The Gravity Hook got a hold on this sunken cinch cord on the first try.
That said, we were able to grab a lost bright orange cinch cord on the first try. The jaws have to be set directly upon whatever you’re after, so you need to be directly above it and they have to be crossing the object, not parallel to it, so you have to be able to see what you’re doing. If you don’t have clear, undisturbed water, a face mask or a bathyscope will be helpful. Using the opening jaws is best done when you can see what you’re fishing for.
For retrieving small objects like glasses and key rings, the Gravity Hook’s ability to grasp things make it better suited than an ordinary grappling hook. In its grappling hook configuration, you can cast about and drag for lost items, and it will snag line and chain, the wire basket and tubing of a shopping cart, but not anything with a diameter over 1-1/2″. When the cross-plate is installed, two O-rings roll down into a pair of notches and keep it securely held in place. The hook is rated to 772 lbs, more than enough for retrieving anything from a small boat. For use as a grappling hook, a separate cross piece is set between the articulated jaws and two O-rings are rolled into a pair of notches to keep the device from opening and dropping the cross piece. The four pivot points allow the jaws at the bottom to open upon contact with something, then close when the Gravity Hook is pulled upward. The device is made of stainless steel except for the nuts and bolts-the magnet says they’re steel. The Zhike Gravity Hook is 5-3/8″ long, 3-1/2″ wide, and weighs 8.9 oz. The single plate on the jaw at left will slip about 1/4″ into the space between the double plates on the right, preventing slender items from slipping out.
On contact with something, the Gravity Hook’s jaws open up. The Lixada was quick to snag this 60-lb ride-share bike and held on to it during the lift to the dock. Here it keeps the claw tips safely up next to the shaft. The large round disk at left moves in and out on a threaded rod. It’s an elegant design with an aggressive grip. The device is rated to 860 lbs, more than I could imagine ever subjecting it to, and the serrated claws keep whatever has been hooked from slipping away. The folding design makes the 4-Claw Hook quite compact and prevents the claws from digging into woodwork or the bottoms of my feet when stowed. Spinning the claws in the opposite direction locks them either in or out. The claws spin around the shaft on an internal threaded rod that pushes the round cap at the bottom out so the claws can pivot outward or fold against the shaft. The central shaft is stainless steel and the claws, my magnet tells me, are some sort of steel alloy. The Lixada 4-Claw Hook is 9″ long, has a span of 8-1/2″ between the tips of opposing claws, and weighs 26.3 oz. Opened up, the Lixada’s claws span 8-1/2″. I found two different types, both welcome to stay aboard waiting for the opportunity to retrieve something underwater. Modern grappling hooks aren’t so hazardous. It rested with one claw always pointing straight up, like a caltrop, an ancient and wicked device of war that wounded anyone unlucky enough to step on it. The grappling hook (also known as a grappling iron or grapnel) that I made a while back from some stainless-steel rod and a few cable ties worked well enough, but it was an awkward and dangerous thing to keep in a small boat. The Zhike Gravity Hook, left, and the Lixada 4-Claw Hook work in different ways and both performed well.