Magnetic lapel pin backs have become very popular and it’s easy to understand why. On paper they make a lot of sense. By using a magnet you don’t have to pierce through your garment. Makes sense….right? Well in our experience many customers who make the switch to magnetic backs eventually switch back to traditional clutch backs. Here are five factors to consider when your customer asks for a magnetic back on their lapel pin.

1. Magnets can be difficult to wear:
   When you put it on, you have to line up both pieces exactly for the best results. Typically the magnet attachment is small so it can be difficult for older folks to place the main piece on the clothing while trying to hold the small attaching piece in their other hand and then reaching into their clothing to line up the two pieces properly. At least with the military clutch, the “pinching” area of the clutch gives you something to hold on to.
2. The “attaching” magnet piece is easily lost:
   If it is not lined up properly and a good connection is not made, you will lose your magnet attachment and possibly your main pin. If you lose the “attaching” magnet part, your main pin now becomes useless and you may as well throw it away. On the other hand, if this pin had a standard military clutch back and you lost the clutch, it is a safe bet that you would be able to find a replacement clutch right in your jewelry or accessory box (whether you are a male or a female.)
3. The pin is more easily lost.
   Although the factory will use “rare earth magnets” that possess a very strong magnetic field, the connection can still easily be broken. Your clients should take care when putting on a coat or a sweater or bumping into someone or something….anything that can cause the cause the magnetic field to be broken so that you do not lose your pin or attaching magnet.
4. The pin/magnet connection is prone to failure.
   Magnets can not be fused or soldered to a pin – therefore they are glued in place with strong epoxy glue. However, no glue will ever be as strong as a mechanical bond (like is used to attach a traditional nail to the emblem back). The rare earth magnets are so strong, sometimes the constant pulling of the magnetic fields from the main pin to the “attaching” magnet causes the magnet that is glued to the back of the main pin to become unglued. It would not be unusual to find someone wearing only two magnets on their shirt – the main pin has come unglued and has fallen off and is gone forever!
5. Handling a bunch of magnets can be tricky!
   Let’s say you order 500 pins with magnetic backs.  They’ll typically be individually polybagged.  500 magnets create quite a strong magnetic field!  When you unpack them, they’ll try to stick to your desk, your stapler, anything made of steel.  Then at the end of the day, you take the pin off, put it on your bureau, and the next morning you find it stuck to your keys.  Magnets can be a pain!
   

– by Elaine DeSimone

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 8:19 am and is filed under Design and Manufacturing, Product Use / Case studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.