Pincushions are practical! But how good are the magnetic pincushions available on the market? I tested them and have summarized the results for you.
The most important things at a glance
- There are both pincushions with magnets and those into which you can stick needles.
- Magnetic pincushions can vary in strength and weight.
- Not all pincushions in this test proved to be suitable for practical use.
- In a short tutorial, I will show you how you can easily make a pincushion yourself.
Which magnetic pincushion should I buy?
Every sewing fan probably asks themselves this question during their sewing career. And it really isn't that easy to keep track of everything.
This applies to pincushions just as much as it does to seam rippers, scissors, rotary cutters, and similar basic sewing accessories (by the way, you can download a shopping list for sewing beginners here on the blog for free, which contains the sewing utensils I consider necessary and most recommendable for getting started).
Original or replica? Many products from China are flooding the European markets; they are often unrivaled in their low price. How is one supposed to keep track of things?
I have taken a look at the most common magnetic pincushions that can be found on the market. In this post, you will learn everything you need to know to be able to make a good, informed decision when buying a pincushion.
Perhaps you are already familiar with my other test reports? Feel free to take a look:
- Juki Sewing Machine Test Report
- Pins Test Report
- Seam Ripper Test Report
- Rotary Cutter Test Report
- Scissors Test Report
What kinds of pincushions are there anyway?
You have the choice between pincushions for sticking needles into and pincushions that are equipped with a magnet.
The difference: With stick-in pincushions*, which often consist of a small fabric-covered fleece ball, occasionally attached to a solid base, the needles are stored by being stuck in individually.
Of course, you can also easily sew these pincushions yourself. I show you how to do that, for example, in my tutorial for a patchwork pincushion.
You can also easily make your own pincushion for sharpening your pins. For example, by incorporating steel wool into the pincushion instead of a fleece filling. I show you how that works in my tutorial for a sharpening pincushion.
However, magnetic pincushions are especially popular. And for good reason: With them, you can easily pick up dropped needles by holding the pincushion over them. That saves a lot of time and many a prick in the finger. :)
Especially cool: Magnetic pincushions have a nice intrinsic weight (some—not all!) and are thus even suitable as fabric weights or for weighing down patterns. This is incredibly practical because you have to have the pins at hand anyway to pin the pattern to the fabric.
By the way, there are also magnetic wrist pincushions*. They usually don't hold quite as many needles, but they are practical if you want to be a bit more mobile while sewing.
For me, a surprise or two actually came up during the course of the test...
Let's take a closer look at the individual pincushions.
Pincushion Test
I have tried out and thoroughly tested several pincushions. In this section, I will introduce you to the individual brands.
The number of pins that each respective pincushion can hold varies greatly. There are indeed large differences in the strength of the magnets and also in the weight of the pincushions. The weight is crucial if you, like me, like to use the pincushion as a fabric weight as well.
To compare how many pins each respective pincushion holds, I used the large heart-shaped pins from Dritz (otherwise I would have lost count). "Normal" pins are, after all, usually much lighter and smaller.
I tested these pincushions for you:
Why does the strength of the magnet play a role?
It makes quite a difference whether you have to place the pincushion practically on top of the pin to pick it up, or whether the magnet attracts the needle from a distance on its own.
The latter saves you a lot of time and some effort because, after sewing, you can simply "sweep" the work area with the pincushion to collect all scattered pins.
Another advantage: Strong magnetic pincushions even attract pins that you just toss in their direction. :)
Prym Pincushion, dark blue
The oval pincushion from Prym is a good size and is comfortable to handle. In the pictures, I will show you how it behaves when picking up pins.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 75 pcs.
- Shape: oval
- Size: 14 x 8 x 3 cm
- Weight: 155 g
- Price: under 7 Euros
- Packaging: cardboard
- Advantage: The Prym pincushion is a true classic. You can already see in the pictures that the pincushion is equipped with a powerful magnet and picks up needles well. With its relatively high intrinsic weight, it is also well-suited as a fabric weight.
- Disadvantage: To make the pincushion truly perfect, silicone stoppers would be practical
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here*.
Prym Love Pincushion
The pretty little pincushion from Prym Love belongs to an entire series of sewing utensils that stand out color-wise due to white polka dots on a turquoise background. There are scissors, seam rippers, a practical rotating cutting mat (which I already introduced to you in my blog post about seam rippers), chalk markers, rotary cutters, and much more.
In the pictures, you can see that you really have to guide the pincushion directly to the needle to pick it up.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 65 pcs.
