Table of Contents
Manus Enterprises of South Korea produced the Animal Hunter series of torsion-spring hand grippers. Contemporary announcements document the line in January 2012, and Joe Musselwhite published a two-part review in February that year.[1][2]
Animal Hunter models
The five models used animal names, laser engraving and a colored band to identify their level.[3]
| Model | Identification band |
|---|---|
| Monkey | Yellow |
| Chimpanzee | Green |
| Orangutan | Brown |
| Gorilla | Gray |
| King Kong | Red |
The band was on only one handle. Manus identified the unbanded handle as the dog-leg side, intended to sit against the palm. The springs had trivalent chromium plating, and heat-shrink wrapping protected the handle knurling during shipment.[3]
Packaging with a purpose
The plastic packaging included a cut-out setting card with 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 1-inch and 54 mm dimensions. The January 24, 2012 packaging announcement preserves both the card and the original presentation of the grippers.[4]
Animal Hunter packaging, 2012. Image credit: Manus Enterprises / IRONARM.NET.
Contemporary review and later history
Joe Musselwhite's February 2012 review provides a contemporary look at the grippers and their construction.[2]
By May 2015, owners on The GripBoard were discussing Animal Hunter as a discontinued line and comparing surviving examples. Those reports are useful evidence of the line's later collector history, rather than an official production-end date.[5]
Manus also sold Manus Grip thick-bar adapters. Those are a separate product from the Animal Hunter hand grippers.[3]
References
- IRONARM.NET, Animal Hunter Gripper made by Manus, January 18, 2012. ↩
- Joe Musselwhite, February 2012 review archive, including the two-part Animal Hunter review. ↩
- IRONARM.NET, Animal Hunter product features, reproducing information attributed to Manus Enterprises. ↩
- IRONARM.NET, Animal Hunter in package, January 24, 2012. ↩
- Manus Animal Hunter Grippers, The GripBoard, May 2015. ↩