HangEase is a creative spin on the regular hanger. Its collapsible design makes it convenient to use in the household. Ryan Landis developed the idea for HangEase in the third grade as part of a school project that had the prompt of solving a problem in your house.
Regular hangers can stretch out shirts, especially when trying to get them out of clothes. HangEase is designed to collapse when the hanger is taken off the rack so clothes can slide out easily. The idea was so innovative when Landis first came up with it that he managed to sell almost 400,000 of them through Walmart. In the third grade alone, Landis managed to make $70,000 from the sale. He’d also managed to get a patent attorney by the time he was a sophomore.
Before coming to Shark Tank, HangEase had almost no social media presence or recent sales to speak of; it wasn’t that established.
As an adult, Ryan Landis wanted to increase the production and distribution of HangEase, which was incredibly popular when it was first invented as proven by initial sales. Now that it was trademarked and had a patent, Landis was ready to receive investment from the Sharks to take the business to the next level.
Are They Still an Active Company?
The company is no longer active or in business.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Ryan Landis came to Shark Tank with an initial ask of $80,000 for a 30% stake in the company. He started his pitch by demonstrating how to use the hangers. He then handed out samples while sharing the story of how he came to invent HangEase and why he’d been preoccupied with other things as a student. He then shared the number of units he’d sold on Walmart so far. He shared that he’d managed $200,000 in sales according to these estimates, with $70,000 in profit.
Then it was time for the Sharks to respond. Their first question was why Walmart no longer stocks HangEase, which Ryan didn’t really have a solid response to. He added that he has a utility patent on HangEase but Lori wasn’t convinced, responding with having seen similar hangers on the market. This meant that the product wasn’t as innovative as Landi was pitching it to be. Lori was out.
Robert stepped out next, unconvinced by the utility of the product. He didn’t think it was all that useful an invention. This was followed by Kevin and Barbara leaving, the former finding it boring and the latter finding the long interruption in business a little questionable.
Mark Cuban was the only one seriously interested in investing in HangEase. He offered $80,000 for a 30% stake in the company on the condition that Ryan would get a fully licensed patent. When Mark invited Lori to join this deal, she agreed.
Overall, the HangEase Shark Tank Review was positive and they left with a promising deal.
Our Review of HangEase
We decided to try out HangEase for ourselves to see how it would fare in practice.
The good news is that the HangEase hanger had a sturdy build and its hinge mechanism easily opened upon taking it off a closet rack. It’s a cheap option for those who can’t afford more flexible and expensive hangers but still want their clothes to stay smooth and wrinkle-free. It is also a good option for students who want to hang up their uniform and take it off in a hurry, without struggling to get the hanger out.
The bad news is that there are now much better alternatives on the market. The flexible hanger mechanism and different open-close clasps have long surpassed the hinge design of the HangEase. Unlike newer options, HangEase is designed to hold a single article of clothing at a time and can’t handle a lot of weight.
Pros of HangEase
- Cheap
- Sturdy build
- Lightweight
- Good option for professionals
Cons of HangEase
- Better alternatives on the market
- Can’t handle a lot of weight
Who Is HangEase for?
HangEase is for professionals and school-going students who need wrinkle-free clothes that don’t need to be pressed every morning and aren’t stretched out over time because of regular hangers.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Although HangEase was somewhat innovative at the time of its invention, there are now many other options on the market.
Wonder Hanger Max is one good alternative to HangEase. The design is thin making Wonder Hanger lightweight. But the material is strong and durable with a simple open and close mechanism that makes hanging your clothes very convenient.
The Wonder Hanger can hold a lot of weight; it cna withstand almost 30 pounds so you don’t have to worry about it breaking under the weight of winter coats. On top of this, the design of the hanger is vertical, meaning that it won’t take up too much closet space either. You can also hang other hangers on it or even handbags. This makes the Wonder Hanger a versatile product.
It has different slots for every garment and is the perfect option for students living in a dorm, or adults who don’t have a lot of closet space. Wonder Hanger will keep their clothes smooth and wrinkle-free.
Our Final Thoughts
HangEase was an innovative invention for its time and is still a good option for people who want a reasonably priced alternative to more complex hanger systems. Although the product is no longer in business, it was designed to effectively prevent clothings from being stretched out.
However, there were many additions that it could’ve had, such as a vertical option which competitors now offer. With so many different alternatives on the market now, it was inevitable that HangEase would go out of business.