That $400 magnetic sweep set was a waste of my money

Back in March I bought one of those pricey magnetic sweeping systems from a vendor at the trade show in Columbus. Paid $400 thinking it would save me time on the tough flue jobs with offset bends. Three months later the magnets barely hold onto the rods once there's any soot buildup, and the brush head warped after maybe twelve uses. My old standard wire brush and basic rods do the job just as well for a fraction of the cost. I even called the company and they said I was probably using too much pressure, which is ridiculous since I've been sweeping for 19 years. Anyone else tried one of these magnetic kits and gone back to the simple setup, or did I just get a bad unit? What's your go-to for the stubborn bends?