Customer Reviews

Ontel Products GOPMO2 Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tool Set

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

If you want a strong tool this is NOT for you. The folding joint broke within 3 or 4 weeks under normal household use. The rubber cups easily pull off metal studs. There is no place to get repairs. While the Gopher is really cheap, I now need to buy another one because it only lasted a month! I found the original version of this product called the ArcMate EZ Reacher and it's guaranteed forever! The price is twice the Gopher but the durability and guarantee make it a better bargain. The Gopher product seems to be a cheap knock-off of the more durable ArcMate reachers.

The Gopher is a useful tool idea that can use some product enhancement. It is nice that it folds for easier storage. It allows you to reach for items in hard-to-reach places. Small items can be retrieved from high shelves with ease. It is rated to lift five pounds, but I don't trust it that much. The heavier the item, the more strain on your wrist and on the Gopher.
I tried using the Gopher to replace a light bulb. Seems like this would be the ideal tool to grab the bulb from a ceiling fixture and replace it. Not so. The locking mechanism doesn't grip tightly enough. You can loosen the bulb, but as the bulb loosens, so does the Gopher's grip. I was also unable to tighten the replacement bulb sufficiently. The locking grip didn't hold and it was too difficult rotating the Gopher while maintaining pressure on the pistol grip.
The bottom line for me, the Gopher is a handy tool for reaching small, light, non-fragile items. It is a definite boon for people who are forced to be sedentary. It does not do the trick, however, for heavy items or items requiring a tight grip.

I usually don't review books or products, but when I came to this page to order twelve more Gophers and saw that no one had reviewed the product yet, I couldn't resist.

The Gopher caught my attention one day while I was shopping at Wal-Mart and suffering with a low backache. I bought it, and now everyone in my household is hooked. My back is better, and I still find the Gopher very handy. My 8-year-old enjoys using it to sort laundry and put clothes in the washer. I use it to reach jars on high shelves in the pantry or linens stored out of reach in the closet. We've used it to pick up trash along the road.

I'm buying one for all my siblings and my mother and mother-in-law for Christmas. My 80-year-old mother-in-law lives alone in her home and is stooped over with osteoporosis. I know it will be extremely handy for her.

I appreciate the cleverness and simplicity of the design and the fact that it really helps lighten my load. The Gopher is easy to use, lightweight, and easy to store. I'm getting a couple of extras for our home, so I can be sure we'll have one years from now. It's a great functional product. It's a product I'm excited about!

This product serves it's intended purpose well. It is easy to use, unlike other similar products, it can hold onto object of unusual shape relatively firmly, with out danger of oversqueezing them. If you wanted to, you could pick up eggs without fear. That being said, the rubber suction cups which are one part of the design that makes it work so well, are also it's weakest link. They tend to loosen up and fall of, where you do not notice them. We have lost a few now. There does not seem to be any way to order spare parts, so that compounds the problem. If you are willing to check the tightness of the screws that hold the cups on, each time before you use this product, I would recommend it, otherwise, it will be usefull for only a short time.

Addendum Nov. 15, 2011
Concerning the issue of the suction cups falling off:
I went to the local Ace Hardware store and bought suction cups there which have the threaded stud molded into the rubber cup, and nuts then thread onto those. This has worked out well as they are just as functional, but have never fallen off like the original ones have. So if you have or buy one of these, there is a cure.

I recieved a Ontel Products GOPMO2 Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tool Set for Christmas of 2009 and it broke in July of 2010. My Mom has owned 3 Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tools in a 2 year period. I even tried to fix one of her Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tools that had a suction cup on the end that kept falling off, that the 30 day warranty was up on. I used a bit longer screw since the other one flew into the unknown when it broke and to try to get a better connection. I also used super glue with the longer screw and it broke again 3 days later. I would NOT reccomend this Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tool . There are better Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tools out there to purchase. The Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tool seems to always break after the 30 day warranty has expired. Amazon.com has much better grabbers for sale.

The grabber only lasted a couple of weeks. I only used it for papers or other small objects on the floor. For heavier things I use my lawn dust pan with a handle on it. First the rubber tip fell off. Then a few days later I picked it up and the screw had fallen off. This is the second one I have bought. Next time I will buy another brand.It seems like the screws strip and the rubber tip and the screw falls out.

My first gopher lost a suction cup while getting a sack of sugar of a grocery store shelf. I have not been able to find replacement suction cups anywhere. Apparently it will not handle five pound loads as advertised.
My second gopher (needed after the first lost an irreplacable suction cup) lost both suction cups while trying to pick up a wrench from a rough concrete floor.
I will not buy another gopher until Ontel provides replacement suction cups (preferably free since I've bought two of them and they both failed in the same manner).
It seems Ontel's opinion is what do you expect for ten bucks. I expect it to work as advertised and last more than six months. I cannot afford a new one every six months so will try to find a competitor who will stand behind his product.

This product would be the answer to our wishes if only the suction cups didn't dry out and fall off after a few months!
I wouldn't buy another Gopher if they were 50 cents each! It is disappointing to find such a well designed tool, only to have this most important part fail to hold up! Perhaps the rubber is not of good quality or the screws are not the best way to fasten to the prongs...to keep gluing cups back on is not an option for older people.

I ACTUALLY LOVED THIS WHEN I FIRST GOT IT. THE LOCKING FEATURE WAS THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE.
I GOT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS, AT THE END OF FEB. IT FELL APART. THE SUCTION CUPS FELL OF AND THE SCREWS WENT FLYING - COULDN'T FIND THEM. I TRIED SUPER GLUING THE PCS BACK TOGETHER - NO HELP. I BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE IN MAY OF THIS YEAR AT WALGREENS AND A MONTH LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO THAT ONE. THEY NEED TO BE MADE STRONGER!!!!!!! PLEASE REDESIGN AND TRY AGAIN.

THANKS,VIRGINIA SALTER

I have had one of these for 5 years. I find it handy to reach things from high shelves or behind furniture, etc. It is amazingly nimble in picking up small items and oddly shaped items.

I help pick up trash on a stretch of road for my work's "Adopt A Highway" program. After I put my back out for 2 days bending over 200 times in a morning, I got one of these. It worked great the next 3 times we went out. It can pick up tiny scraps or full bottles.

I had the same problem others did with the suction cups coming off or breaking. I am going to try to glue the plastic center of the suction cup, but if that doesn't work, I'll just go buy another one. For $10-12 bucks, it's worth it to me to replace it. I won't be without one.