Best Fruit Picker – Choice, Types and Reviews

Are you looking for the best fruit picker stick or roller? Read my reviews of the most interesting models and a guide to choosing.

The fruit harvester is a truly fantastic tool for picking any possible fruit, from medlars to citrus fruits, including apples. There are different types, from rollers to collect the fruits fallen on the ground up to the telescopic fruit harvester, ideal for picking those at the top without having to use the ladder. In this guide, therefore, I will explain how the various models work, and which are the best around.

Types of fruit harvesters

First of all, I want to deepen right away the types of fruit that you can find for sale. The classic device is the one with a telescopic rod and therefore extendable within a certain maximum height, but there are also cheaper variants with a fixed rod. Then there is the collecting roller, which instead works “in reverse”, since it gives you the possibility to collect the fruits that have fallen on the grass without problems. How are they made, and above all how do they work?

1. Telescopic pole fruit harvester

Like any other telescopic tool, this fruit picker has a stick that can be extended to a certain height (around 4 or 5 meters). What really matters, though, is the presence of the collection group at the top. Just take a look at the models on sale to understand that there are different types, more or less advanced, from “manual” to “automatic” ones.

• Basket with hooks: it is the classic type. In this case we find a metal mesh basket, with a higher side with different claws, which at least aesthetically resembles a hand. Its operation is very simple: the fruit is hooked with the claws, a click is made with the stick and the tool detaches it from the branch with all the stalk, making it fall into the small basket.

• Cotton basket: the logic is the same as the previous version, only this time the basket is made of cotton, and not metal threads. On the edge of the bag we find a circle with teeth or wings, which you will need to fit the branch of the fruit and to detach it, with the usual click of the stick.

• Accessory basket for pruner: it is identical to the common cotton basket, but it is an accessory. It means that you can buy it separately and connect it to a stick, so you can get an inexpensive fruit picker. There are also accessory bags to attach to one telescopic pruner, so as to use the scissors to cut the branch and the basket to collect the falling fruit. Super comfortable.

• Basket that tightens: it has a much less capacious metal basket, so much so that it can accommodate only one fruit at a time, but it is more efficient. How does it work? Just reach out your “hand” towards the fruit, grab it and squeeze it with the handle, so as to close the claws. Then, with a click down, you can detach the fruit and bring it to the ground.

2. Fruit collection roller

At the opposite end of the fruit picking rod we find the roller, an invention as simple as it is ingenious. The functioning is even more basic, to the point that you will spend zero energy using it. Its purpose is obviously different from the telescopic stick, as it is used to collect the fruits fallen on the lawn, without having to bend the knees every time.

The roller is made up of flexible rubber threads, which fold and unfold when you pass it over a fruit. In this way it “swallows” it without ruining it, thus preserving its structure. When you are finished, you can slide them out of the cylinder thanks to a special spout, which you can also use to collect the fruits that you cannot reach with the roller.

To pass it on the ground, however, all you have to do is push it thanks to the handle. Besides being easy to use, it’s also a lot of fun and really fast.

Best fruit picking tools

1. EnergeticSky Telescopic Fruit Picker 4 Meters

It is not cheap, but it is by far the best when you consider the quality of the materials, very important if you want a telescopic fruit picker that will last. The “catch” mechanism is classic, so we find the aluminum wire basket with a higher side and equipped with claws. These are used to take the branch by inserting the fruit, which you can detach with a sharp click of the stick.

The telescopic rod is obviously extendable, from a minimum of 1.2 meters up to a maximum of 4 meters, so the Fruit Picker can reach really high, without forcing you to use the ladder. Secondly, the shaft is made of aluminum, so it is quite solid but at the same time light, so you can make the task easier when you use it at maximum height. In addition, the basket has a clamp that you can release, so you can use the cane for other purposes.

I would also like to underline the presence of a foam rubber pad inside the basket, which has the purpose of cushioning the fall of the fruit, after having detached it by gently pulling the stick. This is a great idea, especially if you need to harvest ripe peaches, for example. Secondly, the kit also includes a screwdriver to tighten or loosen the basket clamp, while the basket has a roomy size so it can accommodate more fruit, and has a vinyl rust-proof coating.

2. MaidMAX Telescopic Fruit Picker 4 Meters

This fruit picker rod is very similar to the previous one, therefore it has a wire basket with a clawed side and a soft internal cushion, so as to “accompany” the fall of the fruit. It costs less for a very simple reason: the basket is smaller, so it is suitable for picking only one fruit at a time. After having caught it, in fact, you will have to bring it to the ground and start over with the next one.

