Single vs Double-Barrel Magnetic Catches: What’s the Difference?


Barrel magnetic catches are commonly used to secure cabinets, doors, electronic enclosures and other objects. They feature a barrel-shaped permanent magnet and an accompanying ferromagnetic plate. You can mount the permanent magnet on the object that you wish to open, and you can mount the plate on the frame of the object, thus allowing for rotation.

What Is a Single-Barrel Magnetic Catch?

A single-barrel magnetic catch is a type of magnetic catch that features a single barrel-shaped permanent magnet. The permanent magnet works in conjunction with a ferromagnetic plate. It will automatically pull the object towards the plate, thus keeping the object shut in its default position. Single-barrel magnetic catches simply have a single barrel-shaped permanent magnet.

What Is a Double-Barrel Magnetic Catch?

A double-barrel magnetic catch, on the other hand, is an alternative type of magnetic catch. It essentially features two barrel-shaped permanent magnets. The two permanent magnets are connected to each other, resulting in a double-barrel shape. And like single-barrel magnetic catches, they work in conjunction with a ferromagnetic plate.

Differences Between Single-Barrel and Double-Barrel Magnetic Catches

Different magnetic catches may have a different number of barrel-shaped permanent magnets. Single-barrel magnetic catches have a single barrel-shaped permanent magnet, whereas double-barrel magnetic catches have two. Aside from their visual nuances, though, there are other differences between single-barrel and double-barrel magnetic catches.

With only one barrel-shaped permanent magnet, single-barrel magnetic catches typically cost less. You can expect to pay less for single-barrel magnetic catches than their double-barrel counterparts.

Single-barrel magnetic catches also consume less space to mount. If you’re planning to use them on a small object, such as a cabinet door, you may want to choose single-barrel magnetic catches for this reason. Even if a cabinet door is too small for a double-barrel magnetic catch, it may accommodate a single-barrel magnetic catch.

Double-barrel magnetic catches are stronger than single-barrel magnetic catches. They feature twice the magnetic power. With two permanent magnets, double-barrel magnetic catches are stronger than single-barrel magnetic catches. This makes them an excellent choice for otherwise heavy doors and objects.

What About Traditional Magnetic Catches?

There are traditional magnetic catches as well. They don’t feature the same barrel-shaped permanent magnets as single-barrel and double-barrel styles. Instead, they feature a rectangular-shaped permanent magnet.

Traditional magnetic catches are used for the same purpose as single-barrel and double-barrel magnetic catches. They simply feature a permanent magnet in a different shape.

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