Do Magnets Expire? Caring for Your Q Magnets & The Truth About Planned Obsolescence
Hello Everyone,
We recently had a customer ask: Do Q Magnets expire?
The short answer? No! If properly cared for, neodymium rare-earth magnets can last for decades.
How to Look After Your Q Magnets
Avoid Dropping Them
Neodymium magnets are incredibly strong, but they’re also brittle. Repeated drops onto hard surfaces (like tiles or concrete) can cause microscopic damage. Every time a magnet is dropped, a tiny number of its magnetically aligned electrons revert to a random state, slightly weakening the overall magnetic field. While this happens very slowly over time, excessive drops can accelerate the process.Avoid Allowing to Snap Together
The larger Q magnets (28mm and 50mm) are extremely powerful. If they are allowed to come into close contact, they will snap together with force. Aside from being difficult to slide apart, this is the equivalent to dropping on a hard surface.Keep Them Away from High Heat
The fastest way to destroy a neodymium magnet’s strength is exposure to high temperatures. This is known as the Curie Temperature, which for neodymium magnets starts at 80°C (176°F). However, we recommend keeping them below 60°C (140°F) to also protect the plastic housing.
Tip: Don’t leave your Q Magnets in a car on a hot summer day—it can easily exceed these temperatures!
The Myth of Planned Obsolescence
The other night, I was watching a Netflix documentary called Buy Now and came across an interesting concept: Planned Obsolescence. This is when companies deliberately design products with a short lifespan so customers have to keep buying replacements.
Apparently, this practice dates back to 1925 when lightbulb manufacturers intentionally reduced the lifespan of bulbs to sell more. It’s a frustrating reality in today’s world—where things seem to break just after the warranty expires!
But here’s the good news: Q Magnets are built to last.
As a registered medical device, we are required to assign a "life cycle" to our magnets. We’ve set this at 10 years—but in reality, many of our customers are still using their Q Magnets well beyond that. There’s no built-in obsolescence here!
Q Magnets are an investment in your health, designed for long-term use. With proper care, they’ll serve you well for years to come.
💡 Have any questions about caring for your Q Magnets? Hit reply and let us know—we’d love to help!
Until next time, here’s to less pain and more living,
James Hermans & the Q Magnets Team
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