It seems to be a law of physics and Murphy that whatever thing you need most will get away from you. The consequences can be mildly irritating but sometimes serious: dropping even a teeny-tiny screw into a jet turbine, for instance, can ground the whole aircraft until it’s certain that absolutely all foreign objects have been cleared out.

This might even be the origin of the phrase “screwing up” – I only just thought of this theory but now cling to it wholeheartedly.

If you’re constantly trying to twist your arms in impossible ways to get into the guts of some piece of machinery, this kit will be a lifesaver. The first portion consists of two mirrors on telescoping arms, one of which lights up. The other is easier to get into tight spots.

There are also two rods tipped with magnets used to retrieve dropped fasteners and even tools (the larger one can lift up to 15 pounds, though it doesn’t work as well on stainless steel). Finally, you’ll get a very nifty LED flashlight that can telescope out to over 20 inches long, with a bendy neck and a magnetic base you can use to stick it onto any convenient spot.

Even if you’ve owned inspection mirrors and pickup tools before, you’ll be impressed by these. If you’re not familiar with the concept, get them anyway: it saves a ton of time when clearing up loose metallic debris from where it can do harm.

You won’t have to remove as many panels just to see what’s behind them (and then lose the retaining screws because you didn’t have a convenient place to put them). If you do drop a part you need, there will be no need to get a new one: just poke it and pick it up.

The whole shebang collapses down into an impressively compact package, though sadly there’s no storage case included (batteries, thankfully, are). This is our only real criticism of this product: mirrors are, after all, made of glass and won’t last long in the average toolbox.