DIYMAG Double Sided 1300LB Kit — A Lot of Pull for $30
The DIYMAG Double Sided 1300LB Kit packs serious pull force into a sub-$30 budget kit, making it a strong starting point for anyone just getting into magnet fishing.
Thirty bucks. That's it. And you're getting a double-sided magnet rated at 1300 pounds of pull force. I know how that sounds — I was skeptical too — but DIYMAG has been around long enough that it's not a mystery brand dropping junk on Amazon. This is real gear at a price that makes sense for someone just starting out.
The double-sided design is actually the thing that makes this interesting at this price point. Most budget kits give you a single-sided magnet and call it a day. This one searches both directions, which matters more than people realize when you're dragging along a concrete bridge ledge or a silty canal bottom.
It's not premium. Nobody's pretending it is. But for under $30, it's hard to find anything with this much capability.
When I first picked this thing up out of the box I noticed two things — it's heavier than it looks in the photos, and the threading on the eyebolt felt solid. Not "premium hardware" solid, but solid enough that I wasn't immediately looking for a replacement. That matters because the eyebolt is the failure point on cheap magnets. I've had one strip on me mid-drag — water was maybe four feet deep, magnet was pulling on something stuck in the mud, and the whole thing just gave out. Didn't lose the magnet that time but it was close. So yeah, I check threads now before I trust anything.
I took this out to a spot I like off an old railroad bridge over a slow river — not going to name it because I don't need company — and the double-sided design immediately made sense. I was getting hits on the top face while dragging, which doesn't happen with a single-sided setup. Pulled up a busted padlock and what I'm pretty sure was a 1970s-era horseshoe on the first session. Not exactly treasure, but it tells you the magnet's actually working.
The 1300lb rating is combined across both faces, so it's not like each side is doing 1300. Just want to be clear about that because the marketing on these things can be a little slippery. Still — the pull you actually feel on the rope is real. This thing grabbed onto a submerged pipe and I had to brace against the bridge rail to break it free.
The rope it comes with is fine. Not great, not terrible.
My one actual complaint is the case — or really the lack of a proper one. It comes with a bag that I've already started treating as disposable. The magnet itself picks up everything within arm's reach when you're trying to pack up, so you end up doing this awkward dance trying to get it back into the bag without it latching onto your zipper pull or your keys or whatever's in your pocket. A better case would've been nice. It's a small thing but after the fourth or fifth session it gets old.
For someone buying their first kit — maybe a kid who got into this from a YouTube video, maybe an adult who wants to try it before committing to a real budget — this is a genuinely good starting point. You're not going to outgrow the pull force immediately. The double-sided design means you're fishing more of the water column. And $29.99 is the kind of price where if something does go wrong, you shrug and move on.
I'd buy it again as a loaner kit, honestly. The kind of thing you hand to a friend who wants to come along and see what this is about, without handing them something you'd be upset to see dropped off a bridge — which has happened to me, not with this magnet, but the possibility is always there.
