In 1976 John Price and Bob Ackling founded a small engineering company called PA Products on Barry Avenue, Mortdale, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. While manufacturing various products, they discovered a need for a grinding or sanding machine to perform specialized tasks. After searching extensively, they couldn’t find a suitable machine, so they decided to create their own. The design adapted a sanding belt onto a common bench grinder and allowed for multiple grinding surfaces and quick-change belts which made the tool useful for a variety of applications. Many of their customers and subcontractors visited the factory, inquired about the unique machine, and were amazed to learn that they had made it themselves. Inspired by the demand, they began producing the sanding machine and named it the Multitool.
Since then, the Multitool has been a favorite of metal fabricators, farriers, golf club fitters, and DIY users, and can be found in nearly every type of workshop in Australia and around the world. It has been private labeled for major brand names such as Snap-On, Matco and JET Tools and can be found at trusted retailers everywhere. Although its design has been attempted to be copied, the original Multitool remains the most authentic, superior, and widely used machine in any workshop.