Xiaomi Mijia Wowstick Wowpad 2 Magnetic Position Screw Plate

Introduction

As a frequent Gearbest customer, I often saw the Wowstick Wowpad 2 pop up as a Recommended product. Because it is only a couple of euros I decide to add it to my shopping cart and order it. When I do small DIY repairs, I just put the screws in a small container or in the corner of my desk. It should not come as a surprise that more than a few times some of the screws got mixed up or even all screws got accidentally wiped from my desk. So there seems to be enough room for improvement. But can the Wowstick Wowpad 2 fill this quality gap for me?

Specifications

The specifications as stated on Gearbest:

• General: Material: Plastic // Application: Machine Tools
• Product size (L x W x H): 16.50 x 6.50 x 0.02 cm / 6.5 x 2.56 x 0.01 inches 

Expectations

I did not set my expectations too high, because it is only a couple of euros. So I expect it to be a magnetic mat where I can organize my screws, nuts, bolts and other tiny metallic items on when performing a DIY repair. And the design is probably great, because else it would not be branded Xiaomi. 

Packaging

It comes wrapped in a cardboard box. The measurements of the box are 17.00 x 7.00 x 0.05 cm (L x  W x H) are it only weighs 74 grams. 

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Does it fit your mailbox?

Yes.

What’s in the box

In the box you will just find the magic plate. 

Features

The features as stated on Gearbest:

• Precise grid design for accurate screw distinction
• Magnetic plate for neat placement of small parts
• Bilateral magnetic adsorption for firm fixation
• Compact size for convenient carry
• One plate in the package

Build Quality & Design

As every product of the brand Xiaomi, the design of the Wowstick Wowpad 2 is very slick. The rastered design helps you to keep track of the parts that you put on the plate. The material used is plastic, but it feels more like rubber. 

Usability

First of all, the size of the magnetic plate: I had expected it would be larger, so I when opening the package I was at first a bit disappointed. But after using the plate for a while it turned out to be more than sufficient for my needs. You can easily stick a large number of smaller metallic pieces on them (like screws, nuts and bolts) without losing track of them. I found out for me the best way is to group them by type of fastener (just like at the first page of an Ikea manual).

The magnetic plate is not just magnetic for the parts you stick on it, but the plate itself also can stick to another magnetic surface. When sticking sharp objects to the plate it does not scratch the surface, which is due to the plastic surface. However, I expect the plastic surface will not withstand very heavy use, but for normal DIY chores it will stick with you for many years.

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As you can see in the pictures above, I tested the magnetic force of the Wowpad with a couple of random small metallic items I found in my drawer. These were some screws, bolts, a nail, a coin and a key ring.  I carefully flipped the magnetic pad upside down to find out what would stick to the pad and what not. All the items stuck to the Wowpad pretty well until it was almost all the way flipped over. At that point a couple of screws and bolts fell of: the pad did not have sufficient magnetic force to keep a larger screw and smaller bolts fell of. This was probably because they were not stuck to the pad with their head and after all it was not a bad score. 

Complementary Products / Alternatives

The king of the magnetic mats is the iFixit Magnetic Project Mat Pro. This comes at a price (20 euro ex. shipping) but is larger and can be written on. At the price point of the Wowstick Wowpad 2 (of around 3 euros) I could not find any real competitor.

pro / cons

pros

• Design.
• Useful tool.
• Price. 

cons

• The size of the plate could be larger (or you should just order two).
• Magnetic force could be stronger

Price quality

For the price the quality is very good. 

Verdict

The Wowstick Wowpad 2 is a very useful extension for anyone who does DIY repairs and does not want to lose or mix up the screws and small metallic parts. The magnetic force could be better and the used plastic is not the most durable material but it still is more than sufficient for non-professional use. Personally I am very happy with the Wowpad. When not using it I store it next to my screwdrivers in my toolbox. So when I reach for a screwdriver I can decide whether I take the Wowpad with me as well. And when I expect that I need to put more than one screw or bolt on my desk, I do.  

where to buy?