If anyone is interested, the reach tool that I prefer and many at the recent basic climbing class with Peter Jenkins also liked is called the Sidekick by Arbor Exotica owned by Tim Epperson.
Go to Arborexoctica.com to see it and email Tim to order one if desired.
The sidekick has several advantages over Sherrill's reach tool. The sidekick locks at every section joint (Sherrill's does not), the sidekick tip does not spin when pushed from the side(Sherrill's spins making it almost impossible to relocate your rope), the sidekick is thicker and stiffer when extended, and the sidekick does not open up when clipped to your saddle while climbing.
This is a great tool for quick retrieval of rope or throwline, great for rope placement or many out of reach functions.

Charles,
You caught my interest on this one. . .

Sidekick by Arbor Exotica? ? ?
Might you have a photo or a current www _link_ on this item?
I have used the Sherrill reach tool and found it to be too flaccid. They need to stiffen up the hook quite a bit for it to be worth a darn.

I investigated the possibility of replacing the reach-tool’s “limp-hook” with a firmer unit but it looked as if I would only damage the thing.

(no pun intended)
Electrojake

P.S. Have any info on this Arbor Exotica company?

It was the first item in a Google search
Arbor Exotica

E-jay’s quest for wisdom…
Actually, the following is what I repeatedly got when I did a Google search on Arbor Exotica, click & check it out…

www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Arbor+Exotica+&btnG=Google+Search

Must be the caffeine in these double frappuccinos I’ve been drinking lately!?!

Jim, thanks for posting the _link_!
Regards,
Ej

Trust me on this one, I've tried both in the tree extensively--The Sidekick is not perfect, but it beats Sherrill's Reach tool hands down, IMHO.
Why? Because the Sidekick locks at every section, you can climb with it on the saddle without it opening and getting caught in gear or in between your legs, also you can push with it and not just pull, meaning that you can push your rope or rigging line into a position or crotch.
Also you can put the hook under your line and when you lift it up, the hook does not turn which if it did turn would release your line making you very frustrated, as I have experienced so many times with Sherrill's Reach tool.
It even has a little bit of Velcro on the outside of the hook allowing you to push the rope without it sliding off, which is very neat because you never know which way you may need to move your rope.
A good example was when I had to put a loop over the outer tip of a limb with my rigging line to form a spider balancer and I simply could not do it in any way with the Sherrill Reach tool because the hook would spin and release my loop, whereas with the Sidekick it was a cinch(no Pun intended). This was critical, because I could not climb out to the end of the limb and yet had to get the job done to earn a day's wage.
The hook is smaller and unbendable, but is perfect for what we will be doing with it, and that is, placement or removal of lines and small _object_s.
Anyway, for the money, Sidekick's the way to go. And maybe one of you innovative mechanically inclined guys can make it better.

Not as compact but I use the pike pole (boat hook) it is aluminium, very light and strong can be used for push or pull and is guaranteed for life. I sweated the handle off and threaded a looped line through the hole in the end. 3' too 8'