From Barry Dunsmuir, the Inventor of The Back Buffer

In 2024, I was doing what I’d done my entire working life.

I was 63 years old, and delivering customer parcels along rural routes in the Waikato Region of New Zealand. 

Long Days. Heavy lifting. Constant physical work. 

That was normal for me.

Until one ordinary delivery changed everything.

I reached for a parcel in the back of my van that turned out to be a lot heavier than I expected. As it slipped, the heavy weight had pulled down hard on my right shoulder. 

A sharp, intense pain instantly tore through my shoulder!

From that moment on, my right shoulder was basically out of action for weeks.

Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder) - “As the weeks went on, my shoulder stiffened more and more it felt like it was freezing in place.”

But I’m self-employed. I still had to get up early and show up for work which was often while in a lot of pain!

That’s when something I’d never thought about before became a real health issue for me.

Washing my back!

I’ve always washed my back every single day. With the work I do daily, there’s persistent sweat and grime and I’m prone to back acne if my skin isn’t properly cleaned. 

Daily back washing isn’t optional for me, it's essential!

But now with limited shoulder movement, due to the injury, I just couldn’t do it anymore.

I tried everything!

Long-handled brushes that slipped out of my hands all the time, or needed real grip strength I just didn’t have. 

Towel loofahs that required both of my arms working together. Impossible with my injured shoulder. And Reaching and twisting that just caused more pain.

Within a week, my back acne started coming back. My skin didn’t feel clean. I hated that feeling. And honestly, I felt frustrated like I was losing the ability to take care of myself properly. 

That just didn’t sit right with me!

So I started asking a simple question:

How could I clean my back properly without relying on shoulder movement, grip strength, or asking my wife for help?

I started researching. Reading Amazon reviews on back washing products I tried and they failed me. I started reading Reddit forums and found out what other men my age were saying about back washing struggles.

What I found was eye-opening and it was a relief to know that I wasn't alone with this problem!

Men over 50 were dealing with the exact problem. Limited arm and shoulder reach. Painful wrists. Awkward body twisting while trying to wash their backs. 

It seemed a lot of men had quietly stopped washing their backs altogether because of these physical limitations. Then had to deal with irritating back skin problems soon after.

Most of them were blue-collar workers, just like me. Men who’d spent decades doing physical work and were now paying for it!

This wasn’t laziness.

It was a Back Brush, Design Problem.

With a strong background in Plastic Mould Injection Manufacturing, I decided to design and build a better back washing solution for men 50+.

After 18 months of development, testing, and refining the idea, The Back Buffer was born.

It’s a robust, strong, wall-mounted back scrubber designed for 100% hands free functionality. Eliminating the most common back washing problems men 50 plus experience today.

No painful reaching behind. No awkward gripping. No uncomfortable twisting. Just a simple, effective, fast way to clean your back again!

The Back Buffer wasn’t created as a latest trend product.

It was created by me because at 63, I wasn’t done yet, I refused to give up my independence.

And it’s built for other men over 50, who feel the same.