- Shape: square, rounded corners
- Size: 8.5 x 8.5 x 3 cm
- Weight: 82 g
- Price: under 9 Euros
- Packaging: plastic & cardboard
- Advantage: The pincushion contains a portion of short Prym pins with red heads. The pincushion is quite well suited for small, light pins.
- Disadvantage: The included magnet is a bit weak. With an intrinsic weight of 82 g, the pincushion is hardly suitable as a fabric weight. No anti-slip silicone stoppers.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
No-Name Pincushion, dark blue
Apparently a replica of the classic Prym pincushion. Overall built a bit lighter, but it holds just as many pins as the original. It also behaves similarly when picking up pins.
I find it quite nice that the pincushion fits exactly into my bobbin ring.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 75 pcs.
- Shape: oval
- Size: 14 x 8 x 3 cm
- Weight: 125 g
- Price: around 5 Euros
- Packaging: plastic & cardboard
- Advantage: Strong magnet, picks up pins willingly, can be used for the SewMate bobbin ring
- Disadvantage: Edges are a bit jagged, workmanship not as good as the original, only conditionally usable as a fabric weight due to low weight
- Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
BabySnap Pincushion in blue
Initially seeming like nothing special, the pincushion from BabySnap turns out to be a little stroke of luck. The pincushion is equipped with a separate compartment that already contains some pins. The magnet is strong enough to pick up many needles in the first go.
The magnets are arranged such that the needle lies with its shaft at a right angle to the grip groove. This reduces the danger of pricking oneself when taking out the pins.
Here you can still see the pin compartment with the included pins.
Without the lower compartment, you have a nicely flat and equally handy pincushion with the BabySnap, which I like to place directly on the sewing machine in this state, for example, to store the needles I pull out of the fabric while sewing.
Very nice, too: The pincushion is equipped with four small silicone stoppers that prevent the cushion from sliding away.
Unfortunately, the BabySnap pincushion does not fit my bobbin ring:
However, a special ring that fits the pincushion is supposed to be available. I could not find it online, though.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 75 pcs.
- Shape: oval
- Size: 10 x 5 x 4 cm
- Weight: 149 g
- Price: approx. 9 Euros
- Packaging: cardboard
- Advantage: additional pins included, integrated lower compartment for pins, silicone stoppers, available in various colors, needles always lie in the same direction due to the arrangement of the magnets so that they can be easily and safely removed through the grip groove
- Disadvantage: -
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
Pincushion with pin compartment
A no-name pincushion that nonetheless fully meets my expectations. It has an integrated mini-drawer in which standard pins find space. Slip resistance is ensured by silicone stoppers on the bottom of the pincushion.
The needle compartment can be completely removed and features a tightly closable lid. A great feature if you want to take the pincushion with you to a sewing café, for example.
Like the one from BabySnap, the pincushion is provided with a recessed grip and also features a strong magnet that willingly attracts pins even from a distance.
When less heavily loaded, the pins also align neatly at a right angle to the recessed grip on this pincushion, making them very easy to grasp.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 75 pcs.
- Shape: oval
- Size: 14 x 7 x 4 cm
- Weight: 176 g
- Price: approx. 10 Euros
- Packaging: Plastic & cardboard
- Advantage: tightly closing needle compartment, strong magnet, decent weight, silicone stoppers, recessed grip
- Disadvantage: -
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
Prym Love Heart Pincushion
A visual highlight, though its inner qualities fail to convince me. The pretty heart-shaped pincushion is equipped with two recessed grips, in the middle of which the tips of the pins are supposed to be attracted and bundled by the magnet.
My experience shows: That doesn't really work. The magnets are exceptionally weak and actually only suitable for very light, fine pins. And even then, please not too many of them.
The pin test shows that the pincushion needs a lot of help to pick up the needles. And even once they are picked up, they don't adhere firmly. If you tilt the pincushion during transport, for example, it can certainly happen that a portion of the pins falls to the floor.
You can see what I mean in the pictures:
The pincushion only picked up the actually super-light, fine pins when I brought it into direct contact with the needles:
The bottom of the pincushion is smooth and slippery.
Overall, the pincushion does not seem well-made, feels light, and a bit cheap. Which I find quite astonishing at this price.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 25 pcs.
- Shape: heart-shaped
- Size: 18.4 x 10.9 x 3 cm
- Weight: 75 g (Prym states the weight as 90 g)
- Price: around 12 Euros
- Packaging: Plastic & cardboard
- Advantage: looks nice
- Disadvantage: too light to use as a fabric weight, feels of poor quality, weak magnets
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
Grabbit Pincushion, round
The largest of the tested pincushions. And also different in terms of shape: The Grabbit pincushion is round and, at 184 grams, the heaviest and, at just under 15 Euros, the most expensive of the pincushions in the test.
