The Best Grabber/Reacher

Buying Guide

If you’ve ever grabbed a chair or step stool to get something from an out-of-reach shelf, you know the benefits of an extended arm. But for those with mobility limitations, the benefits can become essential to quality of life.

A grabber can extend your reach by at least a couple of feet beyond the length of your outstretched arm. If you haven’t checked out these devices recently, you may not realize how advanced they’ve become. You can find reachers that bend like an arm to give you extra flexibility when you’re trying to pick up items. There are also plenty that have the classic straight design, but with a claw that rotates to help you grab what you need.

The claws themselves have come a long way in recent years. Many are now built with nonskid, nonslip surfaces to make it easier to grab onto items. But what’s really improved is the versatility of these devices. With one grabber, you can pick up items weighing as much as 5 pounds or a small item like a pill or a coin.

Reachers aren’t just for household items, though. Some Good Samaritans use a grabber to pick up litter on their daily walks. That calls for a grabber with a tight grip to pick up small items like receipts and tissues.

• Many reachers are made from lightweight aluminum alloy. This keeps the reacher from weighing you down, but it won’t reduce its lifting capabilities.
• If you think you’ll use your grabber to lift delicate items like drinking glasses, choose one that has a nonskid grip.
• Some grabbers are made for handling tasks like turning doorknobs or installing lightbulbs. These grabbers have a rounded gripper.
• The handle comes into play on a grabber, too. Most operate similarly to the trigger on a gun. Look closely at this part of a grabber, especially if you’re dealing with mobility issues in your hands.
• A magnetic tip on some grabbers comes in handy if you’re lifting metal items like keys or screws.
• Pay close attention to the claw range. Each one has a minimum and maximum. This will give you an idea of the variety of items you’ll be able to grab.
• The length of the grabber also comes into play. If you can, measure the distance to all the areas of your home that you’ll be trying to reach.
• Portability is a consideration, as well. Some grabbers fold up to a much smaller size to make it easy to tuck into a shopping bag or store in a closet when you aren’t using it.