valuables from falling down sink drains in addition to preventing hair from blocking drains.
For great flexibility to accommodate practically any sink, shower, or tub drain, Omalley only utilizes the best virgin materials and production processes.
The Drain Stopper, which has a diameter of 5 inches, can retain water in bathtubs, utility sinks, kitchen sinks, and laundry sinks.
You can be confident that Omalley’s Drain Stopper won’t rot or deteriorate like other comparable goods on the market since it is made from a cutting-edge thermoplastic elastomeric material.
They are able to sell this product for a reasonable price without the inconveniences associated with importing from abroad since it is made in the USA on our cutting-edge robotically equipped injection molding equipment.
They offer the Drain stopper in a broad range of customizable ordering options, including bulk or complete retail blister packs. Apart from selling Omalley also packages products.
Need custom packaging for your products? O’Malley can handle all your custom packaging needs too. From poly bagging to blister packaging Omalley can take your raw product and package it in a colorful retail poly bag or blister card.
Normally they will then package the product into inner cartons or inner poly bags and then finally into a custom master carton for shipping.
With modern barcoding capabilities, Omalley generates and applies barcodes to inner and master packs as needed.
The packaging part may seem irrelevant to this article but the point of mentioning it here is to drive home the fact that they do everything in-house. So you can be sure of the quality of products they deliver.
