I ordered this to pick up nails and metal bits when I work on projects. I also needed it to pick up steel case brass on my shooting range. I found it works very well in the shop and on concrete or paved areas. The magnet is fairly strong, and really attracts magnetic metals nicely. When using it on really short grass, it also does the job well, but if the grass is tall enough to brush the bottom of the magnetic bar, some items can be knocked loose, especially light weight items like steel shell casings, which don't have a lot of mass to be attracted by the magnet. I did find the magnet is strong enough to pick up items that were partially covered in sand, or hidden in gravel. Overall, I'm very happy with the tool.