Pop quiz: which working MUA kicked off the magnetic de‑potting palette trend around 2009, nudging brands to swap aluminum for tin‑plated steel pans (or add stickers) and lean into that now‑ubiquitous 26 mm size? That single shift still dictates my specs on magnet pull and hinge geometry because it rewired how pro kits read as clean, cohesive brand image on set.
Pretty sure it was Z Palette — Zena Shteysel circa ’09 — kicking off the de-pot wave; the “26 mm” standard is MAC and ZP nudged brands to switch to tin-plated steel or slap on steel stickers. , I still keep a magnet sheet to test pans on set and carry spare steel discs for the stubborn aluminum ones: https://www.zpalette.com/pages/about. Do you count Inglot’s Freedom System as a precursor, or are we talking strictly de-potting palettes?
@OP I’d credit Zena’s Z Palette in ’09 for the depotting wave, though Inglot’s Freedom System primed the market a bit earlier. My quick fix when aluminum pans won’t grab is a thin steel sticker cut to “26 mm” placed inside the well — not under the pan — so the lid sits flat and the magnet pull reads even for your hinge geometry on set.
@OP I still keep a sheet of 0.2 mm steel shim in the kit; when an aluminum pan won’t grab, I punch a 25–26 mm disk and stick it under so your 26 mm wells read clean and the ‘magnet pull’ stays consistent. Do you spec N52s or back off for lighter lids? If the refill’s slightly domed, I switch to 0.1 mm so it doesn’t sit proud and throw off hinge clearance.
Leaning Zena Shteysel in ’09 — the moment brands started touting “steel‑backed” pans and that 26 mm well became default; Unii trailed right after. If your hinge spec’s fighting magnet pull, ditch the vinyl sheet and run 1 mm N52 strips so lids float but the wells still lock. Who sent the first “tin over aluminum” nudge to vendors, the founder or the pro store buyers?