It features a strong magnet and had no problems picking up 75 large pins.
In the pictures, you can see well how the pincushion attracts the pins from some distance.
With the Grabbit pincushion (which I think has the shape of a round candy drop) as well, the needles align themselves so that the heads or ends of the needles lie toward the edge. This increases safety and also comfort while working.
As a small extra, the pincushion has a plastic lid that can be placed over the pincushion and needles for transport or storage. And it sits firmly, too.
Small disadvantage: The lid is not particularly high-quality in its construction and is actually more part of the packaging material. At least in my assessment. The lid certainly won't have an especially long service life with constant use.
It therefore remains improvable. Still: A nice idea.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 75 pcs.
- Shape: round
- Size: 10 cm diameter
- Weight: 184 g
- Price: approx. 15 Euros
- Packaging: Plastic / cardboard
- Advantage: strong magnet, alignment of pins in one direction, good, stable footing, large magnetic surface, due to weight great as a fabric weight, lid is included in delivery, several pins with nice large heads also included
- Disadvantage: bottom not non-slip, no silicone stoppers, lid of inferior quality, price-performance ratio is, in my opinion, not correct
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
Buying a pincushion: My conclusion
The biggest loser: In the course of this test, it has been shown once again that appearances can be deceiving. For example, I had high hopes for the Prym heart cushion. That is mainly, of course, because the brand raises high expectations. And in many products, it can certainly live up to them.
Not, however, with this pincushion. Which, between us, I had imagined would be so wonderful for my videos and tutorials. It is well-known that we also sew with our eyes... :)
Unfortunately, the heart pincushion is a bitter disappointment. I now use it to park a few very light, fine pins sorted on it. For practical use, where things can sometimes get a bit more hectic with me, it is definitely not suitable.
The secret star for me is the blue BabySnap-Pincushion*. I notice that even now after the test, because I am actually using it all the time. Together with the light-purple pincushion with needle compartment*. Both are comfortable to grasp, have a decent weight, and proper magnetic power.
Okay, but I'm also someone who just flings the pins toward the pincushion and expects them to stick. With these two, that works perfectly.
Make your own magnetic pincushion
By the way, it is also quite easy to make a pincushion yourself.
You will need
- 1 small bowl or saucer with a thin bottom (I find such widely open leaf-shaped bowls* cute, for example)
- 2 neodymium magnets*, extra strong
- Hot glue gun*
Glue the neodymium magnets to the bottom of the bowl with hot glue.
Your homemade magnetic needle bowl is finished!
Alternative to the classic magnetic pincushion
Extremely strong and, at around 8 Euros, comparatively inexpensive: A magnetic parts tray is wonderful as a magnetic pincushion. In the test, it picked up the needle in a flash, faster and more easily than any other pincushion in this article.
It offers plenty of space and is therefore particularly well-suited for large needles (like my heart pins).
The needles organize themselves automatically so that most of the tips point inward. It is also great that even larger metal objects adhere securely to the bowl.
If you own a magnetic board, you can also store this stable tray vertically; that saves space and looks great!
I chose a magnetic tray in a nice blue; it is also available unpainted*, which makes it even cheaper (and actually just as pretty, I think). Alternatively, you can spray paint it in your favorite color, e.g., with Edding spray (I personally love working with that...). Maybe I will do that with mine sometime...
The bottom is covered with black silicone, which makes the pincushion non-slip. What I also find very good: The magnetic tray is heavy enough so that needles don't constantly stick to the base and make the pincushion roll around. That annoys me incredibly... :)
Important for owners of computerized sewing machines: Because of the strong magnet, the tray should be kept at a sufficient distance from the sewing machine. Sensitive electronics can be disturbed by the magnetic field.
- Number of pins the pincushion holds: 75+ pcs.
- Shape: round
- Size: 15 cm
- Weight: 290 g
- Price: approx. 9 Euros
- Packaging: plastic bag & cardboard
- Advantage: strong magnet, decent weight, base is covered with silicone
- Disadvantage: -
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
➡️You can order the pincushion here.*
Let me know if this blog post has helped you. If you like, you can also write in the comments whether you share my assessment. Or which pincushion you find particularly recommendable.
Happy simple sewing,
yours, Sabine
Comments
Comments are loading …