Lisle 66540 Mini Flexible Telescoping Magnetic Pickup

Why it's worth it

Lisle's mini telescoper is barely bigger than a fat pen, but the last two and a half inches bend, so it can hook around a rack-and-pinion or a wiring loom. A neodymium tip rated to 2 pounds does the grabbing, and the shaft extends to 13 inches.

The flexible segment is the entire reason to buy this one. A straight telescoping wand goes down and only down. When the bolt has skipped sideways under a hose or behind a steering component, you need the last couple of inches to turn. Lisle gives you 2.5 inches of bend on the end of a shaft that extends from 4.5 to 13 inches, and that small hinge solves problems no rigid tool can touch.

The magnet is neodymium, which matters more than the 2-pound number suggests. Per K&J Magnetics, rare-earth magnets run 33 to 52 MGOe against roughly 4 for ceramic, so you get three to five times the practical pull at the same physical size. That's how a tip this narrow still snaps onto a nut with authority, and it's why it fits into gaps a bigger ceramic head can't enter.

From our review of 7 magnetic pickup tools, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +The flexible segment is the entire reason to buy this one
• +The magnet is neodymium, which matters more than the 2-pound number suggests
• +Think of it as a complement, not a replacement

What to know

• –Reach is the obvious limit
• –The flexible cable can snag as you collapse the shaft fully, so the last inch of retraction sometimes needs a wiggle