Grabber needed for lake cleanup

March 15, 2021 9:01 AM

I'm going to start picking up trash from the shore when I canoe around our local lake. Please recommend a grabber tool that works well and won't rust or otherwise fail when it inevitably gets wet. I'm not sure what price point to expect but I suspect I'll be using this for a long time so a little pricey is okay if it's much better than a cheap version.
posted by Tehhund to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

Best answer: I am a frequent user and sometimes breaker of grabbers and I don't have one specifically to recommend yet (I just ordered this one with headlights and magnets), but I will observe that the ones with the little rubber cups on the ends have a lot of agility especially with round things (we use one to pick up fallen oranges and it's great) but those cups can be (or get, with sunlight and use) fragile and then they tear. If you get one of those, you will want to ascertain up front if you can replace those cups/obtain the correct replacements.

Also I have mostly observed that the folding ones work very well but it certainly feels like a likely failure point.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:28 AM on March 15, 2021

Best answer: As a person who canoes and drops things, my inclination would be to go with the $2 Harbor Freight Special.
I have a couple that I use around the house. I have only broken them by stepping on them.
posted by Seamus at 9:41 AM on March 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

I use a fishing net I already own, but my tip if you are like Seamus, tie a rope to it and tie that rope to your wrist or your boat.
posted by advicepig at 12:46 PM on March 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I ordered this one from Amazon, specifically for picking up trash on my walks. It's aluminum, so it won't rust. The tips are hollow, and despite no rubber suction cups or anything, I can still pick up cans and bottles just fine. I can even pick up little things like cigarette butts with just the tips.
posted by xedrik at 7:41 AM on March 16, 2021 [1 favorite]