I was hoping the two magnets would literally snap together if I got them within about 4" of each other but that doesn't seem to be the case. I suspect I'm going to have to do more fumbling and experimenting with this problem. The L.L. Bean release sells for a whopping $35 and I'm wondering if the magnets are more powerful making them easier to connect? Only negative thought I have is that magnets too powerful would be harder to disconnect.

This has the makings of being like everything else new that I buy in that I have to get several different ones to finally find the right one!