subject: Wiha 40010 Magnetizer or Demagnetizer best price [print this page] Wiha 40010 Magnetizer or Demagnetizer best price
Wiha 40010 Magnetizer or Demagnetizer
This is a great gadget to have in the field or at your bench. It is very compact and super simple to use. I got it because I frequently work with teeny (0 & 00) screws and having a magnetized driver makes life so much easier. It is also wonderful with #2 and #3 bits if you're working in a cramped space and don't have enough hands to hold the fastener, the tool, and the item you're trying to install.
This is a simple, inexpensive device that really works well, within limitations. The magnetizer works great. Slowly inserting a tool (made of a metal capable of being magnetized) into the + chamber and then slowly retracting it readily magnetizes it. Works great when you want screwdrivers to grab onto screws.
Demagnetizing a tool, however, is more difficult. To thoroughly demagnetize a tool, you probably need an electromagnetic degaussing coil. This much simpler device is OK, but a bit tricky to use. As others have noted, there are no instructions included. The - chamber has a series of steps, and it's not obvious what their purpose is. I contacted Wiha tech support, and they responded promptly (two service reps sent e-mail). Below are their instructions. It is important to note that the tool tip can be so strongly magnetic that the screw or other part it touches can itself become magnetized. So to test the demagnetizer, you need to test the demagnetized tip on a fresh (previously unmagnetized) part; otherwise, if the part itself is magnetized, you would incorrectly conclude that the demagnetizer didn't work.
From Wiha tech support:
"You put the screwdriver blade slowly in and out of the + side to magnetize and slowly in and out of the - side to demagnetize.
If you are having trouble demagnetizing put the blade in slowly at the top of the demagnetizing side, walk it down the steps and then remove.
Magnetism transfers so you need to be careful to not keep magnetized and demagnetized items together. Parts under 1" in length or 1/8" diameter may not demagnetize. (Do not use a paper clip to check if a tool is demagnetized, because of the size once it is magnetized it cannot be demagnetized and transfers the magnetism back to the other tool.)
Also if you are trying to demag an item with larger mass it will take repeated attempts to demag it."
I needed another magnetizer, as the one I have is over 20 years old and I lost half of it - there was a rubber band type attachment holding the two pieces together. I bought this hoping it would be better then the half of the 20 year old metal one - I was disappointed. It works, but not as good as the half of the 20 year old one. I wonder if I removed the green casing, it might magnetize better, or maybe the green casing is holding it together, so removing the green might break it. Overall, it is ok - but I would give it a below average rating. It is good for small metal screws, but will only slightly magnetize a medium screwdriver. What bug me about this one is that it worse then the 20 year old piece I am still using. Wish I could find the other half, if I did not discard it. And, yes it would be nice to have some directions as to what the right side steps are for. They could have put some directions on the back of the package or a small insert.
This review is of the Wiha model no. 40010 Magnetizer/Demagnetizer. Although it is not tremendously strong, DIY and other folks who work with things like small metal screws will benefit from this little seafoam green near-cube. (The exterior proportions are indeed 2 x 2 x 1 deep, specifically 2 x 2 x 1 inches or 5 x 5 x 2.5 cm, despite what product info. says.) I was easily able to magnetize the tip of my Xuron LX Micro Shear Flush Cutter (q.v.), using just a few in-and-out passes, sufficient to gather a small screw or several plastic-coated paper clips.
Probably the nicest "extra" this model has is that it has a second chamber to DE-magnetize. As others have said, this demagnetizer works best when the item at hand is inserted at the top step (in and out), then to the next lower step (repeat), and on to the bottom step. It demagnetized my Shear Flush Cutter almost as handily as it magnetized it; yet, in short order I was able to RE-magnetize the tool by using the opposite chamber as before! Great! Also, the less-than-common color will make it easier to locate.
If there is a fly in this ointment, it is that the good people at Wiha should have known that many of their potential customers, even those heavy into DIY, electronics or work with small tools, will not know exactly how to use the demagnetizing chamber. As others and I have said, the "stairstep" method works quite well, but can be a frustration to those who haven't encountered this design before. IMHO the company ought to print a simple set of instructions (which are, indeed, simple) right on the back of the product card that comes inside the product's clamshell box.
Proud to say this item is made in the U.S.A. And, probably needless to say, keep it away from wristwatches and sensitive electronic material.
