What is wrong with the magnets, these should last almost indefinitely? You can remove the clamp from the magnets. The titanium alloy shaft came out in June 2007 but many stainless shaft pumps remained on the market for up to a year after. It is almost impossible to discern the shafts without a lot of experience but the titanium alloy shaft has a bullet nose, the stainless steel shaft was blunt on the end.