Is The Xtra Hand Still in Business? (2026 Update)
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Look for The Xtra Hand on AmazonFull story →Carpenter Alan Gillett pitched a tool that clips onto a vacuum hose and grips itself onto almost any surface, freeing up both hands while drilling with a wide variety of bits and hole saws.
He asked for £40,000 against a quarter of the business, and our records show Peter Jones backing the deal on air.
An offer that reportedly never completed
Coverage of the episode describes the exchange as genuinely moving, but several accounts say Gillett ultimately walked away from the investment once filming had wrapped, before anything was formally signed, opting instead for an exclusive supply arrangement.
That kind of gap between the filmed handshake and the eventual outcome is a useful reminder that a Den agreement marks the start of negotiation rather than a guaranteed conclusion.
What later reporting claims
Sources describe the product being taken on by a large UK ironmongery supplier, giving it trade reach a lone inventor would likely struggle to build alone.
For a lone inventor, a national ironmongery supplier is a different kind of asset from investment money, since it puts the tool in front of the tradespeople who would actually buy it.