The Best Reacher Grabbers of 2020

This grabber reacher is it. Its rubberized U-shaped jaw ensures it attains an effortless hold on anything you reach for. The claw opens wide enough that you don’t have to think much about lining it up with the things you grab, and it has a tight hold and easy-to-manipulate trigger that ensures you don’t drop anything, either. You can also rotate the jaw 90 degrees by pulling it gently out of its socket and twisting it—a handy feature that some other grabber-reachers lack. It adds 32 inches to your reach—plenty for both collecting items on top shelves and from the floor, but not so long it feels unwieldy, even with heavier items in its grip.

This is a perfectly decent reacher-grabber tool. It has a rubberized, U-shaped jaw that grips onto things well and can be rotated 90 degrees by grabbing it, pulling it out of the socket, and twisting it. However, having tested the Vive model, it’s obvious which one is better. Both have the same design and overall purpose and promise, but the Birdrock one feels flimsier. That said, if you got the 32-inch-long Birdrock without comparing it to another device, we think you’d be satisfied with it.

This “As Seen On TV” device has three features that most other grabber-reachers we tested do not: an LED light for illuminating tight spaces, a magnet for attracting iron-containing items (like stainless steel silverware or paper clips), and a hook located above of the claws to snag pieces of jewelry and other small items. These bonus features work as promised, but its core function is where it comes up short: The oddly shaped handle is (in theory) designed with both lefties and righties in mind, but in practice, it makes it feel like you’re holding it the wrong way no matter which hand you use, or in what direction you hold it. What’s more, it’s hard to squeeze, so it may not be the best option for someone with weak hand strength.

On the other end of its 32-inch length, its claws are solid and pick things up well, so if you’re into the bonus features and not as concerned about the handle, it’s not a bad reacher-grabber option.

The 32-inch-long Gopher has suction cups on the claw that create a secure grip around whatever you want to pick up, whether it’s a book, stuffed animal, vitamin, or a glass of water. The only problem: You have to put some thought into lining the suction cups up with whatever it is you want to grasp, lest you drop it—which is less of an issue with something like a remote control than it is with something heavy or potentially messy like a book or glass of water. The suction tips also make the claw end feel heavier than others, which can make it a little awkward to hold, and make some objects feel heavier than they are. Still, it’s a good tool, with a strong grip and enough dexterity to pick up small and big objects alike.

The 32-inch Vive suction cup reacher is nearly identical to the Gopher grabber-reacher in both look and function: With its suction cups, it holds onto almost any kind of item securely, but you have to be sure to line it up neatly with the object you’re picking up. It does, however, have one notably bad exception: I found that the trigger caught and pinched the flesh between my index finger and thumb (ouch!), which negated most of the utility it had for me.

On Amazon, the Saymeto and Zayad (below) tools are listed as two different grabber-reacher tools. But when we ordered them, we received two of the same exact devices, which indicates that they are made by the same company, but sold under the guise of serving two different purposes: The Saymeto is listed as a “commercial trash picker” while the Zayad seems to marketed as more of a traditional mobility assistance tool. Either way, both of these 32-inch-long tools are... OK. Both have a decent grip on soft, lightweight items (like our test stuffed animal), but their weak triggers and untextured, unwieldy claw ends mean that smooth, heavy objects like books and glasses of water slip upon picking them up.

As noted, this device is identical to the Zayad (above). It worked fine for collecting soft, lightweight items, but with a weak trigger and untextured plastic claws, our smooth, heavy test objects (books and a water glass) slipped out of the grip.

This Unger reacher-grabber has magnet-tipped claws and feels solid and sturdy—but its claw end feels much heavier than others, which makes it unwieldy to maneuver, particularly when you’ve grasped a weighty object. If you are looking for a trash grabber, it’s a fine option—it has a mostly metal frame which makes it seem more like an outdoor tool, anyway—but the bottom-heavy design means it’s not the best choice for everyday use, particularly for someone with strength or mobility issues.

The Sammons' grasping end is shaped somewhat like a parrot beak, with one curved, ridged claw meeting a longer, straight piece with a magnetic tip. This makes it useful for picking up soft items that can be scooped or hooked, like jewelry or clothing. But because the claw is made of hard plastic—unlike the texturized rubber or suction cups of some other models—it struggled with picking up smooth items like books, even if they weren’t that heavy.

This is not a great reacher-grabber. It looks like the Sammons model with a single hooked claw meeting a straight, smooth one with a magnetic tip, but the handle felt flimsy and the claw portion failed to pick up anything other than soft, easy-to-grab items like stuffed animals. It might be useful for picking trash up off the ground, but probably not much else. If you want a reacher with a curved claw, try the Sammons version instead.