90 Degree Pick Tool

I found a 90 degree pick tool in the alley. I picked it up because tools. I use it in a lot of circumstances.

Edit 2026-02-09 - I just found out these things go by the names “shrum tool” and traveller’s hook. They’re widely used to open locked doors by manipulating lock bolts.

worn Great Neck 90-degree pick tool

If I squint and hold the pick tool to the light, I see that it’s Great Neck Brand. I don’t see Great Neck picks sold separately, but there’s a lot of similar tools to be had. Many vendors sell the TEKTON 90-Degree Pointed Pick (1/8 Inch x 3 Inch), PNH21103.

Uses
  • Scratching gunk off surfaces
  • Extracting O-rings
  • Retrieving cables, threads and strings from holes and slots
  • Opening a small metal box whose latch was stuck
  • Extracting hair from a sink’s drain, although this is better done with a zip stick
  • Popping multiple clips holding a plastic case on a laptop

The point is fairly sharp. I think that’s key to a lot of uses, although mentally categorizing it rigidly as a “pick” would keep you from using it as a hook, as in removing an O-ring, or using it to unstick a latch.

There’s lots of other pick tools with different bends at the tip. I have another pick tool with a more exotic tip.

less useful pick tool business end

For some reason this tip isn’t as useful. I think the combination of 90° bend and sharp tip are what makes a pick tool useful.