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Telestik Review

Telestik AD3000 Reacher Grabber

I had an opportunity to try out the Telestik reacher -- a trigger-free reacher that uses an adhesive pad or a magnet to pick up items. This sort of reacher would be perfect for a quad, someone with a very weak grip, trigger finger, arthritis, or overall poor use of hands.

There are a couple styles of the Telestik.

1. The adhesive pad unit.
2. The magnet unit.
3. The combination adhesive and magnet.

I was very skeptical when I saw this reacher because I wasn't sure how well the adhesive unit would work. However after using it, I can safely say it works as advertised.

Telestik ReviewThere are several advantages to the Telestik:

Grip-Free
With use of the quad strap, the unit requires very little grip strength to operate. Since there is no trigger to operate, even without the strap it's just like holding a heavy pen or pencil.

Small & Portable
What I really like about the Telestik is that when the reacher is not extended, it's extremely light and portable. It could easily pack into a large purse, backpack, or suitcase without taking up much room at all.

Great for Papers & Very Small Objects
I found the adhesive Telestik to work much better than a traditional reacher for picking up papers without crunching them. Additionally, where some reachers can often struggle to grab smaller items like coins, the adhesive unit worked really well.

Great for weirdly placed items
Whenever I need to reach something under my bed I always have trouble with a traditional reacher. The adhesive Telestik seemed to work much better at reaching things that I could either not see completely or not get the right angle to reach with a regular reacher grabber. If you can get the adhesive to stick anywhere then you can at least pull it towards you until you can get a better grip on it.

Disadvantages

While excelling in many places, there were some instances where a traditional reacher does a better job. However, even if you can operate a regular reacher grabber, I wouldn't ignore the idea of having one of the adhesive Telestiks around the house.

Heaver Items
The Telestik claims to be able to lift 1lb, which I think is a reasonable estimation and it seemed to work just fine on 1 lb or less. However if the item is oddly shaped or you cannot place the entire pad on the item, then it's not likely to lift as well as a reacher with a claw would. Take for example a 16 oz bottle of water with one of those rippled shapes. This weighs about 1.25 lbs when full. While the Telestik could grip it and even lift it to some extent, a regular reacher could just swoop in and claw the bottle easily. Now I realize this is above the 1 lb. specification, however, I use this as an example of the limitations of the Telestik.

Switching Between Units
Even with the combination unit, it can be tedious to switch between different reaching units for different items. With the magnetic Telestik I found myself getting frustrated when something I thought might be magnetic was not. So I'd have to switch to the other unit. With the combination Telestik, I found that having both the adhesive and magnet extended added some convenience.

Maintenance
Unlike other reacher grabbers, the adhesive Telestik does require a small amount of maintenance. The adhesive itself is fantastic but does require a rinsing off every now and then -- especially if it comes in contact with carpeting or linens. After rinsing, the adhesive works just like it did on day 1 and is estimated to last 2 years. Replacement pads are inexpensive.

Overall Recommendation

If you have not had luck with regular reacher grabbers due to grip or trigger issues, then this reacher will be a great asset to your everyday life. If you have fine use of your hands, this reacher will be an asset in some circumstances but will not be as effective for you as a regular reacher with a claw.

Buy the Telestik now, directly from the manufacturer.

TeleStik TS3040 AD3000 MA4000 Reacher Grabber
The above is an independent review of the Telestik reacher.