Tool Review: Helping Hand 10000 Zip-It

The Zip-It is one of those simple products that when you come across it, you kick yourself for not having invented it first. It's a handy little tool that makes use of a remarkably simple idea. The Zip-It is great at unclogging sink drains, and it only costs a couple of bucks.

Made of a thin strip of sturdy plastic about two feet long, the Zip-It has barbs that run down both sides. When it's inserted into a pipe or hose and pulled slowly back out, the barbs will snag whatever is causing the clog (hair, dirt, plastic army men, etc.) and drag it out. It has a finger hole on one end for an easy, comfortable grip.

I bought a Zip-It from Home Depot when I was looking for something to unclog the hose leading from my dishwasher to the garbage disposal. I'd never heard of the Zip-It before -- I just happened to see it sitting on the shelf, and it looked like it might do the trick. It was only two or three bucks, so I didn't have much to lose (and nothing else I'd tried so far had worked.)

When I pushed the Zip-It into my dishwasher hose and retracted it, it came back covered with a bunch of black gunk. I was surprised how well it worked. My only problem was that it wasn't long enough to clean the entire length of hose. I shaved off some of the plastic around the finger hole to make it thinner so I could insert it farther, but it still wasn't able to reach the end of the hose. I finally duct-taped a thin screwdriver to the handle and was able to make it reach that way.

Offering Zip-Its in several different lengths would be a nice improvement, but as for the tool itself, there's really nothing to be improved upon. It's flexible enough to bend when following the curve of a hose, and at the same time tough enough that it won't break easily.

One advantage of the Zip-It being so cheap is that it can be disposable. Once you've stuck it down a few clogged pipes, it starts to get that dirty water stink. If the smell gets too strong (mine's not quite there yet) you can just throw it away and buy a new one.

The Zip-It is a great tool for homeowners. It's simple and easy to use, and it can prevent a costly service call from your plumber.  I give it a strong 4 out of 5 stars for its combination of simplicity and effectiveness.

The Zip-It is available from Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, and several other stores.  It may be branded as Helping Hand, or Cobra Products, or some other brand, but it's all the same tool.  Amazon lists the Helping Hand version for $8.73 and the Cobra Products version for $4.77 -- both of which are over-priced -- but the Helping Hand website currently has the Zip-It for $2.49.  Home Depot recently offered a deal where you could get a two-pack of Zip-Its for about a buck fifty.

(Originally published on Helium.com, July 2009 -- review has been updated)