Neosmuk 40lb Countersunk Magnets — For the Tinkerers

I picked these up because I had an idea. Not a fully formed idea — more like a vague sense that I wanted to build a small retrieval frame out of aluminum bar stock and mount a few magnets to it flush, so nothing was sticking out to catch on rocks. The countersunk design on these was exactly what made that possible.

The magnets themselves are solid. Small, heavier than they look, and the pull force is real — 40lbs sounds modest until you accidentally let one snap against your workbench and spend the next ten minutes trying to pry it off. I've got a small scar on my thumb from a similar situation with a different batch of countersunk magnets, so I was already handling these with a little more respect than they probably deserved.

The screw-mount setup works exactly as advertised.

I mounted four of them into a piece of 1/4-inch MDF just to test the holding strength before committing them to actual metal — probably overkill, but I wanted to see how the screws seated. They went in clean. No wobble, no countersink issues, the magnet face sat flush. That's the thing about this design: when it works, it really works, and when it doesn't — usually because you're working with material that's too thin — you know immediately.

Now, are they going to replace a 500lb double-sided fishing magnet? Obviously not. That's not what they are. I think where people go wrong is expecting these to perform like something they were never designed to be. Use them in a DIY rig where you need secure, flush-mount attachment points and suddenly 40lbs per magnet adds up fast — stack four of them and you're in a different conversation.

One specific thing I'll say: I tried a version of this with some cheaper countersunk magnets from a different brand, and the coating started chipping after a few outings in wet conditions. These have held up better. Not flawless — there's a small scratch on one from where it contacted a concrete bridge support and I'm watching it — but the nickel plating feels more substantial than what I was using before.

They're not weatherproofed in any serious way, so keep that in mind.

If you're a beginner and you're thinking about getting into magnet fishing, these are not your starting point. Get a proper cup magnet with a bolt hole and some paracord and go find bikes in a canal. These are for the person who's already done that, found three shopping carts and a very corroded gun (presumably decommissioned sometime around 1987), and is now sitting in their garage wondering if they can build something better. That person — you know who you are — will find a use for these.

I'd buy them again for the right project. Already thinking about round two of the frame idea, this time with a proper steel base instead of the MDF test version.