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.

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!

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.

What’s left of a Kansas City cow after all the steaks are gone? Lots of leather! (Think buckskin, not biker jacket.) You choose from: 1) The one-piece Lace Leather Belly in traditional brown, black, gray and similar shades. Really more of a long half-belly, this solid piece of leather is between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 sq feet. Ours was approx 10-1/2” wide x 45” long x 1/8” thick. 2) A pack of Leather Strips. Ours was a very assorted 2 lbs of strips and larger pieces of leather, 1/16” to 1/8” thick, in rust and brown. 3) The Farmer Bundle Repair Bag, 2 lbs of scraps in various colors. Ours contained a solid 12” x 8” piece and a very large bundle of brown leather thongs 47” long x approx 1/8” square. 4) The colorful Craft Leather Belly. Sized like the traditional ones, but in reds, blues, greens, yellows and other rainbowesque colors. Available only in limited quantities and we'll pick the color that best suits you. Lots of variety, and lots of heavy leather for the price.

We think of these as industrial worry beads, but they're really 5/16" dia (8mm) steel ball bearings, ready to be put to whatever ball-bearing uses you might have. Our each is a pack of (50), which should cover a lot of worries, and whatever else you can come up with.

See psychedelic patterns the safe way! Press your hand on this 6" x 6" sheet of liquid crystal and leave a print of swirling colors that, like the mood ring of yore, you can use as a sign of your mood. The pattern will blend and fade in seconds as the crystals react to temperature. Tiny liquid crystals inside the film-like material react to heat, 25-30°C (77-86°F) by changing colors. As science, it demonstrates the way liquid crystal displays work. And you can cut it into pieces to incorporate into a science project. Or just leave it out for guests to play with when the party turns boring.

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.

Or just stop worrying about the line breaking. Battlecord is skinny but megatough stuff. And this one is a 50-foot length of black cord rated for 2,650 lb test. Measures 1/4” dia with a 7-strand core and is rot, mildew and UV resistant. Made in the USA for Atwood Rope.

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 1/4" 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. 

It's easier to see. Our each is (100) feet of 3/32" dia high visibility neon-green type-III paracord. Made of 7-strand, 550-lb test nylon, it's color-fast and resistant to rot, UV light and mildew. A camper's dream! Also makes really snazzy bootlaces.

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.

This small stainless steel fine-mesh filter is 2" dia x 1-1/2" tall. It has fine mesh sides, a solid plastic bottom and slight lip around the top. Nice for small filtering jobs, but would also make a passable basket for a gerbil hoops game.

Rare earth magnets are usually killers for their size, and these thick nickel neodymium discs are no exception. The price, on the other hand, for (3) 7/16" dia x 1/4" 5-lb lift or (2) 15/32” dia x 3/16” 8-lb lift magnets each stored on a 2" dia steel disc, is a rare exception.

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.

Add a door/drawer pull to any ferrous surface with this 1" dia x 1/4" thick neodymium disc in a polished sleeve with a 3/16" dia hole in a stand-off. Comes with a 1" slip-ring attached, and hangs on for 22 lbs worth. Plenty handy for hanging stuff from other stuff, too.

Our each is 100 feet of of paracord (tactical cord) from Atwood Rope Mfg. Measures 3/32" dia (think round shoelace) with (4) internal strands and a 275-lb test strength. UV inhibited; rot and mildew resistant. In assorted solid and blended colors, from which we'll pick because we have impeccable taste in cordage.

We wouldn't try to capture 'gators with it, but this 4-ft x 6-ft black nylon, elastic (not-un-bungie-like) cargo net should trap anything else in the back of the pickup, van or kids' bedrooms. Stretches to about 6' x 9', with openings that are 7" square, stretching to maybe a foot, and 16 carabiner-style plastic hooks. Or just hang a couple on a wall for a nice Spiderman effect.

Put 'em on a sheet of paper (or glass, or plastic, or any number of things), put a magnet underneath, and watch them do what iron filings do when they meet a magnet. Weird fun coupled with basic physics. Our each is 3/8 oz, which is approx 146 gazillion iron filings, and pure hell to clean up unless you have one of our handy-dandy aforementioned magnets!