SE Magnetic Separator Pick-Up Tool with Quick Release - 8 lb Capacity, Rubberized Grip Handle, Ideal for Metal Shavings and Ferrous Object Retrieval PM6550

Smaller than I thought it would be. But so far works ok

Price was good. Functions as designed.

A little smaller than expected

If you're looking at this SE PM6550 Magnetic Separator Pickup Tool as a cheaper alternative to other magnets used for retrieving the tiny stainless steel pins used to tumble-clean brass, this is probably NOT what you want. The picture makes it look like other products on the market that are used for that purpose, but it is considerably smaller and will only pick up a handful of stainless pins at a time. And mine doesn't pick up anywhere near 8 pounds, at least not in pins. More like a quarter pound of pins at a time. If I had read the other reviews carefully (as I typically do), I would've seen that others have warned of this fact. So it's my own fault, and I'm not bashing the seller or the product, per se, but it would be helpful if this item's product description were changed to "SMALL Magnetic Separator Pickup Tool" since it is certainly smaller than average based on other, similarly-designed products I've seen. I'm guessing that a lot of reloaders buy a stainless tumbler on Amazon (like the excellent one from Frankford Arsenal) and then add this product to their cart as an afterthought, without realizing how small it is, as I did. Technically, it works if you have the patience to keep using it, but a stronger, larger magnet would save a lot of time when separating the pins from the brass after a tumbling session. In short, it's okay. 3 stars -- not just because the size is misleading, but because it isn't particularly powerful and I would think that for many other applications (besides stainless tumbling), most people would still prefer a more powerful magnet. I didn't rate it lower than 3 stars because it was only about $6 so I'm not surprised it isn't as wondrous as I had hoped and expected.

Love this little magnet

I recently moved and have to assemble a lot of furniture, and my fingernails are tired of trying to grab washers and whatnot off the ground - so I picked up one of these. It's smaller than anticipated, and incredibly cheaply made. I'd question the value for money even at half the price. The shaft is sloppy in the "bore" - which is just a hole in very thin blow-molded plastic. I noticed the internals weren't sitting properly, so I opened it up to investigate. A stamped aluminum cap on the bottom is held on with a single wrap of electrical tape (it looks like they intended it to be rivets, but tape is cheaper I guess...) The magnets had separated (the glue seems ineffective, and they did not prep the material surfaces properly) - as a result two had stacked up together. There are only three tiny magnets, separated by 120 degrees (when not loosely contained from poor adhesion). I'm currently 3D printing some parts to make this function in a semi-reasonable fashion - but it will still be junk when I'm done, but at least relatively functional junk. I'll update with the outcome. I grow so tired of having to buy vintage items to "fix up" or making things from scratch - but products like this prove the necessity. A waste of time, effort, and money - and landfill space for 90% of them, no doubt. To the manufacturer and purveyor: Embarassing. Horrid. Shameful. Stop making trash like this and putting a 1000% markup on it. Just stop. Edit: I 3D printed some small mods. They could have used a little more tweaking, but they came out well enough on the first try and this thing isn't worth any more effort. I made a "puck" to hold the magnets and keep the spring aligned - and it's just the right size to freely move in the bore without binding or flopping around. I also opened the top hole up to 3/8" and then printed a bushing that gives more contact area with a tighter fit. Both the puck and the bush have recesses to keep the spring centered. It now functions the way it should, and the pickup & release actions are quite strong and snappy. I'm not happy that I paid retail price for junk that I had to spend an entire day and a bunch of filament to fix, but it is what it is. At least now it's worth roughly what I originally paid. ...ish...

The Magnetic Separator Pick-up Tool is very effective for metal items that may be difficult to grasp because they are too small or caught in a tight spot, or there are just too many scattered about. This tool is amazingly helpful in my daily life. What makes it so convenient is it's compact, so I can carry it in a pocket, and it is easy to use. It works great for me. If like me, you work with nails, screws or any metal items that aren’t too large, or things that become difficult to pull together and organize, then this tool will work really well for you too. It has a quick-release handle, with a spring inside, which allows you to release the magnet and any attached items quickly. I found it most useful for cleaning-up my sewing projects with pins and needles at large. It was also amazingly helpful in my renovation jobs, putting together the screws, nuts and bolts and just cleaning-up. I find it very useful and I like it a lot, and it's very modestly priced.

This poor magnet isn’t really strong enough to pick up anything of 8 pounds (LBS). The front plate pops off easily and arrived off. I just wanted it to pick up screws. Didn’t pick up nearly enough to save time. I would suggest this unless you’re blind or in a black out room.