Magnetic Cable Management Kit Received Today

[CrowDazzle]

Just got my home bundle delivered today. Most everything in the kit is obviously pretty straight forward, i.e. magnetic loops. However right off the bat, the power bar key, is everything I hoped it would be (chef's kiss). I'm using it on a small 6 port switch and it's practically bolted on to the side of my desk. This was one of the products I was most excited for an so far it doesn't disappoint. I should mention I have a standing Uplift desk and a Home Depot Husky adjustable  workbench, so there is no shortage of metal to attach everything to. 

 

Now for the bad-ish (in my use case). The power bar attachments was the second thing I was most excited for. Where this thing falls short for me, is the attachment method for the straps. The tabs are not that great for securing the velcro straps and pop off way to easy. Since I have metal desk legs I cannot use these vertically as the weight of my power brick overpowers the magnets and the brick rotates. I'm probably in the minority here as I have a chonky NUC Enthusiast power brick. You know, one of those bricks that's almost the same size as the computer. If I hang this from under the desk, the weight will make the velcro sag and it still has a tendency to wobble and spin. As big as the brick is, there isn't enough room to add a second magnet set, nor can I run the straps in a different direction. I feel like the tabs for the velcro could have had  a better design to secure the straps.  If you have a small power brick from a laptop or something similar in size/weight, these work perfectly. I tried this with smaller power bricks and was not disappointed either. I was hoping to use these to secure a Lenovo Thinkcentre Tiny to my structured media panel but I think that's asking too much, but might be able to figure something out.

 

I just ordered an Essential Bundle to use in my outdoor shop. Since it's steel sided building, a few of the arches will be used outside to secure some ethernet cable for a security camera. We'll see how they hold up to some harsh high mountain desert weather <evil laugh>.

 

But seriously, good job on these power bar keys.

[LogicalDrm]

For power brick, have you tried using two arches, one above and one below? That's how both of my power bars are currently secured with zipties. Also, pictures would be nice with this kind of review.

[Blasty Blosty]

Are they worth the money?

[CrowDazzle]

11 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

For power brick, have you tried using two arches, one above and one below? That's how both of my power bars are currently secured with zipties. Also, pictures would be nice with this kind of review.

Good call on adding the extra arch for support, I'll give that a try. I'll get some photos added. Thanks!

 

To answer if it's worth it.

I agree with some comments from other posts the cost is on the high side, but for me, like I mentioned there is no shortage of metal as part of my desks. I've been using Klein Tools magnetic power strips, which $50 for a power strip is on the expensive side too, so using the power bar keys with something you already have is probably more of a value. I was using some cheap hook magnets for my network switch and it was wobbly, used large refrigerator magnets and not elegant. So for me it's worth it. There's going to be less cursing under my desk when I move things around for sure. 

[LogicalDrm]

1 hour ago, CrowDazzle said:

Good call on adding the extra arch for support, I'll give that a try. I'll get some photos added. Thanks!

 

To answer if it's worth it.

I agree with some comments from other posts the cost is on the high side, but for me, like I mentioned there is no shortage of metal as part of my desks. I've been using Klein Tools magnetic power strips, which $50 for a power strip is on the expensive side too, so using the power bar keys with something you already have is probably more of a value. I was using some cheap hook magnets for my network switch and it was wobbly, used large refrigerator magnets and not elegant. So for me it's worth it. There's going to be less cursing under my desk when I move things around for sure. 

The price is on the high side, with taxes and shipping added. Which is why I hope they will have this on when I'm moving house in next 6 months as I cannot be assed to redo my cables before it. But without those expenses, its within reason if you look at other higher quality products. If one is using diy or cheap rubber/plastic, then one shouldn't bother with these. But if one is like me who has tired of the bad solutions and janky diy, then this is worth it. Though like I said in some other thread, for me none of the bundles is worth it as I don't see point of small arches and need 2 power bar sets.

[Neroon]

On 3/26/2024 at 7:48 PM, LogicalDrm said:

The price is on the high side, with taxes and shipping added. Which is why I hope they will have this on when I'm moving house in next 6 months as I cannot be assed to redo my cables before it. But without those expenses, its within reason if you look at other higher quality products. If one is using diy or cheap rubber/plastic, then one shouldn't bother with these. But if one is like me who has tired of the bad solutions and janky diy, then this is worth it. Though like I said in some other thread, for me none of the bundles is worth it as I don't see point of small arches and need 2 power bar sets.

While I cannot speak for other products on the market, or the quality of this product, I will say that I can print alternatives for much cheaper. Magnets can be bought fairly cheap, and if I were to enclose them in like TPU if you want something flexible, or just PLA/PETG, I don't see them ever breaking.
Now I cannot say how they would hold up in stress tests, but honestly, how many of us will ever put so much weight on 1 that this would be an issue?
So yeah if you've got a 3D printer, get a bunch of magnet, and either design something yourself, or find something online, because I'm sure there are plenty of designs out there.

