I have a Lazy Susan in a corner cabinet of the kitchen and every so often, a can or other item will fall off the shelf and roll to the back of the cabinet out of my reach. After I got a bottle of vanilla stuck back there, I asked my husband to purchase a long-handled grabbing tool for me, as I figured it would have multiple uses. Enter the Gopher II.

This device is reasonably thin, but nearly three feet long and perfect for plucking items out of the back of a cabinet. The end has metal brackets that close together like salad tongs and suction cups to aid in grabbing whatever you’re after. And once you’ve captured an item between the suction cups, there is a lock on the handle you can slide into place to hold your intended item securely, until you’re ready to release it.
The handle, which has a trigger that operates the brackets on the other end, also can be rotated so that you can have a little more leeway for reaching into confined spaces, like, behind your refrigerator. In the middle of the tool is a hinge lock that you can release to fold the tool in half for storage. It doesn’t fold up small enough to fit into anything as small as a purse, but you might be able to stash it in a utility drawer.
Other possible uses are abundant. In addition to the afore-mentioned cabinets and refrigerators, you can grab stuff from high shelves, which is particularly handy for people who are in wheelchairs or scooters or who are generally short in stature. Also, you can pick up items from the floor or ground, which can save your back. The only caveat is that the maximum safe weight you can maneuver with this tool is five pounds, so anything heavier or of a delicate nature should be handled by someone assisting you.

The activity I would most recommend for the Gopher is grocery shopping. If you must use an electric cart in the store, it seems every item you intend to purchase is on a top shelf, requiring you to stop the cart, climb out and reach painfully for it. But a grabbing tool like this one would enable you to stay in the chair and speed up your shopping experience. Also, you could keep the tool folded up in the trunk of your car between trips.
One suggestion is to practice with small lightweight items around the house before using this tool to pick up something above you, which might hurt if dropped, like canned goods. Once you get proficient with the Gopher’s use, you’ll wonder how you ever reached the top shelf without it.
Submitted by: Karen Brauer, Butyoudontlooksick.com, © 2008