Gadget Review: TiMaG Magnets

There’s always a little extra boost you feel inside when you’re able to help someone with a personal project. That’s why sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and others have all made such a splash and turned crowdsourcing into a completely viable source of venture capital. Yet, many of those projects either never reach their funding goals or fall apart after the fact due to lack of business sense or expertise.

Not so with this one. The man behind the TiMag is a crowdsourcing pro, both as a funder and a creator, and his passion for it is clearly evident on his web page. Add to that the fact he completely annihilated his funding goal by finishing 3,324% above the finish line.

So let’s take a look at what drove the donation crowd into such a frenzy.

The TiMaG magnets are as he describes, “a push pin for metal!” A simple idea, but not simple to accomplish. Brad Martin is a tinkerer extraordinaire. Combine that with a love for magnets and metals and you get the TiMaG series. They boast a 5.5-pound pull, which is deceptively strong for something so tiny.

One of the points I found particularly nifty about this is its versatility. You can attach it to any metal surface and hang various items, like your keys, work badges, even your digital camera (trust me, I tried it.)

That usage should be somewhat straightforward, but what about moving it along your walls to find metal brackets or stud screws underneath? That wasn’t even near the surface of my mind, but after looking at the Kickstarter page I found that suggestion and gave it a shot. Once again, total success.

Brad’s company, Tactical Keychains, shows off a number of projects he has created over the years, but you can find the TiMaG series there at incredibly affordable prices (I would list the prices here, but they might be even lower by the time you read this.) After testing out the two I have (which are the “machined” version), I can tell you these will last a long, long time. As long as you don’t lose them, they should never get weaker or fail you along the way.

As he mentions on the site, these are strictly for adults (not in a naughty way.) They are tiny and can easily be swallowed by infants and toddlers, so if you order some be very careful where you leave them out.

The TiMaG magnet is once again proof that passion for creating things can bring the whole world something it never thought it needed.