[LogicalDrm]

15 minutes ago, Neroon said:

While I cannot speak for other products on the market, or the quality of this product, I will say that I can print alternatives for much cheaper. Magnets can be bought fairly cheap, and if I were to enclose them in like TPU if you want something flexible, or just PLA/PETG, I don't see them ever breaking.
Now I cannot say how they would hold up in stress tests, but honestly, how many of us will ever put so much weight on 1 that this would be an issue?
So yeah if you've got a 3D printer, get a bunch of magnet, and either design something yourself, or find something online, because I'm sure there are plenty of designs out there.

Cost and space of 3D printer is one thing, electrical bill another and so on. Plus that they need to gain enough profit to make manufacturing costs worth it. So yes, you can easily do something yourself and for personal use. Like, I could do similar with wood, glue and magnets if I wanted. As I have been buying cheaper plastic and rubber things for years, then when adhesevies on those have failed, used glue, double sided tape and even screws to get results I want. So overall, price is not the point. If you don't like the price, you don't buy them. There are options, multiple of them. 

[Neroon]

58 minutes ago, LogicalDrm said:

Cost and space of 3D printer is one thing, electrical bill another and so on. Plus that they need to gain enough profit to make manufacturing costs worth it. So yes, you can easily do something yourself and for personal use. Like, I could do similar with wood, glue and magnets if I wanted. As I have been buying cheaper plastic and rubber things for years, then when adhesevies on those have failed, used glue, double sided tape and even screws to get results I want. So overall, price is not the point. If you don't like the price, you don't buy them. There are options, multiple of them. 

Oh obviously there are plenty of costs involved in producing and selling these objects. There is a reason why 3D Printing is attractive for many of us.

What I responded to is the fact you talked about ' bad solutions and janky diy'. 3D printing stuff like this is neither bad nor janky.

 

I would also argue that both costs and space is becoming less and less of an issue. 1 of my printers is a Bambulabs A1 Mini, they very affordable, super easy to use, and quite small. They will fit just about anywhere.

Now if all you ever need from a printer, is the cheapest bundle, then sure this ain't worth it. But the 'Server room' bundle costs more than that printer + all the filaments and magnets you would use.

 

We've been heading there for years now, but I truly believe that for anyone who is remotely technical, a 3D printer is eventually gonna save you money. While not all my projects are as useful/necessary, I will say that the amount of stuff that I have needed, that have saved me money, is well above the cost of that printer by now.

[GoStormPlays]

It'd be sick if you could buy 3d models of the magnetic archs from lttstore so you can 3d print them yourself.

[Neroon]

2 hours ago, GoStormPlays said:

It'd be sick if you could buy 3d models of the magnetic archs from lttstore so you can 3d print them yourself.

I mean the arch is extremely basic. You could design something similar in like 10 minutes. Basically it's half a ring, design it with a slot in for the magnet, and you're done. You can shape it a little if you want, but yeah it's basic stuff.

[Mihle]

12 hours ago, Neroon said:

I mean the arch is extremely basic. You could design something similar in like 10 minutes. Basically it's half a ring, design it with a slot in for the magnet, and you're done. You can shape it a little if you want, but yeah it's basic stuff.

Shape is closer to 1/3 of a ring or so. I don't think rou would find magnets that are the exact same shape, but don't know how much that matters.

 

You would also have to get the metal plates.

It would work, but the quality would be worse probably.

[Alex T88]

19 hours ago, Neroon said:

I mean the arch is extremely basic. You could design something similar in like 10 minutes. Basically it's half a ring, design it with a slot in for the magnet, and you're done. You can shape it a little if you want, but yeah it's basic stuff.

One of my clients , back in the day, commissioned a carpenter to build some basic arches, made from scrap soft wood from his shop. He basically got them for close to nothing. Stained them Wenge, to match the top of his desk and the rest of the furniture and they looked damn cool, even though most of them you could not see straight away given how they were mounted. He used some strong rectangular neodymium magnets (1x2cm) which he permanently attached in the slots cut on the arches with cyanoacrylate glue. Back in the day, 3d printing was not accessible. Probably wood cracks in time, I really couldn't say, so may not be a permanent solution. But given that he payed pennies on the dollar for the arches and the magnets were also very cheap, that was a great solution for cable managing, in my opinion, not to mention it looked really smart. 

[LogicalDrm]

8 hours ago, Mihle said:

You would also have to get the metal plates.

Thats 2nd easiest part. Metal plates from 50mm width upwards is very standard hardware for connecting 2 pieces of something. So that and magnets you can get from any hardware store just like that. 

[Mihle]

14 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

Thats 2nd easiest part. Metal plates from 50mm width upwards is very standard hardware for connecting 2 pieces of something. So that and magnets you can get from any hardware store just like that. 

Never said it would be hard, its just another thing you have to do.

[LogicalDrm]

53 minutes ago, Mihle said:

Never said it would be hard, its just another thing you have to do.

Hence why I call diy solutions janky. Not that they are bad, but you always need to do some R&D to get proper end result.

[Neroon]

On 3/30/2024 at 9:46 AM, Mihle said:

Shape is closer to 1/3 of a ring or so. I don't think rou would find magnets that are the exact same shape, but don't know how much that matters.

 

You would also have to get the metal plates.

