What is the Best Magnetic Sweeper
There are a lot of factors to consider when selecting the best magnetic sweeper for your needs. Bluestreak Equipment has a lot of magnets to choose from so it can be overwhelming to find what will be best for your situation. Using the Find a Sweeper page on our website will help you narrow the options down based on price, type of magnetic sweeper (front mounted, hand operated, hanging, rear mounted, towable), terrain requirements, how it cleans off, and how wide the magnet is. More information on the different factors that should be considered when finding the best magnetic sweeper for you is listed below.
Power Requirements / Debris Type
Some types of metal debris are harder to pick up than others, magnets work by attracting ferrous materials (metals primarily composed of iron) towards the magnet so the shape of the material being collected matters. When the mass of an object and majority of ferrous material are evenly distributed and close to the magnet trying to collect it, the magnet will be able to grab and hold onto the debris easier. So, collecting normal debris like nails, bolts, wires, and nuts is quite easy since the ferrous material and mass is uniformly distributed throughout these shapes and is easy to grab so less power is required to pick it up. On the other side of this, rounder shapes are more difficult to collect because all the mass of the piece of debris is in the middle of the shape while the ferrous material closest to the magnet that can be attracted represents a small portion of the shape so you will need a stronger magnet to pick up and hold onto it. Keep in mind the shape and size of the material you are trying to pick up when deciding what level of power your magnetic sweeper needs. Generally, more square shapes or shapes with a lot of surface area available to touch the magnet require less power to pick up and hold. More irregular shapes that are round or have out facing points on each side (barbed wire, steel balls) will be more difficult to pick up with a magnet and you will need a powerful magnetic sweeper to sweep effectively. Heavier debris types (rebar or large bolts) and materials with less ferrous content (higher quality fasteners) will require more gauss (magnetic power) to get picked up. When choosing a magnetic sweeper keep in mind the type of material you are trying to collect and how the magnet will be used, for example it would be overkill to use a heavy RIP magnetic sweeper to clean up metal shavings between machines in a fabrication shop. So even though the RIP has more magnetic power, the application demands a light and maneuverable magnet like the Powerstik Pro Elite to get into tight spaces and collect small metal particles.
Terrain Requirements
The Best nail cleanup magnet for your application is the one that will be durable enough to survive a normal shift. Bluestreak Equipment offers magnetic sweepers with different levels of protection from ground strikes that result from operating in rough terrain. Some models, like the Pyr are meant for flat surfaces, with hard wheels that are just designed to help roll up hills and over speedbumps without scraping the magnet housing. Conversely another hanging magnet model, the Erebus is built for the harshest offroad conditions with outriggers, heavy duty bump wheels and an aluminum quick clean off sleeve that can withstand being run over and bashed through rocks without breaking. Consider what sort of terrain you will be operating the magnetic sweeper in when choosing which model is best for you. The best magnetic sweeper for grass may not be the best magnetic sweeper for gravel and vice versa.
Clean Off Method
A clean magnet is a strong magnet. So, the more often you clean off the magnet the more pickup power your magnet will have. A magnet uses some of its power to hold onto each piece of debris it collects, so having a magnet covered in metal will reduce the amount of power the magnet has to pick up more metal. Bluestreak Equipment offers magnetic sweepers with a few different clean off methods, automatic or push button clean off systems are easier to use but will cost more money. Simple clean off methods like a lever action or quick clean off sleeve will also be easy to operate but take more effort to clean off and will be cheaper. The simplest and cheapest way to clean a magnetic sweeper off is to simply wipe the debris from the magnet, this can be a pain to do and may cause people to avoid cleaning the magnet and therefore lowering its potential pickup power. This may be appropriate for cases where the magnet is only used on occasion, but if the magnet is being used on a regular basis, then investing in a magnetic sweeper with a convenient clean off option will be worthwhile to ensure efficiency. Having a clean off option that matches your requirements and budget will make for the Best magnetic sweeper for your situation.
Sweeper Width
Just like with the magnetic power, most people will think more is better, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes having a magnet that is too wide can hinder operations, being awkward to maneuver in tight places and being too heavy can be issues to consider when picking what width you want your magnet to be. Customers often pick a magnetic sweeper that is close to the same width as the vehicle that is going to be operating it, this makes it easy to keep track of where you have already swept and lets you drive the vehicle normally without being impeded by extra width sticking off either side. However, if you are just trying to cover large open areas as quick as possible more width is better. This is why for Airport applications Bluestreak offers triple sweeper setups like the Seeker Airmag and Piranha series, in these cases the operators just need to cover ground quickly and having multiple trailers being towed allows for faster coverage from one pass.
How will you use it?
Bluestreak Equipment offers magnetic sweepers ranging from 3lb handheld units to hydraulic powered skid steer magnets that will easily pick up 110lb I-beams. Consider what equipment or vehicles you have on site and think about what will be easiest to move around your jobsite to clean up metal debris and Bluestreak Equipment probably has a magnetic sweeper for it, check the Vehicle Page to see the variety of vehicles we sell magnets for. Bluestreak also offers handheld and rolling magnets for smaller areas or operations that don’t need as much power or complexity. Also consider that if you can permanently mount a magnet to a machine that travels the entire jobsite regularly like a Forager on a forklift or hanging magnet on a shunt truck, that machine will be performing double duty in that it will be picking up metal while going about its normal operations. This will save labour as a machine won’t need to be taken off its normal duties to pick up metal debris.
So, what is the Best Magnetic Sweeper?
There is no definitive answer for this question, but the best magnetic sweeper is the one that gives a comprehensive solution to your metal debris problems. Whether it is a one-time issue or part of regular operation, you should be able to rely on your tools to work for you and at Bluestreak Equipment we want to provide the best solution for your situation, which is why we work with our customers to come up with magnetic solutions based on their applications and needs. We build magnetic sweepers that we want to reliably work for a long time, have enough power to do the job effectively and fit on the machinery you want to use it with. Try the Find a Sweeper page to narrow down the options, try the chat function to talk to live experts, or give us a call and we will help you find a solution to any metal debris issues you may have.
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