Scope that still has to be closed
Mechanical retention
Ask for holding force in newtons at the stated gap, and breakaway force in the axis you care about. A 50 N straight pull and a 15 N side load are different tests. Debris on the face, such as metal dust in a cabinet, can change the gap. The supplier should say whether the figure is a new pair or a pair after a connector mating cycle count of 500 or 2000.
Threaded coupling resists a side load that a magnet may release. That can be useful on a vibrating pad and awkward where a technician must disconnect without tools. Write the service method you actually want. Do not treat either construction as universally safer.
Electrical and polarity
Current needs two temperatures, for example 8 A at 25 °C and the value at 70 °C. Voltage might be 12 VDC, 24 VDC or 48 VDC. Polarity and keying should make a reverse mating mechanically impossible if reverse voltage would damage the radio. Pogo or spring contacts and flat pads wear differently. Ask which geometry is quoted.
Impedance here means the DC contact path in milliohms, with measurement accuracy stated. It is not a 50 ohm RF impedance. Frequency range, gain, VSWR and return loss stay on the radio line. If a supplier pastes those into a magnetic power quote, separate them before you read the price.
Choices that remain open until evidence arrives
Plating may be gold at 0.38 µm or thicker. Ingress protection may be absent on a breakaway face that is designed to release. If you need IP67, say so and expect some magnetic designs to decline. Cable jacket, strain relief and the overmold durometer affect pull on the magnet and should be in the same quote as the shell.
Original-shell family versus a cross-sourced equivalent is a sourcing choice, not a moral ranking. The original drawing may match a host flange with less debate. A second source may be workable when pin size, magnet polarity, current and the flange drawing are checked on the exact item. New contacts versus surplus contacts change plating age and the remaining connector mating cycle life. Ask for date code or a statement of condition. Refurbished language borrowed from chassis equipment does not map cleanly onto a contact lot, so require the condition in plain words.
Worked buyer situation. Background: a device maker wanted a magnetic disconnect on a 24 VDC, 5 A radio accessory and had been offered a threaded substitute. Process: the brief required 5 A at 25 °C and at 60 °C, polarity that blocks reversal, breakaway between 10 N and 25 N along the cable axis, and a drawing of the PCB pads. Result: the threaded offer was kept as a deviation because the breakaway window could not be met, and the magnetic offer was held until the supplier named the pad geometry. Neither offer was accepted from the family name alone.
Before you accept an alternative, verify the model code, the flange or pad drawing, the current basis, the polarity, the retention axis and any safety file that names that model. A shared photo angle is not one of those checks. Continue with inquiry rows or the RFQ page.
