Warning against McGizmo clips

[mchlwise]

Pic added...

Gonna have to try that.

 

[9volt]

I've seen a pic where someone used two of them, facing each other. Much more hassle to remove but would be very unlikely to come undone.

Another option might be to use 2 split rings on your keychain and feed them both into the clip.

 

[9volt]

I have been using one of these McGizmo clips

There should be a number stamped on the side of the clip to indicate it's size, what number is yours? I don't trust the 0s but the 1s seem ok.

 

[jch79]

I've seen a pic where someone used two of them, facing each other. Much more hassle to remove but would be very unlikely to come undone.

The same technique is used in certain situations in rock climbing with carabiners. I've thought about doing it with my Draco as well, as it's fallen off the clip once when it was around my neck.

This is the exact reason why I want two Draco's - one for my keychain, and one for my neck, so I wouldn't have to switch between the two, thus eliminating the clip altogether!

Beamhead - nice idea! :thumbsup: However I wonder, since it keeps more pressure on the spring that if it were not bent, wouldn' the spring wear out quicker?

john

 

[DM51]

These clips are #3 size (~1.2" long). They make things easy to attach/detach from the main keyring. I unclip whatever I need to use from the main keyring, leaving the other items still attached, in my pocket. The cord goes to my belt.

 

[greenLED]

Here's a thread discussing the same topic over on EDCF:
http://edcforums.com/index.php?topic=6026.0

It was suggested that lateral shearing forces were bending the clip out of shape and causing them to open. I disagree:

I agree that using a swivel might help, but it's not lateral shearing forces that opens the clip's gate:

I was playing with some of my McGizmo clips to see if I could replicate this. From my testing, I can say it's not the shearing force deforming the gate until the clip opens. What I'm seeing is the split rings attached to the clips get twisted onto the gate as you rotate the clip (or the attached object). If you continue the rotation, the edge of the split ring will push the gate open, which will release the object from where it's attached.

I have the motion down to where I can detach my wife's SAK from her keychain with a swift rotating movement. I can totally see how this could accidentally happen in somebody's pocket, or under normal use. The solution? Use a smaller slit ring (one that fits onto the clip, but does not touch the gate when twisting.

Another reason I don't like to add swivels is that they add to the total length of the attachment, and I like to keep things compact.

 

[Lurveleven]

I noticed the same issue right away, so I just squeeze the opening in the tips of all sizes with needle nose pliers (creating a hook if you will) so it wont easily come off. Haven't had a problem yet......knock wood.

Nice idea, will try it out when my hand gets good enough to use pliers (slipped and hurt my hand when hiking yesterday, I also managed to cut myself on a knife on the other hand, yesterday was obviously not a good day for me. Sorry for the digression).

Sigbjoern

 

[Lurveleven]

There should be a number stamped on the side of the clip to indicate it's size, what number is yours? I don't trust the 0s but the 1s seem ok.

It's a 2, i.e. 25 mm.
Using the rotating movement Greenled quotes from EDCforum, I find it most easy to get the 35mm clips to detach unintenionally when using a standard size keychain split ring, the 20 mm clips was harder to get to detach than the 25 and 35 mm ones. It is really scary how easy it is to detach them using the rotating movement.

Sigbjoern

 

[Lurveleven]

I've seen a pic where someone used two of them, facing each other. Much more hassle to remove but would be very unlikely to come undone.

I tried this and using the rotating movement it is easy to get them to detach.

Sigbjoern

 

[DM51]

I've just tried this twisting trick with my set-up (as in post #25 above). It is possible, and once I got the knack it wasn't too difficult. However, I don't think it is very likely to happen by accident as the movement has to be exactly right each time to do it. I think this is because the stainless steel split ring I am using is quite thick and it has to be positioned and twisted in a very precise way, which is unlikely to happen randomly in my pocket.

 

[mchlwise]

I've just tried this twisting trick with my set-up (as in post #25 above). It is possible, and once I got the knack it wasn't too difficult. However, I don't think it is very likely to happen by accident as the movement has to be exactly right each time to do it. I think this is because the stainless steel split ring I am using is quite thick and it has to be positioned and twisted in a very precise way, which is unlikely to happen randomly in my pocket.

I just went back to hanging my C-LE from a nano clip (size 1) on my keychain.

The twisting motion worked very easily on the mini clip and the micro clip (size 2), but with a nice small split ring (so it wasn't big enough to touch the gate) I couldn't get the nano to release under reasonable pressure. I say "reasonable" because I'm sure if I had some pliers and was really twisting it, I could break something and it would come loose. But just holding it in my fingers and pressing more than was comfortable, it wouldn't come off. There won't be more pressure or leverage than that when it's on my keychain.

:rock:

 

[mbely2]

I just recently lost both Leatherman Micra and Photon Freedom light: they was attached to my keyring via #3 clip (35mm).

Since that switched to regular split rings.

 

[9volt]

I tried this and using the rotating movement it is easy to get them to detach.

Sigbjoern

I just tried it and you're right.

What about having a clip on the ring and on the light. Then attach the lights clip to the ring and the rings clip to the split ring on the light? I may try that tonight.

 

[9volt]

So I tried the twisting thing with a smallish split ring on a size 1 clip and it popped right off:

But using a very small ring that is not much larger than the diameter of the fat part of the clip (the Leatherman ring attachment happened to be that size) it is impossible for the ring to get over the hinge part of the clip and allow a twisting action to force it open.

I'm switching to very small split rings.

 

[greenLED]

But using a very small ring that is not much larger than the diameter of the fat part of the clip (the Leatherman ring attachment happened to be that size) it is impossible for the ring to get over the hinge part of the clip and allow a twisting action to force it open.

Yup, that was my solution, as mentioned before. I'm glad others found that useful.

 

[hank]

Yep; the times I had problems I was hanging a little Arc AAA on its little ring, with the hook through a belt loop. Sit, stand, turn sround, any torsion on the light, along with taking the load off the clip, and it'd let go.

I'm going to hunt up some more springy wire, titanium, if I can find some, to replace the little clips' spring wires and see if that fixes it. Maybe slightly bigger diameter too so it binds a bit more in the holes.

No end of fiddling.

 

[liqht]

i think these clips are the best! the micro is the perfect size, and i have 3 of them on my minimalist keyring setup. i've never had anything come undone.

 

[Minjin]

Here's my keychain:

I think the thing that is doing you guys in is the split rings. As you can see, I don't use one for my main loop. I really need to get a clip for that usb drive...

 

[McGizmo]

The success or failure of these type clips depends on what they are attached to. As has been mentioned, very small radiused loop can be effective as well as a large radiused loop. What is at end of a loop or attachment bail will also effect the trustworthyness of the system. You can articulate the components of the system and get a feel for its integrety and not just hope things will be OK. There is no magic at play here. If the clip can come in contact with something that will collapse the gate when it is also in a position to unhook, you have a potential problem.

 

[Edwood]

So, when are you making a tiny locking Titanium clip?

-Ed