Foldable Grabber Reaching Tool

Not very well-made. I have had several name brand grabbers (2 with the red handle and one with a black handle and a headlight). They were all sturdier than this one. The plastic on this one is light and cheesy and the cable sticks sometimes. I had it less than 2 months, and I dropped it about 2 feet straight down on carpet. The plastic on the elbow was very brittle and broke. I have had the one with a headlight for at least 7 years and have dropped it many times without it breaking. The red ones also held up better than this one. One of those my toddler stepped on and the joint broke, and the other one lost the little suction cups and it was so long ago they didn't sell replacements. I am not sure if this blue one is the name brand or a knock off, but it did not hold up very well. I do still have it, though. I braced the joint with some wooden craft sticks and duct taped it. It still works passably well, although the cable sticks sometimes. I use it only as a back up to the older one with the black handle. I do have to say that I paid more for the grabbers with the red and black handles than I did for this one. If you buy cheap you get cheap.

This tool is very similar in look and feel to the AS SEEN ON TV Billy Mays Gopher-It (reach) Tool, but this tool is very poor quality compared to the original Billy Mays version of this reach tool. I purchased two of these because they were half the price of the Billy Mays tool, but you get what you pay for, so I bought another AS SEEN ON TV Billy Mays Gopher-it Tool in a local discount retail store. This was after trying these reach tools and learning I was not happy with them. I love the AS SEEN ON TV original tool and usually set this cheaper knock-off aside and grab the AS SEEN ON TV tool, instead. The only part that usually breaks on these tools is the rubber ends fly off and you lose them and the screw holding them on. When that happens, I buy replacement clear rubber/plastic suction cups normally used for hanging stuff on windows at a local discount retail store, and fasten the new suction cups to the ends using the original screws or my own screws if the original screw are lost outside. It's a quick and easy fix. I also use the same fix for the AS SEEN ON TV model of this tool. Those black rubber ends gradually become unscrewed over time and the end is spring loaded so the screw falls out and the spring launches the screw and the black rubber into outer space. Sometimes you can't find the screw nor the black rubber end. I suggest tightening the screw holding the rubber cups periodically using a Philips screwdriver so the ends don't fly off and get lost.

This product is similar to, and at first seems indistinguishable from, the Gopher Reaching Tool seen in so many TV advertisements and catalog listings featuring the late pitchman Billy Mays--except that this product is a bit cheaper. But there is a crucial difference. The gripping pincer "fingertips" of the original Gopher tool are soft, pliable, tapering rubber suction cups. They afford so gentle and precise a grip that you can easily pick up a dime or a paper clip, or change even the most delicate chandelier light bulb. But the Helping Hand Pick-Up Gripper has stiff, hard, relatively thick rubber or plastic cups that are not QUITE in alignment with each other, and their abililty to get a secure grip on small, smooth, hard objects (not only dimes and paper clips, but sometimes even items as big as a TV remote control) is practically non-existent. If you need a precise, secure, gentle pick-up grip for small objects, spend a little more for the original Gopher. If you only need to pick up objects that are slightly larger, or less hard or less smooth, such as a towel or a golf ball, the Helping Hand should do fine. And, to be fair, I should add that the Helping Hand's firm, thick cups ARE much more durably attached to the rest of the product than is the case with the Gopher, notorious for the readiness with which its cups become detached. But that can be remedied with a strip or two of duct tape to hold things together.

Remember the old saying "you get what you pay for". Considering how hard it is to find the Gopher II, I gave these a try ordering two. As soon as I held one in my hand I could tell that they are very low quality compared to the Gopher II. The swivel joint is very loose and sloppy. But what's worse is the lock slide on the handle. On both units the thing is not completely "off" when the slide is on the off position. So, when you grab something and then let go of the handle to release it, it doesn't completely release. You have to hold the slide completely back just a little more to release it. Very irritating!Also, the "button" on the joint to supposedly lock it open does NOT work at all. This means it could be a little dangerous depending on what you're picking up.Sorry but I can't recommend this. It's nearly useless though you can still make it work most of the time. Just very irritating that the joint is so loose (I've wrapped mine in duct tape trying to tighten it up) and the slide lock doesn't completely "unlock".

Extremely handy, but cheaply made. The folding ones break easily and since they have now plastic, not metal joints, even worse. The suction cups are another weak area. My advice is spend a bit extra for a solid (nonfolding) one if you want it to last, and I am going to try different cups with screws pointing out which may be more sturdy. Otherwise you may as well get the cheapest and just be careful what you use it for and realize you may lose a cup in the trash or have joint fail and need to replace it with another. That being said the suction cup style is still the best for picking up tiny, thin, and odd-shaped stuff! I have cheapies stashed in different locations as they are very thin, light and handy. Shame they are designed to break!