Halder, a European brand that makes excellent rubber mallets and dead-blow hammers, offers a magnetic holder that can be used to hang all manners of tools, accessories, and supplies.
Halder describes their magnetic holder as a multi-functional and versatile mount for [air] blow-off guns, cables, tubes, clothing, barrier tape, and much more.
The Halder magnetic holder features 6 neodymium magnets for “tremendous holding force.”
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It has two zones with different diameters, allowing it to hold a range of different types of objects.
The holder has a “rugged plastic design” and “rubber-encased contact surface” that is non-marring and oil-resistant.
It weighs just 9 ounces (250 g).
There are two color options, blue (3688.002) and black (3688.003).
Price: $25-30
At the time of this post, the blue holder is temporarily out of stock, and the black one is in limited availability.
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In my opinion, the Halder magnetic holder seems highly convenient, but pricey.
I don’t recall seeing any magnetic holders quite like this one, but it looks handy, and the design could be easy to adapt into DIY holders made from common materials.
Jared
I’m not implying it is similar, but it made me think of the Lee Valley tool stand-off: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/storage-and-organization/magnetic/41734-standoff-magnetic-tool-holder
The pitfall with most magnetic hooks and holders is that although they stay stuck to the metal surface, I find they often slide down on me. Presumably this version with 6 magnets ought to be powerful enough to prevent that .
MoogleMan3
A thin piece of silicone cut from a silicone baking mat (cheap on amazon) alleviates that issue.
Koko The Talking Ape
Yeah, I like those little guys. They’re cleverly designed so that the top magnet is weaker than the base magnet, so if you yank a tool off, it won’t pull off the stand-off along with it.
Sliding is an issue, but LV also sells little high-friction stickers for that
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/hardware/rare-earth-magnets/accessories/friction-discs/101988-high-friction-discs-for-rare-earth-magnets
Or a thin piece of silicone as Moogle suggests. I imagine you could even put a thin coat of silicone sealant on the bottom. Apply a dab and then it set on something smooth and nonstick, with a few grains of sand or something to act as a stand-off and create a thin film between. Let harden and trim.
Bonnie
This seems handy, but also quite niche. You need a strong enough metal surface to hold these, and I doubt most cheap metal garage cabinets would suffice. Maybe a heavy floor-standing cabinet, but those aren’t always where you want to hang things. Heavy tool bases would work, but those are going to be down low and often inconvenient. Plus for this price you can buy a whole bag of cheaper hooks that’ll handle lightweight things (they show a roll of tape in the ads)
Koko The Talking Ape
Yep, though I bet cheap garage cabinets could hold up extension cords or hearing protectors like in the photos. And if you do have a steel surface handy, it’s not so easy to use it for storage UNLESS you use magnets. You could use double-stick tape, construction cement, etc. but they all have their downsides.
JoeM
Well… That seems like a really nice device, well manufactured. I believe Halder is one of the better trusted names in Europe, if I’m not mistaken.
that said… One could easily get some threaded rod, some bolts and/or tap a hole in the surface of a 2×4, or similar thick support, and then use plastic spacers or washers (depending on how far apart you wanted them on the threaded rod) and then just apply some of these Lee Valley Ring Magnets along it, and accomplish the same thing.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/hardware/rare-earth-magnets/magnets/ring/40075-rare-earth-ring-magnets
It really, genuinely, depends on what you need the holder for. Row of tools? Do you have enough metal up there to hold what you want to hold up there? Cool, the Halder would probably do a great job. You have to physically mount it so it doesn’t have a chance to move? Threaded Rod thing I just mentioned. Would probably be pennies on the dollar compared to the Halder as a bonus.
But that isn’t to detract from the Lee Valley tool holders, or the Halder either. I think all of these solutions have their own specific usage cases. We all just have to find what works best for us. The Halder definitely has a place when it is all by itself, it’s the largest of the solutions here. I guess it comes down to user’s discretion?
fred
Could certainly stick to the side of my 300lb. anvil and hang horseshoes over it – at least before the horseshoes get placed in the forge. Just kidding – since I have the old anvil but neither horseshoes nor a forge.
All kidding aside, I can picture one or more of these stuck to the side of a trolley tool cart rolling around a shop somewhere in Westphalia.
JoeM
I can picture it all over the place, fred. I just don’t feel the need to limit it to a single use scenario. As long as it has something to hold onto, and what is hanging off it doesn’t pull it off the spot, it’s useful. And the number of things it’s useful for aren’t limited to what they have shown as examples, either.
I think, just out of my own personal method of thinking, that any other alternatives for it, are for situations where this exact device either can’t hold on due to insufficient surface area to grab, or there’s no metal surface to grab onto. That’s about it. The same magnetic holder principle can be scaled to practically any size, given the right replacement parts.
Is it wrong of me, fred, that I’m actually shocked you don’t own an Anvil? I’m not particularly convinced you would use it for any of its intended purposes, but I am certainly shocked you don’t actually own one, out of all the historical tools you collect… no Anvil? Not even an Anvil Shaped Object? That seems odd to me… I would’ve thought you’d at least have one set up as a counterweight to help you lift things urgently, or something of that magnitude?
fred
It’s a forge that I never acquired. The no-name anvil – with railroad spikes holding it to an old sawn-off tree trunk – was inherited from a relative (born in the 19th century – 2 generations back) – and not sure if he ever used it for its intended purpose. I’m only guessing about its weight based on its dimensions. But I don’t try to move it out of its corner in the garage – and generally use the flat on my big vise or a bench block in my shop when I need to pound on something.
