A spider skimmer is very useful when simmering, blanching, or frying ingredients in oil or water. The large size captures most of the ingredients in a single pass. Hot oil or water drains quickly due to the large space in the webbing. The bowl shape of the wok makes this an ideal wok skimmer.
A typical slotted spoon is much smaller, and cannot capture as much volume. Also, the holes in a typical slotted spoon are too small to allow viscous liquids, like oil, to drain quickly. Speed is of the essence, especially when frying or blanching vegetables. Exposure to the hot liquid for too long will destroy the texture of even crispy vegetables. A spider skimmer is much more useful for this reason.
A stainless steel spider skimmer, like the one shown here, stays cool to the touch in hot oil, and cleans up easily. This is especially helpful when slippery coating or velveting meats in hot oil. Often, some of the starch or batter will stick to the skimmer when stirring ingredients. However, with stainless steel, this scrubs off quickly, with minimal effort. The long handle is very useful too, allowing you to take full advantage of the open shape of the wok compared to Western sauce pans or stock pots. Most slotted spoons have shorter handles, bringing your hand closer to the hot liquid, increasing the risk of burns from splashes. The long handle makes this an excellent wok skimmer when paired with a typical 14-inch home wok.
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