Clockwise ToolsMagnetic Base, MGBR-01, Magnetic Stand for Digital Dial Indicators, 176lbs Max Pull

It isn't. It is MUCH better than I thought it would be. I figured for the price it wouldn't be substantial, or the mechanism would be cheap & finicky, or that the magnet wouldn't work correctly. None of this is true. This thing is awesome.It is larger than I imagined it would be, and much more stout. The mechanism that allows you to reposition the arm & then lock it into place works very well and the magnet is simply amazing in its ability to switch from no magnet to lots of magnet with just that easy-to-swivel switch.FINALLY somebody making something that works well & provides value for the dollar.

EDIT: Since the first mag stand worked out so well I've bought a second and it's as good as the first one. If you're looking for a decent stand at a great price, give this unit a try.******This magnetic stand is working out very well for what I needed it for. Attached it to the base of my grinder and am using it to measure how much the table moves while adjusting for taper. While the tightening action of this unit isn't as smooth as my Noga stands, it's about one quarter of the price. It has the same movement range allowing for a great variety of positions, making it just as useful as the Nogas. And, as you can see in the picture, the magnetic base is strong enough to support its own weight even through the paint on the machine. I'll keep buying Nogas as I need them for every day use since I don't expect this to last as long, but for the price, it's doing what I need it to. Overall, highly recommend

Very soon after I'd written my original two-star review (see below), the seller (Clockwise Tools) reached out to me to get more information and to do his best to resolve the problem. He initiated a new shipment from Amazon, which arrived the very next day. I tried it out, but unfortunately the new one has a different issue. On it, the wrist locks solidly, but the knee is weak.But I noticed two things about this "new" one: the packaging had obviously been opened (presumably this was a return from another customer and re-shipped), and the construction of the knee is different from the first one. On the first, there's a reddish-orange hard plastic (delrin?) washer between the knee joint surfaces that is missing on this new/returned/reshipped one. I'm guessing that the person returning it may have disassembled it and put it back together incorrectly.The first one may have also been a return that was defective and re-shipped. I see now that the tolerances of the knee parts and the and pushrods need to be pretty accurate for everything to tighten at once, without one rod tightening too much before the other. And of course it's important to have all of the parts assembled correctly.Upon hearing this, the seller offered to ship me yet another one, directly from the factory (so that it can be guaranteed to be assembled correctly with all of the proper parts) for another test. They currently have none in stock so it could be a while before I get a chance to update this review again. Meanwhile, I thought it appropriate to update my review to four stars because of the truly excellent customer service from Clockwise Tools. And if the third one works properly, I'll be sure to update it again to five stars.---- Original two-star review below ----I really wanted to love this. It's all metal, seems solid and well made, and is a terrific bargain. However:- As others have said, it's certainly not a 176 pound magnet. I'd guess more like 40. I was able to pull it off of my mill (a big hunk of very flat steel) without too much effort. I own another magnetic stand half this size with easily twice the holding force. Still, it would almost certainly be strong enough for most needs. But...- No matter how tight you tighten the knob, you can still easily rotate the "wrist". The foot and elbow joints tighten up nice and solid but the wrist rotates easily, rendering the unit pretty useless for resisting anything more than the lightest of force at its tip.So after my 5 minute experiment, I've just cleaned and boxed it back up carefully for return to Amazon.

Product was as described and worked as expected.

I recently became a Cnc Machinist and have started buying tools. I bought this mag base along with the Fowler indicator on Amazon and am very pleased with both. Great base feels very well built and sturdy I love being able to adjust it any way I need. I use it to indicate parts straight and to check tolerances on threads. Great mag base! If you need a good indicator for the money as well check out Fowler! Would definitely buy this product again.

Unfortunately has a small wobble that cant be fixed on the fine adjustment. Even tightened all the way, has minor play. 3 stars because the rest of it seems decent, but when working with .001s, it makes a difference. Will be returning and trying the Noga.

Great value! High quality at an affordable price. Highly recommend!

For the money, they are strong and stable as any I've owned or better.