Personally I consider it a very good product, if you want to save money and if you are willing to waste a little more time between one harvest and another. The materials are excellent, considering that it mounts a rather light but solid stainless steel stick. The pole is telescopic, but to increase the height you have to mount the supplied pieces. Not bad, because it can reach 4 meters.

Also in this case the basket has a clamp that allows you to disassemble it, in order to use the stick in other ways, and the claws are coated with an anti-rust material. Also consider that the MaidMax telescopic fruit harvester is very easy to assemble and using it is child’s play. The meshes of the basket, however, are quite wide: it can be used as a tool to collect medlars and other medium fruits, but not small ones.

3. GARDENA CombiSystem Fruit Harvesting Roller

Here we come to the review of the Gardena fruit picker roller, a small jewel that has its cost, but many advantages that justify it. This tool, as you have already noticed, is used to collect the fruits fallen on the grass, without forcing yourself to bend back and knees, with all the pains of the case. The use is so simple that it is even fun.

How does it work? Very easy: all you have to do is guide it over the fruit to be harvested, and the roller will swallow it, making it pass through the flexible rubber filaments. After the passage, due to the lack of pressure, the threads return to position closing the roller and preventing the fruits from coming out. In addition, this fantastic tool from the Gardena has a lateral spout with two functions: to collect the fruit that you cannot “crush” with the roller, because it is perhaps close to a tree, and to allow the harvested fruit to come out.

However, consider that the handle is not supplied, so if you don’t have a Gardena CombiSystem stick you will have to buy it separately. Consequently, the price rises, but it is worth it, given the absolute comfort guaranteed by this roller for picking fruit. Know that it is compatible with fruits with a diameter of 4 to 9 centimeters, so it is not suitable for smaller ones.

Here is the link of the handle, followed by a video explaining how to use the tool:

4. Gardena 3115-20 Combisystem Accessory Collect fruit

It has an affordable price, around 25 euros, but does not include the CombiSystem stick, so even in this case you will have to buy it separately. However, it is a basket to be placed on top of a telescopic stick not with metal meshes, but with a net bag. The edge of the basket is instead surrounded by teeth, which serve to hold the branch still while you detach the fruit with a click of the rod.

Among the various teeth you will also find very small teeth, which facilitate the detachment of the fruit from the branch, really very comfortable. In addition, this accessory has an adjustable head, which allows you to change the angle thanks to a special lever, so as to reach any fruit. Also know that this collecting basket has a net that allows you to see the fruits, and it is quite large, so you can collect several together always knowing how much space remains in the bag.

Do you have to buy the stick? No sir, because it has an ergonomic handle that allows you to use it even without it. It is clear, however, that if you want to reach the high branches you will have to mount it on a CombiSystem stick (the only one compatible with the attack). As for the pole, you can choose the extendable one from 1.6 to 2.9 meters, or the shorter one from 90 cm to 1.45 meters. They are not included, so I point out the links:

5. Fiskars Fruit Picker For Branch Pruner UPX86, UP86, UP84 and UP82

I decided to close my reviews of the best telescopic fruit harvester models with this accessory mesh basket, compatible with I loosened UP and UPX from Fiskars. The assembly on the stick takes place thanks to a lateral clamp, which therefore allows you to leave the pruner’s cutting unit on top. The advantage? You can cut the branch with telescopic scissors and the fruit will fall directly into the bag.

This is a great accessory if you have a Fiskars pruner and if you want a tool for picking fruit. And without giving up on operations such as tree trimming and pruning, since you can do all things together, without having to replace cutting units or anything else. Of course, nothing prevents you from using the basket without the scissors, since it has edges with teeth to catch the fruit, but you will still have to mount it on a Fiskars stick.

There are really no words to describe it. I have been using it for a few months and I was very impressed with this idea from Fiskars, and moreover the accessory is also cheap but sturdy, as it is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic. Clearly it is a purchase that only makes sense if you have the Fiskars pruner, otherwise you should opt for one of the other products reviewed above.

Conclusions

Today you got to read my guide and my reviews on the best fruit harvesting tools. My final opinion? These are really useful and versatile devices or accessories, as well as easy to use. I consider them indispensable, especially because they allow me to collect the soft fruits before they can fall to the ground, bruising themselves. The roller models, then, are fantastic if you suffer from back and knee pain, like myself.