Many of you have likely tried hammering a nail into a wall. Just before you actually hit the nail on the head, there is a twinge of fear that you might actually strike yourself, just as they do in the cartoons. Rather than holding onto your red throbbing thumb to cure the pain as animated characters do, you would instead be making a quick trip to the hospital to get a cast for your finger.
There is a way to avoid this sort of situation though. The ThumbSaver TS001 is a magnetic nail setter that will keep your nail still well away from your phalanges. It has a rubber grip, solid aluminum shaft, and a strong magnet that will hold any nail, staple, or screw in place. It costs somewhere around $10, and has a slanted angle shaft to help you get to those hard to reach places.
(semi)Professional hammer wielders will mock those who feel the need to use this, but for me it's a brilliant invention. I don't have the skill and experience that would give me enough confidence to knock a nail in straight. Flinching causes the nail to change direction and I end up having to correct it with sideways taps and having another go. For $10 this can have a space next to the hammer in my tool case.
I always just used an old pair of long needlenose pliers, works great.
Um, this is stupid. For two reasons.
One, use a pair of pliers instead.
Two, what about aluminum or stainless steel fasteners?
Oh, and three, if you have the problem Philip described in his comment, this thing won’t help. It will keep the nail in place for the first few taps, but if you strike a nail hard enough to send a nail off course as he describes, its trajectory won’t be affected by a little magnetic thingy stuck to its side.
Don’t buy this. It’s junk.