From BREAKTHROUGH MAGAZINE:

"Whenever I receive a new product for review, in fact even before it gets to me I begin to think of that old adage about building a better mousetrap. Too often reviewing new products can also involve another adage...about re-inventing the wheel. The mousetrap is already about as simple as it's gonna get, and wheels have been rolling pretty nicely now yet there's still a product that comes my way that I didn't even know needed improving! Such is the case with Steve Hall's Helping Hand Hangers.

>Steve told me he had designed a hanger for gameheads that he hoped I would look at. Let's face it, there's already a few new designs out there, some good, some not so good, and like I said earlier, some are the same as the old ones we already use. I was so hoping it wasn't going to be a real intricate device that, while very functional, would not be cost effective, or worse, just another wheel.

Well, this hanger won't catch mice, but it's as simple as can be and effective. It's clean, smooth, and...versatile! It has teeth so that you could balance a mount if it has heavy horns or antlers or for all the newer offset forms we use nowadays. It has a low profile, yet a raised section that also extends down, something I was sorta puzzled by at first. I figured maybe it added to the strength like a gusset. Then Steve started telling me what people just starting to use this new hanger were saying about it, and the reason for that extended tab became obvious.

You know how sometimes you're putting a big form or a mounted head onto a stand and it's a handful? The cordless drill in one hand, the bear hug hold on the mount, screws in your teeth, and a mounting stand that might be doing pirouettes out ahead of all this, right? I know the feeling, it's hard...to swear out loud with screws held in your teeth, huh? This hanger is a breeze. Mount the hanger onto the back of the form with two screws, pick up the mount, and set it up against the plate of the mounting stand. TADA! That extended piece rests on the edge of the plate, due to that simple offset. From there you just hold an antler while you zip your screws in to hold the mount on the stand. No more carrying the weight of a wet head while doing all this.

I asked Steve what some of the folks trying this hanger were saying about it, just to get an idea on what the word out there was. It was predictably positive. Steve is active in the taxidermy.net forums, so taxidermists have been talking back and forth with each other about this hanger. I have read many posts already about ordering the hanger, as well as who is going to carry it. Here's some of the comments Steve received via email so far.

Forum patriarch George from DE liked the hanger and mentioned how the shape of the back of the hanger allowed it to recess the two screws, keeping the heads from making contact with the wall. Our forum 'teen taxidermist' Nina from PA told Steve, 'It can be a pain to hold a shoulder mount, a screw and a drill all at the same time, but with these hangers, transferring mounts to and from my stand is a breeze'. Debbie from IL is a disabled taxidermist, and she said that this hanger design allows her to hang mounts herself. She's already asking Steve if he plans to develop an even larger hanger for all the big stuff. Michael in TX told Steve he thinks the hangers are 'the best new product since Stop Rot!' He's already ordering hangers to use, and also to hand out to friends at the state show. I heard that a few times, how folks were getting these hangers out to their state shows for others to see and try. Dale in GA was one of those people. He handed out hangers at a recent show too. Dale said, 'I especially like the self-leveling feature of the hangers and the fact that the screw plates are recessed.' Charles of NE said, 'I am in the process of reconfiguring my work stations in my shop so that I can utilize your hanger system even more to my advantage. You have a quality product that is very durable and very usable.'

Well, you can take it from me, or from some of these folks. Or you could see for yourself, call Steve Hall at 269-948-2246 or go to his website helpinghandhangers.com. Bottom line, mouse traps catch mice, wheels roll and these hangers hang...easily!"

Bill Yox
BREAKTHROUGH MAGAZINE - April 2008 Issue

PRODUCT REVIEW: Dawn Derenski

Helping Hands Hangers: Creater and MTA Member Steve Hall recently approached me with a free sample of his new hanger, the Helping Hands Hanger to try in my shop. When he initially told me it s purpose I was quite intrigued. The hanger was designed to help move your mount easily to/from stand to wall back to stand without the extra set of hands to help or that third arm you wished you had for some of those fumbling tasks in the shop. For me - (Yeah Yeah because I m a girl) I find it nearly impossible for me to hold up the mannikin (especially when the hide is on) up next to the mounting stand with my left arm while trying to get it lined up on the plate to get the mannikin screwed on using my right hand. (how about when the dang screw falls off and you have to start all over).

Needless to say I find myself bothering Scott to assist me with this simple yet physically trying task for myself. The Helping Hands Hanger elimates that need for extra help and the divorce lawyer in our case. Now I just place the hanger on the mannikin - slip the top of the hanger over the top edge of the mounting plate and the mannikin hangs there by itself. Wallah - no hands - now I get the screw gun ready and with my left hand I gently use my left hand to just apply slight pressure to get the screw started and that s it. Two hands - one girl - and no physical demand to get the mannikin on the mounting plate.

When I remove the mounted deer head to the wall to dry it just easily hangs up on wall just like any other hanger. When I am ready to put it back on the stand for finishing, I just pull it off the wall - slip the top of the hanger back over the edge of the mouting plate and it hangs there until I screw it back on. These hangers work great for me and are now a must have!