PSA: That magnetic nut driver set I swore by, now I don't

I used those magnetic nut drivers for years on every washer and dryer job. Thought the magnets saved me time dropping screws. Then last week I had a Samsung that kept throwing error codes after a drum replacement. Turns out the magnet left a tiny steel shaving on a hall effect sensor. Took me 4 hours to figure out. Has anyone else had magnetic tools screw up electronics on newer machines?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ray1mo ago

Ngl, that sounds like a freak accident more than a common issue. Those magnets are way weaker than people think, and most sensors are shielded against that kind of interference anyway. I'd still bet on a magnetic driver saving way more time over a career than it ever costs you in weird one-off problems like that.

simon_chen1mo ago

oh man i actually had something similar happen to me a while back with a smart watch. i used my magnetic driver to work on a little electronics project and the watch went nuts for like an hour. kept showing wrong steps and the compass was flipping out. reset it and it was fine but it made me way more careful about where i stick those tools now. honestly i still use magnetic bits all the time cause the time saved adds up, i just make sure to pull the bit out if i'm getting near anything sensitive.