It’s an undisputable truth, a law if you will. A law that was most certainly written by Mr. Murphy himself. The law states “If a small object can drop into an unlit, un-retrievable location that your hand cannot reach, it will.”

This happens countless times during any automotive project and I can almost guarantee it’s happened to you more than once. You drop a small part down the carburetor throat or you are working in a cramped workspace and you drop the last remaining bolt into an area that is completely obscured from light and your hand can’t reach or fit.

This is where General Tools has come up with a very creative solution to this problem that has plagued automotive enthusiasts since the first Model T rolled off the assembly line. Their Lighted Mechanical Pick-Up tool (part # 70396) solves this problem by placing a powerful LED light inside the pick-up claw area of a flexible mechanical pickup tool. This tool is so innovative, it achieved Popular Mechanic’s Editor’s Choice Award.

This new tool from General Tools sports a push-to-activate LED light so that the batteries don’t run down, a 24” flexible shaft, comfortable hand controls, a corrosion-resistant finish and a retrieval claw powerful enough to pick up even the largest items that you’re trying to grab.

The General Tools Lighted Mechanical Pick-Up Tool Review We have used the Lighted Mechanical Pick-Up tool for 6 months now while working on several shop projects. During this time we’ve used it at least 20 times to grab items large and small, from areas that we just couldn’t reach.  Pros Cons The LED light is powerful and bright, even in the darkest recesses of an engine bay, allowing you to find what you’re looking for. The retrieval claw is very powerful in comparison to other pick-up tools that we have. We were easily able to pick up an 8” long ¾” steel bolt. More importantly, the claw is small enough to pick up extremely small objects, even on a flat surface too. The black corrosion-resistant finish should keep it from rusting. The flexible shaft isn’t very flexible in comparison to other pick-up tools that we have in the shop. It’s not so stiff that it’s unusable, but we would prefer for it to be a bit more flexible. We would like to see a version of this tool that has a metal handle on it, instead of the plastic one.   Ingersoll Rand 3/8″ Hammerhead Review Comfort Durability Claw Strength Ergonomic design Overall Quality Innovation Cost