At work I carry a few keys, one being a keycard that gives me access to many different rooms. As I use the keycard frequently I like to have it attached to a retractable lanyard. This allows me to quickly use the keycard and "dispose" of it without having to be in and out of my pockets a billion times each day.
For the past several years I've simply used the cheapie ones that come in a 6-pack from the office supply store. They worked OK, but their one downfall was that I was replacing one every few months. They may be inexpensive at first, but after a while it adds up.
INGOer Roadie works with me in the same office so there are times when he's the one using the same set of keys. He shared in my frustration. So we went looking for a solution.
After a few minutes of online searching we came across several different options. Many of them, however, resembled something a maintenance person would carry. They looked well-built, but we needed something that would blend better into a business-casual atmosphere. We were looking for something subdued-- not a huge shiny chrome keychain.
We were looking for something with these features:
The Maxpedition Gear Retractors come in 3 different sizes-- Small, Medium, and Large. The Large and Medium retractors are offered with 3 different clip choices (belt clip, snap ring, velcro strap). Each size also has a slightly different length of cord and pull weight. Available colors are black, green, and khaki. They all feature a Kevlar tether, QD functionality, and stainless-steel hardware (I'm still trying to figure out how to use this on my rifle
)
For our uses we picked the Small retractor with a belt clip in Black. I ordered direct from Maxpedition and the shipped price was $20.xx.
For more information on Maxpedition's Gear Retractors, check out this link:
Gear Retractors - MAXPEDITION HARD-USE GEAR Tactical Nylon Gear for Military, Law Enforcement, Tactical Concealed Carry; Tailored to Perform Tactical
You can also order them directly from T-Reign, although I don't care for the logo they plaster on theirs.
T-REIGN retractable gear tethers - T-REIGN Outdoor Products
I received my Gear Retractor from Maxpedition in about 3 business days. It was well-packaged, and came with their latest catalog.
In comparison to the retractor I was using previously, there is no comparison.
To load it up you first detach the QD section, then slip one side of the braided steel cable out from the bottom. Then attach keys, a flashlight, folding knife, GPS, handheld radio, whatever. Slip the cable back into place and then hook the two pieces back together. Viola!
The tether is 24" long, which is just long enough to comfortably use the keycard in a door lock. While this is long enough for our purposes, I would recommend the longer tether of a Medium or Large if one was using it with something other than keys.
The belt clip is designed well and is quite stout, although you will notice a slight amount of wear on it already.
Not only has the belt clip itself worn, but it has worn the finish on both of our belts. To be fair, the old style retractor did the same thing.
Now the clip has 360-degree movement, which allows the retractor body to swivel around when in use. This reduces the wear on the tether and allows for a smooth draw and release.
We knew bwframe was going to bring this up, so we went ahead and also tried the retractor with a flashlight and folding knife attached to a pack.
The added weight of these items did tax the retractor just a tiny bit more. Still workable, but if we pulled the flashlight all the way out and released it would not seat back the entire way. Close, but not quite all the way.
While the belt clip is great for using on a belt, Maxpedition offers more secure alternatives for attaching a retractor to a pack-- like a snap ring or velcro strap. But even with the belt clip attachment we were surprised how well the retractor stayed in place.
At $20-30 each (shipped) having several could get pricey. But having one or two for those items that you need to keep in reach during times when hands are at a premium, the Maxpedition Gear Retractors are a neat piece of gear.
Many thanks to Roadie for collaborating on this review, from concept to picture-taking.
For the past several years I've simply used the cheapie ones that come in a 6-pack from the office supply store. They worked OK, but their one downfall was that I was replacing one every few months. They may be inexpensive at first, but after a while it adds up.
INGOer Roadie works with me in the same office so there are times when he's the one using the same set of keys. He shared in my frustration. So we went looking for a solution.
After a few minutes of online searching we came across several different options. Many of them, however, resembled something a maintenance person would carry. They looked well-built, but we needed something that would blend better into a business-casual atmosphere. We were looking for something subdued-- not a huge shiny chrome keychain.
We were looking for something with these features:
- Not too large in size
- Subdued coloring and appearance
- Could be clipped to a belt
- Long enough to use with keycard
- Tough winding mechanism that won't wear out after repeated use
- Able to support a keycard and a few hard keys
The Maxpedition Gear Retractors come in 3 different sizes-- Small, Medium, and Large. The Large and Medium retractors are offered with 3 different clip choices (belt clip, snap ring, velcro strap). Each size also has a slightly different length of cord and pull weight. Available colors are black, green, and khaki. They all feature a Kevlar tether, QD functionality, and stainless-steel hardware (I'm still trying to figure out how to use this on my rifle
)For our uses we picked the Small retractor with a belt clip in Black. I ordered direct from Maxpedition and the shipped price was $20.xx.
For more information on Maxpedition's Gear Retractors, check out this link:
Gear Retractors - MAXPEDITION HARD-USE GEAR Tactical Nylon Gear for Military, Law Enforcement, Tactical Concealed Carry; Tailored to Perform Tactical
You can also order them directly from T-Reign, although I don't care for the logo they plaster on theirs.
T-REIGN retractable gear tethers - T-REIGN Outdoor Products
I received my Gear Retractor from Maxpedition in about 3 business days. It was well-packaged, and came with their latest catalog.
In comparison to the retractor I was using previously, there is no comparison.
To load it up you first detach the QD section, then slip one side of the braided steel cable out from the bottom. Then attach keys, a flashlight, folding knife, GPS, handheld radio, whatever. Slip the cable back into place and then hook the two pieces back together. Viola!
The tether is 24" long, which is just long enough to comfortably use the keycard in a door lock. While this is long enough for our purposes, I would recommend the longer tether of a Medium or Large if one was using it with something other than keys.
The belt clip is designed well and is quite stout, although you will notice a slight amount of wear on it already.
Not only has the belt clip itself worn, but it has worn the finish on both of our belts. To be fair, the old style retractor did the same thing.
Now the clip has 360-degree movement, which allows the retractor body to swivel around when in use. This reduces the wear on the tether and allows for a smooth draw and release.
We knew bwframe was going to bring this up, so we went ahead and also tried the retractor with a flashlight and folding knife attached to a pack.
The added weight of these items did tax the retractor just a tiny bit more. Still workable, but if we pulled the flashlight all the way out and released it would not seat back the entire way. Close, but not quite all the way.
While the belt clip is great for using on a belt, Maxpedition offers more secure alternatives for attaching a retractor to a pack-- like a snap ring or velcro strap. But even with the belt clip attachment we were surprised how well the retractor stayed in place.
At $20-30 each (shipped) having several could get pricey. But having one or two for those items that you need to keep in reach during times when hands are at a premium, the Maxpedition Gear Retractors are a neat piece of gear.
Many thanks to Roadie for collaborating on this review, from concept to picture-taking.
