Selfie Sticks

Selfie sticks are either the epitome of what is wrong with society or the best thing since camera phones, depending on your point of view. But as you start to use them, you realise that they aren’t all created equally, even if many of them are produced in the same factory in China.

So which one is the best selfie stick and worth spending money on, if you’ve decided that your arm isn’t long enough and you must get better view of your face?

I set about testing all the selfie sticks that looked good from various brands around the world. Testing involved putting a variety of smartphones including an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and a Nexus 6P into the phone holder, fully extending the pole and then proceeding to take some self-indulgent shots, including belfies. I tested the various mechanisms, how much the poles bent and how well the holder kept hold of the phone and other bits and pieces associated with the functioning of the pole, including the remote shutter button if there was one.

The quality difference is quite remarkable. Some poles are low-grade, feel cheap and don’t work very well. Others are sturdy and feature-rich, while price is not a great determinator.

Some poles are better suited to more active selfie-takers, others are best suited to being carried around for tourist-level shots. Here are some of the best and worst sticks.