Best Reachers & Grabbers for Seniors

A reacher or grabber can be a handy tool around the house for an elderly individual, and can make indoor or outdoor chores easier on your body.

The best reachers & grabbers for seniors can increase safety and efficiency, as well as provide independence for seniors who need a bit of mobility help.

Why Are Reachers and Grabbers Useful for Seniors?

Reachers are very useful for helping seniors access objects placed high up, and they can be equally helpful for picking up items from the ground. 

Many elderly individuals find that these tools help with tasks around the house by minimizing repeated movements like bending and picking things up. 

Such movement can be nearly impossible for elders with mobility issues, and attempting to pick-up fallen items manually could result in a senior losing balance and potentially falling.

Grabbers can also be handy for accessing items in difficult to reach locations, such as using a reacher to grab a remote control that has fallen behind a couch. 

What Type of Senior Are Reachers and Grabbers Best For?

Reachers and grabbers are an excellent option for active seniors that want to limit repetitive movements that can cause injury, but still want to perform specific tasks.

This tool can also give seniors greater independence by allowing them to reach objects that are high up or in hard to reach locations.

Many seniors find that this tool helps them get more done in less time by allowing them to pick up more objects such as clothing, yard waste, or other spilled items without getting tired as quickly. This tool is also helpful for seniors with mobility issues.

Occasions When Reacher or Grabber Is Helpful

• Reach something high up while avoiding climbing on a chair, stool, or another unstable surface. 
• Helping injured individuals reach objects as they recover and have mobility issues. 
• Safely retrieve items from behind furniture, through a fence, in cracks too small for your hand, and on high shelves.
• Seniors who have mobility issues and need some assistance in getting dressed. 
• In the yard, a grabber is a perfect way to save your back while picking up sticks, trash, or objects just out of your reach.

What to Consider in a Reaching Tool

There are a few characteristics you’ll want to seek out when looking at reacher tools, and some of these will vary based on your preferences and use case. For most grabbers you’ll want to consider:

• Weight. The overall weight of the reacher matters as you’ll be moving this item around often with your hands, and lighter is going to be better. 
• Ergonomic qualities such as a molded handle with a grippy surface. It needs to feel comfortable in hand if you are going to use it often or effectively.
• Handle and trigger. Consider how much force you’ll need to squeeze the trigger in order for the jaws or gripper to clamp down on the item with enough force to hold it in place. Many triggers are quite sensitive, but some will be looser and require you to squeeze harder to maneuver the jaws. 
• Shaft. Keep shaft materials in mind when comparing grabbers. Most of these tools will come with an aluminum shaft as this material is wonderfully lightweight, highly durable, and corrosion-resistant.
• Weight Lifting Capacity. How tightly the jaw latches together will impact the weight lifting capacity of the grabber. Consider what items the grabber will be used with – for lighter objects like papers or trash wrappers, you won’t need to worry so much about seeking a large weight lifting capacity.

Other Features to Keep in Mind

Grabbers sometimes come with bonus features, and some of those features include:

• Magnetic tip. Some grabber tips feature a magnet, which is very useful for picking up metal objects that are otherwise too small or awkward to get with the jaws. 
• Post at the tip. This is very useful for putting on clothing and grabbing objects with loops. 
• Warranty. This may indicate the quality that you can expect. Many grabbers come with a guarantee of at least one year, but some are longer and cover replacement units

Best Reachers & Grabbers for Seniors: Our Top Picks

The best reachers & grabbers for seniors will have long shafts for reaching items that are either up high or down on the ground.

Our list of these devices features multi-packs of the devices, grabbers with unique features to make them useful in a wider variety of scenarios, and overall lightweight designs to avoid fatigue and hand discomfort.

1. RMS 19 Inch Handi Grip Reacher

About: The RMS 19-inch Handi Grip Reacher is excellent for extending a senior’s reach just a little bit or for situations where extra-long reach isn’t necessary. 

The head component on this reacher rotates 90-degrees so you can use it both vertically and horizontally, and the rubber-coated tips of the jaw are finger-like and precise. 

This grabber also features a light aluminum shaft that is rustproof and durable, and the ergonomic handle has a comfortable, rubberized grip.

The RMS grabber has jaws that span approximately four inches wide so you can grip items of nearly any reasonable size, and these tips excel at picking up keys, small pieces of glass, and other debris. The head quickly rotates  with a quick twist , and this grabber is an excellent travel option due to it’s a shorter length.

Key Features

• Rubberized jaw that rotates 90-degrees
• Rustproof aluminum shaft with durable internal steel cable
• Ergonomic rubberized handle

Product Specifications

• Product Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Length: 19 inches

2. Ettore Grip’n Grab

About: The Ettore Grip ‘n Grab features a uniquely textured rubberized jaw that can securely grasp large objects like cans just as quickly as it can pick up small objects such as coins. 

This grabber is 32 inches long, but a 50-inch extended version is also available. 

