Founded as Smith & Hemenway Company, Inc. in 1872, in Hill, New Hampshire, the company mass-produced the world's first steel wheel glass cutters. During a buying trip to Sweden, the company's founder, Landon P. Smith, heard a blacksmith remark "those little Red Devils" after sparks from his forge singed his arm. The phrase stuck in Smith's mind and upon his return to the States, he began to label many of the tools he sold with the RED DEVIL trade name.
With the acquisition of several New England corporations, Smith expanded his offering of glass cutting tools with the addition of glazier's points, automatic point drivers and glass cutting machines.
By World War I, the firm now known as Landon P. Smith Co. was established in Irvington, New Jersey, but the modern history of this internationally known company began in 1929 when Landon Smith convinced George L. Lee Sr. to become the general manager.
The enterprising Lee expanded the business by acquiring manufacturers of complementary lines and developing innovative marketing and promotional programs. In the thrusts to continue expansion, the company acquired more than 30 companies within 40 years. During the prohibition years, RED DEVIL bought an electric cocktail shaker and converted it into a paint blender for use in hardware stores. These shakers revolutionized the retail paint business with in-store custom paint blending. At one time, there was a RED DEVIL 5 gallon mixer on every Navy ship to mix red lead paint.
Lee also switched the company from the traditional way of selling directly to dealers and became one of the first hand tool manufacturers to support and sell through wholesalers.
In 1944, the company acknowledged the country wide acceptance of RED DEVIL products and officially changed its name to RED DEVIL TOOLS. To further capitalize on its reputation with the do-it-yourselfer and home builder, RED DEVIL acquired Schalk Chemicals and added a line of adhesives, cleaners and sealants to its growing family of products. In 1966, the company changed its name to RED DEVIL, INC. dropping the word "tools" from its corporate title to indicate its broadening product base.
The chemical product line continued to grow with a wide variety of caulks, sealants and specialty products that included tub and tile grouts, blacktop and masonry repair items, glazing and patching compounds.
Today RED DEVIL, INC. maintains two major production facilities in North America. We produce hand tools at our corporate headquarters in Union, New Jersey and all chemicals products at our facility in Pryor, Oklahoma. In addition to producing caulks and sealants under our own brand name, RED DEVIL also manufactures private label products for some of the nation's largest retail do-it-yourself and home center chains.
