What is a killer rare earth magnet? Well, once upon a time, a copywriter put this little magnet next to his computer monitor and got really pretty, wavy, aurora-like effects. And then got a new monitor! Don't try this at home. Our shiny, silver-colored 1" x 1" x 1/2" neodymium magnet looks innocent, but is industrial strength, pulling something like 25 lbs with enough strength left over to erase all your credit cards. And wreak havoc with your monitor.

Good things come in (2) different small packages. Our pocket microscopes are compact and perfect for a clear, close look at stamps, coins, flora, insects or assorted minutiae. The 30X version measures 5-3/4" x 1-5/8" x 3/4" in black plastic with a focus knob, on/off switch, small LED for illumination, and a vinyl carrying case. Requires (2) "AA"s. The 60X version is a microscopic 3-1/4" x 1-3/16" x 3/4" and has a built-in white LED illuminator powered by (3) coin-cell batteries that are included. Magnifies from 60-100X, with coarse- and fine-focus knobs, and has a vinyl carrying case.

It’s a cornucopia of stencils. All shapes, no alphabets. You’ll get a profusion of (8) clear acrylic stencil sheets, including: a raft of ovals; a preponderance of squares; a farrago of circles, hexagons, pentagons and triangles; a collection of a bunch of shapes, including trapezoids; a roomful of interior design shapes; a melange of electronic symbols; and an assortment we can’t altogether identify, but might be for printed circuit design. All have mm rules along at least one edge.

Donut magnet you can take to town!! 74mm dia x 14mm thick with a 30mm hole. Very strong and well pedigreed - in fact, its kin are activating pacemakers. They are of a high permeability ferrite material with a lovely light blue or white epoxy coating. Okay, we have them because there is the odd bubble, slight scratches or the word MAGNET painted in the coating which ruled them out of the medical ball, but they're fine company nonetheless. Good display bases, paper clip traps, and super for classroom demos.

Our each is a stack of (10) nickel-plated neodymium magnets. They measure 5/16” dia x 1/8” thick and have about 2 lbs of pull. We like them for light cabinet door latches or hanging your macaroni craft project very securely.

Can't beat a classic. These uncoated ceramic donut magnets have a 1-lb pull, which makes them dandy for classroom or refrigerator use. They measure 1-1/4" dia x 3/8" ID x 3/16" thick and are polarized on the faces. You get a wrapped roll of 29 donuts.

Pick up this 1-3/4" x 7/8" x 3/8" ceramic pick-up magnet while we still have it. It's in a heavy metal housing and has a stationary metal hoop, about 1/2" i.d., on top. The manufacturer tells us the magnet will grab up to 5 lbs of metal, however Pat and Magnet Testing Team #3 have repeatedly lifted 10+ lbs, so it's very strong. Especially if you're going to dangle it on the end of a cord to gather spilled nails or to fish your keys out of the lake/pond/sewer/drain!

Our each is a package of (2) steel tech rulers. One is 6” x 1/32” for the first 2-1/2” then 1/64” for the next 1/2” then 1/16” for the last 3”. The other is 150mm x 0.5mm. Both have sliding markers/pocket clips, and both have mm:inch tables on the reverse side. You’ll need excellent eyesight.

You get (8) fine point Sharpie® markers: black, blue, green, red, yellow, orange, purple and brown. Great for posters, labels and just general notes around the house. No charge for the pocket clips on the caps.

From Helix®, this 18" long aluminum U.S. Standard triangular architects' ruler/scale has color-coded facings and is divided into 3. 1-1/2, 1, 3/4, 3/8, 3/16, 3/32, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 inch per foot. Yes, you can use it even if you're not an architect.

This digital instant-read lab thermometer measures 8-1/4" long total with a 5" long stainless-steel probe that's resistant to most chemicals. Has a removable cover with a pocket clip, on/off button, and C or F readings (-50 to +300C, -58 to +572F). Button-cell battery included.  

Inside the lab, it's a standard translucent-white, LDPE-plastic wash bottle, 500ml/16oz, measuring 2-3/4" dia x 6-3/4 tall with a screwcap and a right-angle, 5/16" dia nozzle. Outside the lab, it's so pleasing to squeeze and squirt with that some of us keep them in the kitchen.

Voted most likely to attract by the judges, this magnet has the relative strength of 10 men. A shiny silver 1/2" cube of neodymium magnetism, it packs approx a 15-lb pull. If our boss Pat were that strong he could lift 2,160 lbs! Besides its superpower strength, this beautiful cube also would improve the looks of your fridge or bulletin board to no end.

Clip this little lighted scope onto your smart phone and use the phone's zoom feature to show images (and take photos) up to 30X magnification. Our Optics Guru Paul says it has no business working this well for under ten bucks. Measures 2-5/8" x 1-1/4" and comes with (3) replaceable button-cell batteries for the light. Fits most major brands, like iPhones and Androids and Windows (oh, my!), and probably most tablets, too.

Stainless steel mortar and pestle set. Mortar measures 5-1/4” dia x 3” on a 4” dia attached saucer-like base. Holds approx 250ml. Pestle is 6-3/4” long with 1-1/4” and 2” dia heads. Nice for the lab, or for folks who want everything in their stainless steel kitchen to be stainless steel. You know who you are. And we salute you.

If the question is whether to tie a bunch of these giant latex professional weather balloons to a lawn chair, the answer is no. (The balloon bursts at about 82,000 feet anyway.) This is a true high altitude weather balloon, with plenty of fun, nonfatal uses. The cream-colored latex balloon is approx 40" dia when flaccid, you should pardon the expression, but has an 8-foot dia when inflated. The neck is 9" long x 1" dia. Scientists and meteorologists launch balloons to measure atmospheric conditions like wind speed and air pressure for weather forecasting, but clever inventors, teachers and the imaginative filmmaker are warned to launch the balloon carefully. The synthetic rubber material is delicate and not made to survive brushes with pavement, pine branches, or clumsy physics students.

Red not available and only available in egg shell/cream color only.

Okay, it isn't the cheapest magnet in the warehouse - but we pulled about 35-40 pounds with this 4-7/8" x 1" x 3/4" ceramic magnet,  and we think it's a bargain. It has a 6" bracket with mounting holes on 5-1/2" centers, plus a 1/2" ID eyehook bolted into the center of it. It's all set to troll the bottom of the lake next time your filing cabinet falls overboard.

This plated N52 14,200 gauss neodymium magnet is shaped like a miniature silver ingot, measuring 1-1/2" long x 1/2" wide x 1/8-1/4" thick. Has a big hangonability quotient, which the manufacturer claims is 15 lbs of pull, meaning it's probably closer to 13 lbs. Impressive either way for such a cute little magnet.