JoeM
Oh! My bad, fred. I am not surprised you have an Anvil now. A forge? I dunno. You always seem to know more about Carpentry, Cabinetry, and Metalwork than in Smith work… Or at least I’ve never, personally, witnessed you mention doing that level of metal shaping. More Welding and Soldering than turning ingots into products with a forge. Shaping sheet metal, or bending iron/metal into shapes don’t always require a forge, so I figured you’d have some sort of Anvil left over from some sort of need in life. Your skillset and knowledge base is pretty vast, and you always have amazing stories about where you got your experience.
As to the backs of Vises… I think some time in the 1940’s, the trend of having heavy weights to a bench vise did take over for a Blacksmith’s Anvil. I don’t think that has stopped the production of Blacksmith’s Anvils at all though, as people still bend decorative bar by hand these days. There are ASOs (Anvil-Shaped Objects) as well, that I know of, and they’re not as well tempered, or hardened as the full sized Blacksmith Anvil… I think they’re more commonly known as… Bench Top Anvils? I’m happy to be wrong on any of this. These are the kinds of topics where I love to learn about them. So, please, feel free to correct anything I say here, as anyone that has more experience than I do is a welcomed teacher to me.
Thanks again, fred! You never cease to inform, and enhance, my knowledge in the world! You have a knack for educating, especially the thick-skulled types like me! We’re hard to teach, when we have so much info stuffed in our heads already! You are a welcomed replacement for any tech manual on these subjects!
Chris
Learn to use a 3D printer and buy a pack of magnets and you’ll be able to make thousands of things like this.
Tim B.
That’s exactly where my thought process was heading….
Koko The Talking Ape
Yep. Or just build one from plywood and closet rod.
Stuart
I was thinking hole saw or circle cutter jig plus dowel rod.
Products like this can be worth the money if you need a ready to go solution, but I also post about them for inspirational purposes.
If anyone does adapt this design into a DIY holder, I’d love to see it!
Koko The Talking Ape
Exactly, hole saw, and maybe a thin wedge to flare the dowel end in the hole, to make sure it’s tight. Or maybe a thin plywood gusset set into a groove routed in the plywood.
And then drill shallow holes for the magnets, mounted in steel cups to increase their strength. Lee Valley sells them. Then add some kind of thin friction tape or something.
And absolutely, I appreciate seeing these products for all the ideas they can spark!
Koko The Talking Ape
One improvement I would make is build a lever into the base to pop the base up thing off when you move it. It would be simple and cheap to add. If it’s held in place by the rubber base sheet, it doesn’t even need an axle pin. There featherboards and such that have that kind of magnetic “switch”.
Stuart
I was wondering how easy it is to remove these from steel surfaces, and ordered one to find out.
Koko The Talking Ape
Cool! Let us know.
In my very limited experience, a magnet strong enough to keep a secure grip is too strong to let go easily. The big issue, as Jared points out, is overcoming the tendency to slide, which might require a much stronger magnet than is actually required to cling to a metal surface without falling off. So pulling off the magnet can be really difficult, even while the thing is sliding to the floor. Hence the need for a friction pad (which this thing seems to have) and maybe a lever to help pry the thing off.
Davethetool
Been using magnetic hooks on toolboxes for years! Obviously neodymium magnets are the ones to use! The tuff part is finding the right size hook vs size of magnet. More diameter usually means more holding power ie I have two different sets with screw in hooks. Though the hooks are the same size the larger diameter ones are nearly twice as strong so pay attention to the diameter of
Hooks base before ordering. Also will mention the holding power normally advertised is when the magnet is used in overhead situations so using a magnetic hook to hold something on the side of a toolbox physics kicks in and the holding power vastly declines! I also use some magnets that have 3M tape on one side and a thin rubber pad on the tool holding side. These types of magnets are usually found as “cell phone” holders and utilize multiple small magnets similar to the one in the article. Can usually get them for $2-3 a piece. Great for holding wrenches l, small cutters pliers etc in handy areas!
As far as the magnet in the article, WAY over priced IMO. Should be 2-4 units at this price.
Franco
This looks pretty nice, my only issue is that it is not cheap ($$$).
I use magnets to hang all kind of items on my cabinets in my garage. Some are cheaper, thinner gauge metal, others are thick quality metal…they all stick and hold very well.
I had bought these for their intended use…
https://www.princessauto.com/en/magnetic-paper-towel-holder/product/PA0008790750
When on special I get them for $7.00 and being the GRIP brand, I am sure they can be found at many online stores
But later found that each side can be used as a hook turning them 90 degrees. Probably not as strong as the Halder, magnet wise, but still good for many items. So, 2 decent hooks for $3.50 each.
Also, these at 40 lbs are very strong. I put one on the side of my Beach tool cabinet, could not get it off. I had to slide it to the edge and it took some paint with it. Again, I have seen these at other online websites. I got them here because they were $4 each at the time. These might hold as much as the Halder…maybe.
So those Halder look nice but at $25, I can’t see myself buying them.