TickCheck Tick Remover Hook Value 3 Pack Review

Overview

The TickCheck Tick Remover Hook Value 3 Pack is three molded-plastic, fork-tipped tick removers in small, medium and large, sold in a resealable pouch with a pocket-sized Tick Species ID Card. It costs about $5 and weighs about a gram per tool, so the price and weight barely register in a first aid kit. The trade-off is that plastic hooks are a specialist tool: they work on engorged ticks and furry dogs, and they are less convincing on the pinhead-sized nymphs that cause most of the worry in the East.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	1 g
Dimensions (packaged)	4.96 x 3.27 x 0.35 in
Material	ABS plastic
Contents	3 hooks (small, medium, large), resealable pouch, Tick ID Card
Tip style	Forked hook, non-slip grip
Price	About $4.99 direct from TickCheck

Performance

The principle is simple. The forked tip slides under the tick’s body at skin level, and a steady pull lifts the tick away without squeezing its abdomen. TickCheck’s instructions, which it says come from a university lab, are to pull straight out and not twist or jerk. The point is to get the whole tick, mouthparts included, in one motion. Slotted hooks like these are meant to keep the user from crushing the tick, which is the usual mistake with blunt fingernails or clumsy tweezers.

Size matters here, and it is the main reason to buy a set instead of a single tool. The three hooks step down in tip width so one can match a fat, fully fed dog tick and another can get under something much smaller. The manufacturer also pitches the hooks as easier than tweezers on a thick-furred, squirming dog or cat. That claim is plausible, because a hook can be slid through fur sideways while tweezers need a clear pinch point.

The limit is material. Plastic tips have thicker edges than stainless tweezers, so the smallest hook has to be very well matched to the tick. Nymphs and seed ticks are the hardest case for any hook, and the CDC’s guidance is fine-tipped tweezers. Hikers who carry a hook usually pair it with a pair of titanium mini tweezers, not use it alone. The hooks are also not pretty after a trail season. ABS is durable enough for a pouch and a pocket, but these are $1.50 tools, not heirlooms. Wipe them with alcohol after each use, and replace them if a tip cracks.

On weight, the set is as close to nothing as first aid gets. At 1 g a hook, it matches the ultralight aluminum-and-plastic tick keys that gear shops sell for hikers, such as Hilltop Packs’ 1 g model. It costs less than half what a metal tick key does, and well under the $12.95 TickCheck asks for its stainless Premium Tick Remover Kit with tweezers and a fork.

The pouch is a minor convenience. It keeps the three hooks and the ID card together, and it can go straight into a pocket-sized first aid kit. The ID card covers the three main tick species of North America, including the deer tick that carries Lyme disease. That is useful for a hiker who wants to know what bit them before calling a doctor, though it is a reference card and not a diagnostic tool.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• About 1 g per tool, so the weight penalty is negligible
• Around $5 for three sizes, cheaper than most metal tick keys
• Forked tip lifts the tick without squeezing it
• Small, medium and large sizes cover engorged and mid-sized ticks
• Resealable pouch and ID card with removal instructions included
• Good for dogs with thick coats

Cons

• Plastic tips are blunt compared with fine-point tweezers, a handicap on nymphs
• Not as durable as stainless or aluminum tools
• The loose hooks are easy to lose in a pack, unless they stay in the pouch
• Three tools are redundant for a solo hiker with one skin surface to check
• No way to attach to a pack or keychain

Who Should Buy This

Weekend backpackers, dog owners and families who hike in tick country and want a cheap, nearly weightless backup in the first aid kit. The set also suits anyone who wants to give one hook to each person in a group. Thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail or other eastern routes, where nymphs are the main concern, should treat it as a secondary tool and pack fine-tipped tweezers as the primary one. Anyone who wants a single durable tool for a decade should buy a metal tick key or a stainless kit.

Verdict

The TickCheck Hook Value 3 Pack is a sensible, cheap addition to a first aid kit, and for $5 and a few grams it earns its place there. It is not the best tick remover for small nymphs, which is where tweezers still win, so pair it with them if the route runs through heavy tick country.