It went down the back of the engine
A dropped bolt costs ten minutes. Every time.
It lands somewhere you can see but cannot reach — on the subframe, behind the alternator, under a bench that weighs more than you do. This is the tool for that minute: a pen-sized stainless shaft that telescopes out, with a magnet on the nose strong enough to lift a claw hammer and, on the LED version, a light so you can see what you are fishing for.
Up to 20 lb of pull
About 9 kg — a hammer hangs off it
Telescopes out in stages
Pen length in the pocket, arm's length in the gap
Three-LED head
Twist the cap on; batteries already fitted
Stainless shaft, pocket clip
Lives in an overall pocket, not a drawer
What it actually does
Reach, see, lift
Closed, it is the size of a fat pen and clips into a pocket. Pull the sections out and the magnet goes where your hand does not — down the side of a gearbox, behind a radiator, into the gap under a washing machine. The shaft is stainless, so a wet garage floor does not turn it into a rusted stub in a fortnight.
The magnet sits in a cup, which is what makes the numbers work: a cupped magnet concentrates its field on one face instead of spilling it out the back, so a small head still pulls hard on the side that matters.
The part nobody tells you
Twenty pounds is a laboratory number
A pull rating is measured one way: the magnet flat against a thick, clean, flat steel plate, pulled straight off. Every real job is worse than that test. A bolt lying on its side touches the magnet on a curve, so the contact patch is a fraction of the face. Paint, grease or a layer of grime adds an air gap, and magnetic force falls away sharply with distance. Reach through a hole and you are pulling at an angle, which peels the part off instead of lifting it.
So read the rating as a ceiling, not a promise. In practice the 8 lb head is a screws-and-washers tool — the size of thing that actually gets dropped — and the 20 lb head is what you want when the answer is a socket, a spanner or a bolt with some mass to it.
This is also why some buyers of the small version call the magnet weak. They are not wrong; they bought the light version for a heavy job. If you are fishing sockets out of an engine bay, take the 20 lb.
Five options
Light, or strength, or one of each
The two heads do different jobs, and they are not the same tool with a lamp bolted on: the LED version is the 8 lb head, the 20 lb version has no light. That is the whole decision — and the reason the mixed pair exists.
8 lb with LED — for the dark
Slimmer head with a three-LED lamp in the cap, twisted on and off. Right for screws, clips, washers and anything you have to find before you can lift it.
20 lb — for the weight
Bigger cupped magnet, no lamp. Right for sockets, spanners, larger bolts and anything you need to pull out at an angle.
One rod — either head on its own, if you know which job you have.
Two of the same — one for the van and one for the bench, or one for the garage and one for the kitchen drawer. They go missing exactly like pens do.
One of each — the pair most people end up with anyway: the lit one for finding, the strong one for lifting.
Straight answers
Three things we would rather you knew now
The light and the strong head are different tools. The LED is built into the 8 lb cap. There is no 20 lb version with a lamp, so if you want both you buy both — which is what the mixed pair is for.
Batteries are fitted, and they are the cheap kind. Three button cells come already in the head and work out of the box. Treat them as a demo set: when the light dims, the cap unscrews and they are a standard, inexpensive replacement.
It is a magnet, so keep it away from the obvious. Bank cards, hotel keys, mechanical watches, and anything medical that a magnet has no business near. It lives in a pocket happily; it should not live next to your wallet.
The specifics
Sizes and materials
Pull strength
Up to 20 lb (about 9 kg) on the large head; about 8 lb (3.6 kg) on the LED head
Shaft
Stainless steel, telescoping in stages — the maker states five
Light
Three LEDs in the magnetic cap — LED head only. Twist clockwise for on, anticlockwise for off
Power
Three button cells, fitted, user replaceable — unscrew the cap, positive towards the light
Handle
Moulded non-slip grip with a pocket clip on the shaft
Options
One rod or two, in 8 lb with LED, 20 lb, or one of each
Jobs
Engine bays, under benches and appliances, floor voids, drains, workshop floors
Not published
Closed and extended lengths — the supplier does not state them, so neither do we
Questions people ask
Before you order
Does the 20 lb version have a light?
No. The LED is in the 8 lb head. If you want light and lift, take the mixed pair — one of each — rather than expecting one tool to do both.
Will it really hold 20 lb?
On a clean, flat, thick steel plate pulled straight off — that is how the rating is measured. On a round bolt, through paint, or at an angle, expect a fraction of it. That is true of every magnetic pick-up tool, not just this one.
How long is it when extended?
The supplier does not publish the closed or extended length, and we will not invent a figure. What we can say from the tool itself: closed it is pen-sized and clips into a pocket, and it telescopes out in stages — the maker's own figure is five.
Are the batteries included?
Yes — three button cells come fitted in the LED head and work straight away. They are ordinary cells; when the light fades, unscrew the cap and replace them, positive side towards the light.
Will it pick up aluminium or stainless?
Only if it is magnetic. Aluminium, brass, copper and most austenitic stainless fasteners are not, so nothing will lift them. Steel screws, nuts, sockets and spanners are exactly what it is for.
Can I use it in water or a drain?
For a quick retrieval, yes — the shaft is stainless. Dry it afterwards: the joints between sections and the battery cap are not sealed, and water sitting inside is what eventually kills one of these.
Does it bend or flex when extended?
Fully out, it flexes — thin telescoping tube always does. Use the extension to reach, not to lever. If you need to drag something heavy sideways, collapse a section or two and get closer.
One or two?
Two, if you have more than one place you work. These are pocket tools and they migrate — into a glovebox, a toolbag, a kitchen drawer. The pair costs less than two singles.
Shipping & returns
Delivery in 7–15 business days from the time you order — that window already includes the 1–2 business days we take to process. Tracking is emailed as soon as the carrier scans the parcel. Shipping & Delivery.
30-day returns. Items must be unused and in their original packaging. Email support@nexuratool.com to start a return.
Nexura Tools
Tools for repair, maintenance and the jobs in between — chosen for specs we can verify.
