Lowe's has the Fiskars Uproot Weeder. As I usually do, I checked Amazon reviews on my cell phone in the store before deciding on the purchase. It got a lot of 4 and 5-star reviews but a number of reviews pointed out that the plastic parts on this tool are prone to breakage. I'm guessing this weeder would not survive my yard because the soil is variable in hardness and there are some buried stumps and roots.
Then I went to Home Depot and saw that they have the Hound Dog Weed Hound. This weeder is all metal and got some good reviews at Amazon, but again, a few reviews stated that this tool broke after a few uses. So there is still no ideal tool for the job, or at least not at local stores.
So I gave up on the long-arm weeder search and went to TGI Friday's. I had a crispy green bean fries appetizer using a coupon that strangely was valid only today. They were having a "Christmas in July" party in the bar area with decorations and a Santa Claus. Bizarre.