[ipaguy]

1st off, I use the larger (~2") stir bars.  Based on many years as a lab rat, get yourself an extra stir bar.  When pouring out your starter, hold the extra bar against the outside of the flask to keep from having the stir bar plop into your fermenter.  (If you're a trust-fund baby, lab supply houses do have stir bar retrievers.)

[hamiltont]

Another option: If you have access to an old hard drive the magnets work good as well. Cheers!!!

[Mark G]

I'm currently waiting for my saison to finish fermenting so I can reclaim my stir bar. Of course it happened right after I had the thought of "I really should buy a spare stir bar."

[oscarvan]

My stir plate came with a magnet to control the bar when not on the plate.

[Mark G]

My stir plate came with a magnet to control the bar when not on the plate.

Yeah, mine did too...    ... I just failed to use it.

[ipaguy]

Brewing is one thing, but if you work in a lab and do several dozen flasks a day, you don't last long if you don't develop good habits on this.