The aluminum shaft is rustproof and lightweight, and the trigger only needs slight pressure to achieve a firm grip with the jaws, which makes this product ideal for those with arthritis or carpal tunnel.

The head and jaws on this grabber rotate 90-degrees, which allows you to reach objects that are both vertical and horizontal, and the comfortable handle grip is rubberized to reduce motion fatigue in the hand. 

This reacher is reported to hold up to five pounds in its jaws, allowing a senior to prevent unnecessary strain in the knees, hips, back, from reaching to pick up items.

Key Features

• Blue rubber jaws that can hold up to 5 lbs
• Head rotates 90-degrees for both horizontal and vertical grabbing
• Lightweight aluminum shaft
• Ergonomic and rubberized grip

Product Specifications

• Length: 32 inches long
• Product Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Weight Capacity: 5 lbs

3. Vive Suction Cup Reacher Grabber

About: The Vive Suction Cup Reacher Grabber lacks the traditional rubberized jaws found on other devices and instead offers a dual suction cup design.

These suction cups allow you to easily perform difficult tasks like changing out light bulbs, as they can provide a secure grip on slippery materials such as glass and metal. 

The large ergonomic handle is ideal for elderly individuals with carpal tunnel or arthritis and can work in either hand.

This grabber uses corrosion-resistant and lightweight aluminum for the shaft, and its square shape adds strength. Using this grabber, you reportedly can lift an item weighing up to five pounds, but the suction cup design may not work for very small objects or items with specific rounded shapes. 

As a handy bonus, this reacher features a built-in hanger hook for secure storage.

Key Features

• Two robust suction cups on the jaw tips
• Lightweight aluminum shaft
• Large and ergonomic handle for ease of use
• Can hold up to five pounds
• Opens up to 4.5” wide

Product Specifications

• Length: 32 inches long
• Product Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Weight Capacity: 5lbs

4. RMS Featherweight The Original Reacher 2-Pack

About: The RMS Original Reacher is a two-pack of grabbers that are each 32 inches long. 

These reachers feature a magnetic tip, making it even easier for a senior to pick up small magnetic objects like keys, pens, or a watch.

The reachers’ lightweight aluminum shaft helps o prevent unnecessary hand fatigue, along with an ergonomic handle that is comfortable for those who have arthritis or carpal tunnel.

This style of reacher also has a unique clip on the shaft that allows it to attach to a walker, cane, wheelchair, or bed rail.

The RMS Original grabbers boasta uniquely styled jaw that doesn’t rotate but can still pick up relatively small objects. The tips of the jaws feature a lining of grippy rubber material, and the one side of the jaw has a short post that can slip through the loop of jeans or your key ring. 

This grabber jaw provides many ways to pick up objects outside of just grabbing it with the jaws, making it an incredibly versatile tool

Key Features

• Unique jaw with rubber grips, a peg post, and original clasp mechanism
• Magnetic tip for easier handling of small metal items
• Lightweight aluminum shaft that is rustproof
• Attaches to a cane, walker, bed rail, or wheelchair
• Handy hook allows the grabbers to easily be stored on a closet door or any other easy-to-access location around the home

Product Specifications

• Length: 32 inches long

5. Duro-Med Reacher Grabber

About: The Duro-Med Reacher Grabber is a lightweight reaching tool that features a slip aluminum shaft and an ergonomic plastic handle. The jaws on this reacher are unusually wide and feature a 2.5-inch opening and tips that interlock for a robust grip, along with a magnetic tip for easily accessing small objects. 

This grabber can extend an elderly individual’s overall reach up to 36 inches and comes with a one-year limited warranty. This grabber also features a metal post as an alternative grab-and-retrieval method

Key Features

• Metal post helps hook onto clothing to assist with getting dressed 
• 2.5-inch jaw opening with rubberized grip
• Magnetic tip for picking up metal objects
• Lightweight aluminum shaft

Product Specifications

• Length:  32 inches
• Weight: 7.2 ounces

6. Unger Professional Nifty Nabber Reacher Grabber Tool

About: The Unger Professional Nifty Nabber Reacher Grabber tool has a slightly longer length than other tools at 36 inches long, while also boasting the impressive ability to pick up objects that weight up to 8 lbs. This makes it the grabber with the largest pickup weight capacity! 

This reacher also uses lightweight aluminum and has a built-in magnet, but it’s rubberized jaws have textured tips that help prevent damage to whatever you pick up.

The ergonomic handle doesn’t have any rubber coating, but it’s easier on the hands since it folds towards the jaws instead of away from the jaws like other products.

 This grabber also features a hanging hole in the handle, a unique green-colored shaft, and a blue plastic handle. Plus, the Unger reacher comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Key Features

• A heavy-duty claw with built-in magnets in multiple locations
• Ergonomic handle design that folds towards the jaws for better gripping comfort
• Extra-long reach with an aluminum shaft
• Reportedly can pick up objects that weigh up to 8 pounds

Product Specifications

• Length: 36 inches long
• Weight: 2.08 ounces
• Weight Capacity: 8lbs

Last update on 2022-01-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API