What Length Reacher Grabber Do You Need?

Choose a reacher long enough to grip the item you want while your hand stays in a comfortable position. Then check whether you have room to turn the tool and bring the item back. Those extra four inches on a 32-inch grabber may help you reach a sock behind the dryer, but they can get in the way when you turn toward a laundry basket beside your chair.

Measure the pickup and the return trip

Start with one job you do often. From the position where you usually sit or stand, have someone measure from the center of your hand to the part of the item the jaws would grasp. For a dropped sock, that may be a fold of fabric sticking up from the floor. For a box on a shelf, it may be the side facing you. Shelf height alone misses the distance back from the front edge.

To compare two lengths before ordering, mark 28 and 32 inches on a strip of cardboard. Hold one end where your hand would go and point the other toward the pickup spot. Then trace the path back to your lap or basket. Does the longer strip bump a shelf edge or chair arm? This mock-up shows the space a shaft takes up. An actual tool will also need room for its jaws to open around the item.

Compare two Drive Medical reacher lengths

The Drive Medical Handy Grabber RTL5023, pictured above, is a 28-inch, nonfolding model. Drive lists the RTL5021 at 32 inches, also nonfolding. If both lengths pass your pickup test, try the return trip in the tightest space you use. If only the longer one reaches, check that its jaws can approach the object from the angle available. Drive Medical model comparison.

Will it fit where you plan to keep it?

Measure the inside of the drawer, bag or cabinet where the reacher will live. A straight 28-inch tool won’t lie lengthwise in a 24-inch drawer. If you plan to store one diagonally, close the drawer with the cardboard mock-up inside before counting on that space. For travel, look for an explicitly folding model and ask for its folded length, including the handle and jaws.

When comparing options on the Hand Held Reacher listing, match the model number to your measurements. Keep three notes beside you: the distance to the item, the tightest turn on the way back and the space available for storage.