Magnet Expert/First4Magnets

I have a thing about magnets (along with a great many other things) so when Jonathan from Magnet Expert Ltd e-mailed asking if I would be interested in him sending me a sample pack of his wares, there was no way I was going to say "no"!

And what a little parcel of goodies it turned out to be …. These circular 20mm dia. self-adhesive magnets are capable of holding up  a sheet of A4 paper and as soon as I saw them I thought fridge magnets! They cost £4.22 (inc VAT) for an A4 sheet of 88 magnetic dots – which works out at just under 5p each. 

http://www.first4magnets.com/flexible-magnetic-dots-43-c.asp

Then there are these 8mm dia. magnets which are really powerful considering their size and I just love that they are self adhesive, as I am never sure what glue to use on a magnet.  They are  made from a material called “Neodymium” and are, it says in the blurb, the strongest commercial magnet you can buy. They are a little more expensive at £6 for 20, not cheap, but they work out cheaper if bought in bulk.

http://www.first4magnets.com/8mm-dia-x-1mm-disc---02kg-pull-with-3m-self-adhesive-233-c.asp

Finally the pull on these babies is absolutely unbelievable, believe me, you really have to pull to get them to budge.

They work out at £10.20 for 10, a little expensive but for holding up a heavy calendar fridge magnet, these would be perfect, as there would be no worries about piling on heavy embellishments etc. because believe me these wouldn’t move even if a hurricane swept through your kitchen!

To test them out I put one on the back of this birdhouse that I am planning to decorate over the Easter holiday and stuck it on my fridge  ….. it didn’t budge

http://www.first4magnets.com/f301n---10mm-dia-x-5mm-thick-x-32mm-csink--neodymium-magnet---2kg-pull-north-x10-b17y-25-p.asp

Jonathan also included some tiny weeny weeny magnets which I couldn’t think of a use for but he explained that Printers often use and conceal them in restaurant menus and stationary folders to create a firm gentle clasp when closed……. so now I am thinking special cards (for adults, as I wouldn't put them on a childs card for health and safety reasons) and clasps on handbag favours …….

But, with all reviews, the proof of the product is in the crafting, so I decided to test some out on  a set of fridge magnets, using a few of the Jenga blocks I found in a charity shop the other week.

My magnet of choice would undoubtedly be the flexible dots as I am familiar with them already, but I decided to use the 8mm self adhesive ones for this project as I had never used anything like them before and see how they coped with a small but bulky block.

For the lettering I used my Brother P-Touch 1005 label maker, a Christmas present from Marc, which I adore ….. it can produce so many wonderful different styles of label, it’s a cardmakers dream!

Et voila …. dead chuffed!  I’ll admit to being a little dubious of the stickability factor of the adhesive on the back of the magnets, but once stuck they did not budge.

It’s really worth having a look at the first4magnets website, it’s fascinating especially the Applications Page ….. where there are some brilliant ideas, especially……..

http://www.first4magnets.com/ceramic-fridge-magnets-222-c.asp

http://www.first4magnets.com/craft-fridge-magnets--make-your-own-249-c.asp

http://www.first4magnets.com/is-it-time-to-use-some-magnets-220-c.asp

http://www.first4magnets.com/photo-fridge-magnets-228-c.asp

Magnets should always be used and stored sensibly away from children. These magnets can be extremely small and powerful. If swallowed, some magnets can be very harmful to someone’s health

The opinions on this review are my own.