Our thinner picker-upper, but with a powerful 5-lb-pull, 9/16" dia magnet on the business end (for spilled nails, the screw that rolled under the stove, or the heavy wrench you dropped into the sump). The 5/16" dia x 5-1/4" long 4-draw barrel extends to a full two feet. Has a convenient pocket clip.

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.

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.

Hang it all with this set of (10) magnetic hooks. The 1-3/16" long x 9/64" hooks screw into 1-3/8" dia magnetic bases with an approx 8-lb pull, which is lighter than most jackets and keys. Good for horizontal or vertical mounts, and dandy for adding hooks to gym or school lockers.

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.

Beats us, frankly, but this black plastic cover, 1-3/4” x 1-1/2” x 1/4” (not unlike a tiny toilet seat cover) is hiding a really nice 1” dia x 1/8” (think: quarter size) plated neodymium magnet, with at least a 8-lb pull, inside. The mystery is that the cover won’t open unless you break it. The magnet grabs fine in the case or out of it. Tap it on its side with a hammer to crack open the case and reveal nothing but magnet.

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.

Now you can have a good, strong hook without drilling any holes. This plated magnetic hook sticks to any ferrous metal surface via a 2" dia alnico magnet with a 10-12 pound pull. Handy gadget to hold a tool, towel, broom or key ring (and if the ring is too heavy, consider throwing away the keys to your 1983 Chevy, and maybe a few more). The 3/4" long J-hooks have threaded ends and are removable. Our each is a package of (2).

Coated white, these ceramic magnets look kind of like little donuts, each 7/8" dia x 1/2" thick with an 11/32” ID and a pull of approx 1 lb. Extremely handy for the fridge, steel file cabinet or wherever you hang photos, notes to self, to-do lists and stuff you tear out of magazines and newspapers.