Interaction forces between magnetic fields and current loops play a central role in the theory of magnetism. This work describes a reasonably simple and cheap experiment for demonstrating this issue: the force on a thin coil due to a nearby cylindrical magnet. The magnitude of the force as well as its attractive/repulsive character is comfortably revealed by means of a balance. A first test clearly reveals the linearity between force and current. With some additional care, it is also possible to investigate the force-distance relationship and to compare it to simple models.