Arrow Fastener Wins Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award for its New T50 Elite™ Professional Manual Staple Gun and 1” (25mm) Brad Nail Gun

SADDLE BROOK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arrow Fastener Company, LLC, a leading manufacturer of manual and electric staple and brad nail fastening tools for the professional building trades and do-it-yourself markets, was honored with an Editor’s Choice Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas, May 10–12, 2011. A team of Popular Mechanics home editors singled out the best new products at the show and Arrow Fastener’s new T50 Elite™ professional manual staple gun and 1” brad nail gun was recognized for its outstanding achievement in new product design and innovation.

“The T50 Elite™ exemplifies those aspects of design and innovation that are at the heart of this award. We are proud of the T50 Elite™ and the team that worked so hard to make it quite possibly the most versatile fastening tool ever produced.”

The most recent evolution of the company’s best-selling T50^® heavy duty staple gun, the T50 Elite™ staple gun will arrive in stores nationwide in July 2011. The T50 Elite™ staple gun is one of the first manual tackers on the market capable of firing up to a 1” (25mm) brad nail. It features U.S. Patented Drive Technology that enables the user to set a staple or nail right on virtually any surface. It also offers up to 60 percent more power than the T50^® staple gun, which makes it more versatile on the jobsite while at the same time being easier to squeeze.

“The Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award marks a significant milestone in Arrow’s renewed innovation program,” said Bill Sokol, Vice President of Marketing for Arrow Fastener. “The T50 Elite™ exemplifies those aspects of design and innovation that are at the heart of this award. We are proud of the T50 Elite™ and the team that worked so hard to make it quite possibly the most versatile fastening tool ever produced.”

About Arrow Fastener (www.arrowfastener.com)

Arrow Fastener Company, LLC is a leading manufacturer of manual and electric staple and nail guns, glue and rivet tools which are sold to consumers and commercial contractors, primarily through home centers, mass merchants and specialized retailers. Founded in 1929, Arrow Fastener was acquired by Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS) in 1999. For more than five decades, the T50^® staple gun has been the industry standard, as the world’s best-selling staple gun. Today, Arrow Fastener is a trusted supplier of reliable, innovative and affordable products for the building trade professional and do-it-yourselfer.

About Masco Corporation

Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS), parent company of Arrow Fastener, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of brand-name consumer products for the home and family, including Behr^® paint, Delta^® and Hansgrohe^® faucets, bath and shower fixtures, KraftMaid^® and Merillat^® cabinets, Milgard^® windows and doors and Verve™ lighting systems. Masco is also a leading provider of services that include the installation of insulation and other building products through Masco Contractor Services and Masco Home Services. Visit www.masco.com for more information on the Masco family of brands.

About Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics (popularmechanics.com) empowers readers to navigate the increasingly complex, technological world around us. The magazine, published monthly by Hearst Magazines, inspires, instructs and influences nine million curious readers. Their mindset - the hunger to know, the desire to investigate and learn - drives them to explore, experiment and experience a wide range of interests. Issues engage readers with breakthroughs in the latest innovations in science and technology; educates with informative “how-to” stories on automotive, the home and digital technology; and motivates action with product reviews and comparison tests of the newest equipment and products. Popular Mechanics is also the #1-ranked men’s monthly magazine when it comes to reaching an environmentally conscious audience. The brand is a 21^st-century must-read, with a robust Web site and an award-winning tablet edition.

About The Popular Mechanics Editors’ Choice Awards

First, Popular Mechanics looks for innovation. They ask what new features does the product possess that makes it valuable relative to existing or competing products. It’s not enough that something is new or novel. The product or the product’s improvement has to be such that it offers substantial improvements or value relative to existing designs.

Next, Popular Mechanics looks at the product’s industrial design. They have seen many products over the years that possessed innovative thinking and offered some value to a potential buyer, yet if many aspects of the design are not well executed, then the product can’t fulfill its potential. Popular Mechanics consider all aspects of the product’s industrial design: its shape, size, tactile surfaces, color, control features (on/off switch, for example), ease of use, portability, aesthetic attractiveness.

Finally, they look at the economic value of the product. Simply stated, Popular Mechanics expects improvement and innovation to come at a price that’s reasonable.

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