It would work, but the quality would be worse probably.

Why would the shape matter? You simply want to get strong magnets and make a slot for that.
As for the plates, you can get them dirt cheap with 3M adhesive already on it. Same with magnets, you can get like 10mmx2mm neodymium magnets (which is also what LMG uses) for under 10 cents per piece.

 

I could probably make them for like a tenth of the price with very little work. Now would they hold up as well long term? Depends on how they are used. If you use them constantly and just rip them off, this would cause issues for the printed version, as it can cause issues for the layer lines. You could try rotating it and print it that way, but that wouldn't be ideal. That said though, generally we don't use this constantly, so I see no reason for these to not last 10+ year, and if it does break, it costs like nothing to print a new one.

The only magnet they show that would be removed constantly, is the one for the headphone. But I think that's a horrible way to use it. I just designed and printed a simple holder for under my desk that doesn't need to be removed when I want to grab my headphones.

[AamirA]

1 hour ago, Neroon said:

Why would the shape matter?

He said in wan show they customized the shape of the magnet to optimize for magnetic strength here

1 hour ago, Neroon said:

10mmx2mm neodymium magnets (which is also what LMG uses) for under 10 cents per piece.

He says, for the same weight, its about $3 per magnet also on wan show here

 

I'm not denying you can't make a magnetic holder for cheap, but it won't be as good. They say if it's too expensive it's not for us, which is fair, but I wish they released more products that are made for us.

[Neroon]

38 minutes ago, AamirA said:

He said in wan show they customized the shape of the magnet to optimize for magnetic strength here

He says, for the same weight, its about $3 per magnet also on wan show here

 

I'm not denying you can't make a magnetic holder for cheap, but it won't be as good. They say if it's too expensive it's not for us, which is fair, but I wish they released more products that are made for us.

So I will say that it's not completely clear if he everything he says is about the actual magnet, or the whole product. I know it's not 3 dollar per actual magnet, but it would be 3 dollar for the whole product, because there are 18 'products' in a 75 bucks pack, since they all contain 2 magnets, that would put the cost at 108 dollars, that's without other material costs, R&D, support etc etc. So clearly that's not the case.

So I have no idea if the magnet is custom shape, or if the body is custom shape or whatever.

 

Regardless, there is such a thing as overengineering, and that's not a bad thing. In a world where you can buy so many products, it's good to make a niche product, because there will always be someone somewhere that needs that higher quality.

 

In my very first post I mentioned already that I wouldn't know how self made ones would hold up in a stress test, but unless you are that edge case, that is not gonna be a factor.

 

Simply put, if you want a handy power tool to put Ikea furniture together, you don't get Festool. If you want a TV just to watch the news, you don't get a 77inch Oled. And if you want to manage a few of your cables, you don't need these expensive magnets.

 

This is not me ripping on the product, or the people who buy it. Because as someone who has used his LTT Screwdriver a ton on putting Ikea furniture together, I understand wanting to have nice products that work well, even though you don't get the full value out of it.

But I hundred percent promise you that I can make these things for like 25 cents and will work great for 99.99% of the use cases that people bought these for.

 

PS I will actually look into making a few of them, I really need to redo my cables, and the last time I did them I didn't have a 3d printer, and just use zipties that I didn't fully close so I could stick more cables through. Will also print some cable ties to really clean things up.

[Neroon]

Well, I been working on some, this is my progress so far.

 

 

I first made these super basic designs, it was mostly a test to see how thick I could make the bottom, and if the magnets I had would be strong enough, which are 6x2.5mm magnets. I had 0.2mm, 0.32mm and 0.56mm. The 0.2 was much more effective and felt strong.

 

They felt quite flimsy, both in strength but also because they lacked surface area, so I went to add feet and tried 2 magnets per side.

 

 

I printed 3 of them, 1 with 1 magnet as a comparison, 1 with 2 magnets next to each other, and 1 with 2 magnets on top of each other. That last one was just to try, I had zero expectations to work, but I also don't know that much about how magnets work.

 

 

My biggest guess panned out, the 1 magnet had about 160gr strength, 2 next to each other did about 300, however the 2 on top of each other pulled around 600.

So obviously I did what anyone would do, I tried 3. While I didn't feel it massively increased it's strength, it did allow me to do this:

 

 

I wouldn't expect to do much more than 750-800, this really felt like I was pushing the limit and didn't feel like there was much room left.

 

I will be looking to update the design a bit and order bigger magnets, but these are more than strong enough to use for normal cable management.

 

Btw, these are absolutely not janky.

[helgehelge123]

I still doon't understand the powerbar keyy. how do they attach to the power bar? I'm not aware of power bars having the screw whole. Could you share a picture?

[Erioch]

2 hours ago, helgehelge123 said:

 I'm not aware of power bars having the screw whole. Could you share a picture?

All of mine do.  They're typical household ones.

[Alex T88]

On 4/9/2024 at 12:35 AM, Erioch said:

All of mine do.  They're typical household ones.

None of mine do. I just checked. I live in Europe, I have LeGrand, Bachmann and Brennenstuhl, ranging from 3 to 10 outlets, none of them have screw holes.