Amtech S1890 Waste Pipe and Drain Unblocker, Corrosion Resistant Galvanised Steel Sink Unblocker, 1.8m Length

I wasn't sure which pipe unblocker to buy but decided on this one as it is 5 metres long and I had a blockage in a gutter downpipe. I managed to undo the downpipe halfway down from the roof and realised that the blockage was where it went into the ground and curved round to go to a soakaway. I had already put a flu brush down to try and clear the blockage but it was too far down to reach so I bought this and inserted it into the pipe. This is a really heavy item and the weight of it meant that it easily slid down the pipe to the blockage where it came to a stop. I spent about 5 minutes turning the handle and I could feel the front of the unblocker digging into the blockage which I think were leaves and mud. A bit of back and forth movement of the unblocker and the full length of the unblocker then went down to the handle and it was cleared. This is a very good quality item with no sharp edges and heavy spring steel with a large plastic handle. It looks as if it will last a long time so long as it doesn't rust. Well worth the money as it saved calling a drain specialist out.

OK, it's worth checking what you want this for. We had a blocked toilet (mini sweetcorn cob went down) and rodding the main drain didn't help because the blockage was in the u-bend. So I bought this and within 10 minutes of it arriving, it worked and my toilet is back to normal, saving me £100s on pumbing fees AND meaning that we have enough toilets for the guests arriving in the next few days -- so for me, this would be 5 stars EXCEPT it does scrape the enamel in the toilet bowl (someone else has posted a picture of theirs, that I see now). Ours is white, and now has metallic scratches in it. For us this time, no problem, because it's an old toilet in a utility. But for a nice bathroom or a new toilet... you might need a sleeve, or gentler rod, or something else maybe. Other points... Pro: cheap, came quickly, totally managed to bend around the u-bend, did the job, saved the day. Con: scratches enamel, and washing it is gross and fiddly because it's a spring full of gunk. Tip: is a bit bendy and whippy so you have to have a firm hand on it to steer it, and pull it out slowly when you're done if you don't want it to whip around flinging gunk. Overall it's a good bit of kit, and I'll be keeping it to use in the utility if ever needed again, but if my smart new main family bathroom toilet needs it, I'll be looking for something less scratchy. Good. Four stars.

Having read reviews of other such items, I chose this one because the end cannot fall off and make matters worse, which is apparently a risk with some of these things. This device went down 32mm plastic solvent-weld waste pipe and around two tight 90 degree bends ie elbows, not swept bends and one 135 degree bend to a total distance of around 2.8 metres. All I had to do was feed the end in at the horizontal point where I had removed the bottle trap and then twist it as I pushed; it completely unblocked the pipe. I did not use the cranked end to turn it, but instead gripped the device close to the pipe and twisted it there. I would highly recommend it. Only a twerp could fail to get a result I think unless the blockage was such that the metal end of this device could not push past it.

Bought the 5 meter one but couldnt budge an inch on one of the bend pipes (circled in the image). Disassembled the two bend pipes from under the sink (the ones that could be removed - pointed arrows in the image) yet, not success. In the end, I ended up going to the local B&Q store and got a £7 plunger. Poured boiling water from the kettle and plugged for about 10 minutes. And that worked like magic. Anyone looking to buy this, I would suggest trying the plunger method first. I am sure this product works but NOT for bend pipes. + Bought it for £8.89 and now the price has dropped to £3.50. Sigh!!

Excellent item. It cleared the toilet blockage. I had to use it twice to clear the blockage. I would highly recommend it.

Unblocked my toilet! I tried using a traditional plunger, a 'Luigi' plunger, and the hot water + dish soap approaches but no luck. I purchased this and initially it took a bit of fiddling with pushing in the cable as well as winding the lever, but when I retracted the cable the tip was holding the plastic of a toilet rim freshener! I have no idea how or when that fell in the toilet bowl, but no plunger would have dealt with this issue. It does leave some marks on the toilet bowl because of the nature of the tool but they aren't scratches! You can use The Pink Stuff to clean it away.

I recently tried out the Amtech S1890 Waste Pipe and Drain Unblocker, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the positive side, it did manage to clear the blockage in my drain after a bit of effort. However, I must admit that using this unblocker wasn't as straightforward as I had hoped. The design seems a bit tricky to navigate, and it took some trial and error to figure out the best way to use it effectively. Once I got the hang of it, the unblocker did work reasonably well, and I appreciate that it saved me from having to call a plumber.

Does not work at all, don’t waste your money