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In Rob's own words: It is meant for pancake magnets only although if there was enough interest I could probably cast one for others as well. The price is 35.00 to include shipping. The tool is made from industrial grade poly urethane resin with additives to help make the tool more durable. The compass is a Suunto oil filled unit. I did a lot of testing to see which of the compass's had the best movement and this won out. Most of the other oil filled units had too thick oil and wouldn't react fast enough. The cheaper non-oil filled compass's reacted fast enough but the quality was so poor that I didn't want to use them. If you need any other information E-mail me or call me at 520-270-1322. I am always happy to talk slots. | ||||||||||
Mongrel Magnet Matcher (Rob Rose) is a bit of a Rube Goldberg device. It looks like a clever idea, cobbled together, to do one job, and do it well. But, how well does it perform? First, what exactly do you get with this package? You get a Magnet Matcher, of course, and a marvelous little manual, that is both informative, amusing, and a little bit confusing. For example, the warranty states that Rob will fix anything that fails for a maximum of $10. I chuckled at that. For confusing, we find this paraphrasing, " I have it on good authority that Magnet Matcher is very accurate. Your readings may very due to your relationship to the equator". I guess that's also amusing, at the same time. The MM appears to be indestructible. Not small enough to carry in your average kit box, but if you had to defend yourself, this could be your weapon of choice. It is simple, clever, durable, and well put together. The parts all function without binding. That turns out to be very important. I never realized how sensitive a compass could be. That is a major factor in getting good readings. If you can find yourself a table in the center of a large gymnasium, that isn't over an iron deposit, you probably are in the right spot. An alternative is any level spot that is at least 3 feet away from metal objects. The general idea is to rotate the device until the compass points East/West (right/bottom). Then, place the magnet in the holder, and slide it forward. The instructions say, when you reach 45 degrees from East or West, depending on the polarity of the magnet, you then slide it forward until the North/South needle reverses. Take the measurement off the end of the tool. That works as described. There is a scale taped on the MM to help you. No specific point is marked, but there are many on the device to choose from, or simply make a line with permanent ink. So, how accurate is it? I think it's as accurate as anything else out there, unless you spent hundreds on a gauss meter. It takes a little practice, and some math, to determine what is 45 degrees from 90 or 270. This can be remedied simply, by putting a permanent mark on the face of the magnet. We suggest Mongrel do it for you. One other addition could be a non-slip pad on the bottom. I am going to add one mself. The price is $35, includes S&H. It is a good, cheap alternative to expensive devices, and is simple to use. I questioned the accuracy at first, but as I practiced using it, I could see that I was getting better at it. Might be a good addition to any Clubs tool kit. | ||||||||||
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