Dropped $80 on a magnetic bowl for bolts, it just flew off and took my lunch with it

Jessica Walker · 2026-03-11T09:00:08.297087+00:00

Was up on a catwalk over a tank and the whole thing slid right into the muck. Anyone got a better system that doesn't involve fishing tools out of sludge?

the_cole7mo ago

That exact thing happened to my buddy at the auto shop last month, lost a whole set of socket heads into an oil drain. It feels like half the magnetic stuff sold now has a weak grip. I've started just using a heavy metal tray with a big lip, the kind you'd get at a restaurant supply store. It's not fancy but it doesn't go anywhere, and if it tips, everything stays in the bowl.

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jamiesingh6mo ago

Sounds like magnets just hate holding onto things lately.

1

park.nathan7mo ago

My cousin's magnetic parts tray slid right off a fender and into a full bucket of parts washer fluid. He just uses a deep plastic bin now, nothing fancy.

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