Plastic Hardware: Nylon vs. Acetal

I am sure you have already read the article on the quality of plastic hardware. But if you haven't check it out HERE first. 

Now that you know all about the different qualities of plastic hardware.  Let's talk about the types of plastic hardware.  

There are two types of plastic hardware that we use on our straps: Nylon and Acetal.   

Nylon is flexible, but has poor memory retention.

Acetal is rigid, but has incredible memory retention.

We use two different types because both have very different strengths and excel at very different tasks.

And I'm betting you've already had experience with both.  

Have you ever had a side release buckle that "clicks" when you connect it, and other times they don't.  The ones that "click" are acetal, the latter are nylon. Side release buckles are the ones you squeeze the sides in to get them to release, and are commonly used on backpacks. 

We use side release buckles on our Camera Straps.  We use the Acetal kind, because they securely "click" guaranteeing the buckle has closed properly.  This is very important when you are hanging your camera from it. They also have amazing memory retention, which means it will still "click" even after a thousand releases.  

For the camera harnesses we use a mix of nylon and acetal buckles. We want the flexibility of nylon buckles on the back of the harness for the comfort they offer.  They don't dig in, and they flex and give under load. On the flip side, the hooks on the front of the harness definitely need to be Acetal, because they have incredible memory retention.  That means you can pinch those hooks thousands of times and they will close EVERY TIME.  If we used nylon for the hooks, they would eventually creep open after extensive use. 

Cool, huh?

Now let's talk about temperatures, cuz I have heard it all.  Dry, humid, cold, hot.  This buckle failed here, that buckle failed there.  

Buckles fail in a variety of temperatures if they are not a "quality" buckle.  Name brand buckles are awesome performers whether you are in -30 to +30 temperatures, and it makes no difference if it is sea air, or dry desert air.  It's the knock off cheap plastics that fail.  Every time. They just don't go through the quality control measures that name brand buckles go through.  

Still concerned? Send us a message, we'd be happy to hear from you.