Re: Grabber (Jeri)

December 5, 2007

Dear Jeri,

While I have two arcmate grabbers, and they are good for picking up stuff with precision, I also have other styles and brands that I find work better for certain chores. I have two I got at the local medical supply, brand name Pik Stik, these don't have the suction cup ends, they are more solid plastic and do better for picking up say shoes on the floor and laundry out of the dryer( and with two teenagers I do a lot of laundry). I also have one I got from the PT people at the hospital, it's a Featherlite, and truly this one looks like a hook and is the worst of the bunch, the trigger is on a string that wears out quickly( I actually used these only for about two years and taught myself to restring them, if given one of these, replace it quickly, they suck.) I also have an EZ reacher I got at Walmart, they no longer carry them, but they do at Walgreens and they are cheap, around ten dollars, and are the same principle as the arcmate ones, but lighter weight, so I wouldn't use them to pick up stuff with some weight to it, like shoes. They also have a model that folds, I broke that one, as the plastic piece in the middle where you fold it is sub par. The Arcmate ones are great cause if you have any problems with them you can send it back for a fix for life, as it says on the inside of the box, keep the box for shipping. My only problem with arcmate is when paying for them they come up as a hardware store, and was rejected by my Flexspending company, so I now buy from my local medical supply. I have little forward lean due to my hardware, so I'll be using these for years to come, and am kinda a grabber expert. I have one in all my main rooms, as I sit I have six, being the brands listed above. Many here after healing completely have much more of a forward lean than I, and maybe six of these are overkill, but I hate walking around the house looking for one when I need it. I only get the longest lenght possible, and I'm not a tall gal like Cam, but I want to get to the back of the dryer for that last sock, or the back of the deep cubboards in my kitchen.

This tool is a must post op, and I say get more than one, you could always sell it on Craigslist after you are done with it, but for most all of us, grabbers are a tool we will use for a long time.

Colorado Springs

[ ] Grabber (Jeri)

Thanks! I'm looking at the Arcmate site. I wish I had had something like this for my first scoli surgery in 1980. Arcmate Deluxe 42" to 22" long. It says 32" is most popular. Which do you all use? Also -- Folding? or Non-Folding?JeriI strongly > suggest that you ask someone to get you, (or give yourself), a > Arcmate deluxe grabber. It will save your life after surgery. If you > are having trouble getting things down low now your will be glad you > have it. When you are finally done with it your husband will probably > want to have it in his garage...and any little kids in your life will > love using it as a pretend rifle...can't get much better than that > for under $30.00!> > Take Care, Cam>

December 5, 2007

I echo 's comments. The reacher is a MUST, and you may use it

for years to come. I used on before my surgery because I have torso

weakness from MS and leaning to grab something would often cause me

to fall over. I have 3 different ones, and will likely accumulate

more, especially as these wear out. Try out more than one style, as

some are excellent for one function and useless at another. The one

that I use for laundry and grabbing heavy things (soup, cake mix) out

of high or low cupboards is absolutely horrible to try to use to pull

on my underwear or pants. It's a bit of personal preference, a bit

of trial and error. I personally wouldn't recommend a folding one

(though others may disagree). From what I've heard from others, they

tend to break more easily, especially after prolonged use. Perhaps

it would be ideal to have a compact one in the car for emergency use,

but I wouldn't recommend it for your main reacher.

My favorite reacher a longer lightweight one that is more of

the " pincher " style grasp instead of the larger suction-cup looking

grasp. I got it from the PT people at the hospital, and they removed

all the tags so I have no idea what brand it is. I'll put a photo of

my reachers in my album if you'd like to take a peek, though these

can also be easily found on a medical supply website.

And I love 's idea of having one in every room. Mine has a hook

that I use to attach to my walker, so it goes everywhere with me.

Except now that I use a wheelchair most of the time, I find myself

always looking around for where I left it Other than my

wheelchair and leg loops, I use it more than any other device since

my revision this summer.

>

> Dear Jeri,

>

> While I have two arcmate grabbers, and they are good for picking up

stuff with precision, I also have other styles and brands that I find

work better for certain chores. I have two I got at the local medical

supply, brand name Pik Stik, these don't have the suction cup ends,

they are more solid plastic and do better for picking up say shoes on

the floor and laundry out of the dryer( and with two teenagers I do a

lot of laundry). I also have one I got from the PT people at the

hospital, it's a Featherlite, and truly this one looks like a hook

and is the worst of the bunch, the trigger is on a string that wears

out quickly( I actually used these only for about two years and

taught myself to restring them, if given one of these, replace it

quickly, they suck.) I also have an EZ reacher I got at Walmart, they

no longer carry them, but they do at Walgreens and they are cheap,

around ten dollars, and are the same principle as the arcmate ones,

but lighter weight, so I wouldn't use them to pick up stuff with some

weight to it, like shoes. They also have a model that folds, I broke

that one, as the plastic piece in the middle where you fold it is sub

par. The Arcmate ones are great cause if you have any problems with

them you can send it back for a fix for life, as it says on the

inside of the box, keep the box for shipping. My only problem with

arcmate is when paying for them they come up as a hardware store, and

was rejected by my Flexspending company, so I now buy from my local

medical supply. I have little forward lean due to my hardware, so

I'll be using these for years to come, and am kinda a grabber expert.

I have one in all my main rooms, as I sit I have six, being the

brands listed above. Many here after healing completely have much

more of a forward lean than I, and maybe six of these are overkill,

but I hate walking around the house looking for one when I need it. I

only get the longest lenght possible, and I'm not a tall gal like

Cam, but I want to get to the back of the dryer for that last sock,

or the back of the deep cubboards in my kitchen.

>

> This tool is a must post op, and I say get more than one, you could

always sell it on Craigslist after you are done with it, but for most

all of us, grabbers are a tool we will use for a long time.

>

> Colorado Springs

> [ ] Grabber (Jeri)

>

> Thanks! I'm looking at the Arcmate site. I wish I had had

December 6, 2007

I bought 3 arcmate grabbers -- the medium length for 2 of them -- one

folding and one not. The folding one is not all that small and I

carry a small purse, so the folding feature hasn't been too handy. I

keep one upstairs and one downstairs. I bought a short plastic one,

and keep it in the bathroom. Even though I am short, it is better

for reaching while sitting. I bought one of the folding ones at

WalMart to keep in my desk drawer at work. After the first couple of

days back to work, I hated to keep asking people to pick stuff up for

me.

I also got one of the hook type ones at the hospital. It is handy

for holding on to the tongue of my shoe to put on my shoes and I keep

it in the trunk of my car for going to the pool. It also has a peg

that sticks out on the side and it is good for pushing socks off.

The other grabbers work better for picking most things up.

I am going to travel to Chicago next month for a weekend and I hadn't

thought about taking one with me. I am going to have to decide

whether to carry it around or pack it in my suitcase. I am almost

tempted to take my walker to the airport so I won't have to handle my

luggage. Even though I request assistance, I usually end up having

to handle my luggage more than I should do at this time.