Maratac Gate Clip

I received a some of these a few days ago and really like them so far. Excellent quality and seem to be much more refined than the type from Berkeley Point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK4Q4YQeWO0



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK4Q4YQeWO0






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Those look like jewelry! Got a link handy?

I bet they sell a ton of them in pretty short order if they're priced at all like the lights are!

kaichu dento said:

Those look like jewelry! Got a link handy?

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Yes, they look very much like jewelry! The price is pretty darn fair too.

http://www.countycomm.com/gateclip.htm

They don't seem keen to ship overseas tried paypal and credit card.
Norm

Patriot said:

Yes, they look very much like jewelry! The price is pretty darn fair too.

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9$ for basic shipping (to CO address) is kind of steep for small orders though...

Yeah, with CountyComm, it's just not worth it unless you're putting in a large order. When I'm ready to order their XL BOB bag, that's when I'll be sure to get a few extra items. . . Including more than a handful of their gate clips. The fact that you can insert both ends of 550 cord through the hole means you can get a good strong knot with little effort.

Anyone else carry them?

After a couple weeks of carrying them, they've performed flawlessly on my work, key chain.

My newest use is to hang one from a loop of tether cord neck lanyard and then hang my aluminum Maratac AAA light from it when I'm night hiking. It makes for a quick to grab back up and stays were you need it to.

Beamhead said:

Anyone else carry them?

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been looking but can't find anything... maybe someone else knows better then i do?

The original model for these is the Wichard Snap Hook, a marine-grade stainless clip that comes in several sizes. It's a very high-quality product, usually found in marine hardward stores, and it costs more than any of the copies to date because it's a better product. Very strong, smoothly operating gate. The polished finish isn't quite like those on the Maratac, but it's incredibly strong. I have several, but I've ordered the Maratac to see what they're like.

I live only a few miles away from them and they will not let me do a will call. I have to pay $9 for shipping even for 3 little clips which could be sent usps for 87 cents and I would have them the next day. That is why I have not and will not buy from them. Just not worth it.

JML said:

The original model for these is the Wichard Snap Hook, a marine-grade stainless clip that comes in several sizes. It's a very high-quality product, usually found in marine hardward stores, and it costs more than any of the copies to date because it's a better product. Very strong, smoothly operating gate. The polished finish isn't quite like those on the Maratac, but it's incredibly strong. I have several, but I've ordered the Maratac to see what they're like.

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You'll be an excellent person then to compare these. I'll be eager to hear your thoughts especially if the Wichard is made in a comparable size. I googled them but typically only found the larger ones.

I got two, which were part of an order for some other items from County Comm.

The Maratac clips are much smaller than you might think, especially if you haven't measured things! They're really the equivalent in size and function of the "original" Suncor stainless steel mini gate clips (1-3/8") that are the inspiration for the McGizmo clips. They're not going to work on a belt loop, unlike the Wichard or the Wichard clones. The Suncor won't clip onto belt loops, either.

Berkeley Point also offers a McGizmo "Mini Gate Snap" that's 1 1/4" long, in the same shape as the Maratac or the Wichards, but I have not seen or tried that item. From the pictures, it looks as if it has the same casting imperfections as the other McGizmo, Suncor, and Wichard items, which are not anywhere nicely finished as the Maratac clips.

I'm afraid the Maratac clips are a mixed bag of positive and negative attributes. First, the positive: (1) they're truly beautiful, smoothly finished and very highly polished, and (2) the thin-wall design of the hole (on one side) means you can attach split rings more easily than you can with the clips having holes with thicker walls (i.e., the hole on the Maratac is much closer to the back side of the clip than the hole on any other comparable clip). I usually add some polishing to the larger areas of the Suncor which can be fairly rough -- I file the backsides, smooth them out, and end up polishing them with a Dremel, but they're not as nicely cast as they could be, and they won't ever look like the Maratac without wholesale refinishing!

But here are the negatives: (1) there is absolutely no detent on the body for the wire clip to slip into so it can be partly recessed when closed, so it is not anywhere as secure as other clips, (2) the wire spring has shorter ends than the Suncor (the holes into which the ends go are not drilled through the clip body), (3) the tension of the spring is not early as strong as the Suncor, and (4) it doesn't operate as smoothly. One of my clips wouldn't operate smoothly or even close all the way every time, and I tried to fix it, but to no avail. I ended up tossing it, but I should have sent it back instead of trying to fix it. I think the problems are caused by the ends of the wire, which go into the body, being so short that any misalignment of the tips is exaggerated by the flexing of the spring when it's opened.

I use the Suncor to attach all my keys and related items (Micra, Atwood whistle, light, etc.) to split rings on lobster-claw belt-loop key ring fobs, to a ring on the Wichard, or to other metal or Tifco D-25 plastic D-rings on my laptop bag, etc. They're really the smallest that can fit on most metal and plastic solid rings and be easily opened by finger pressure without even looking (but are not going to open accidentally) (I find the McGizmo are too small for that kind of use).

The Wichard (the smallest one, 2", which is about two times larger than the Maratac) is, in my opinion, the best option for a belt-loop attachment clip; the quality is far better than the cheaper stainless steel copies from Suncor, Berkeley Point, or others (I have not seen the Ti clips based on this design). The Wichard's action and finish, and the smoothness of operation, is superior to the copies. The Wichard is available in 2", 3", and 4" sizes.

I put the good Maratac on a small split ring attached to an ITP A1 EOS Stainless Steel light (the CR123A version) that I have clipped on my laptop bag. The polished finish is gorgeous, and matches the polished ITP very well.

Wow, great report JML. I own none of the other gate clips that you mentioned so it's great that you spoke up.

It sounds as if the Maratac's selling point is the size, price and finish, but needs a stronger clip and detent at the very least.

I started a post that was somewhat critical of this Maratac clip when this thread first started but upon evaluating the expected intended usage of the clip, I found I was being unreasonable and any comments from me would be likely suspect anyway.

The Wichard is the original and all of Wichard's hardware is about working hardware where the design and construction is focused on performance and strength. Wichard forges their clips which puts them in a different category completely from any of the cast copies. To evaluate this Maratac clip based on Wichard's design criteria or that of a piece of hardware designed as a load bearing part would find it seriously lacking for some fairly obvious reasons but in terms of a key clip or other low load device clip it seems to be well thought out and it certainly has a mirror finish!

Any of these gate clips can provide great utility provided one evaluates the application. Since the gate does not lock, one needs to confirm that the application is not one where an unintended gate capsize and release of the clip could occur.

I have used the Wichard's for years and when I was finally in a position to suggest the consideration for a smaller version more as a gear clip, I did so. I was employed by Suncor at the time and pushed for a mini clip to be made which it was. After leaving Suncor, I felt there was even call for a range of smaller clips and through a company I had come to know in the industry, I was able to get a series of these done.

The tortion gate is simply a marvel in simplicity and function. Who ever invented it originally is my hero!

There are all kinds of clips and devices now that use this tortion gate and some with great success and based on a good design and some that fail miserably.

The very crude and odd looking titanium key chain clip pictured below is one I made probably 15 years ago and it is still in constant service today. It may still be the only titanium clip on the planet with a pair of diamonds set in it.



As a standard, it makes almost all of the clips now available look good but in terms of actual function, it holds its own.

A properly functioning gate is not trivial and and I have encountered a number of clips and designs over the years that fall short in this aspect. The only way to know if a gate works well is to try one. You can't tell from a picture unfortunately.

If this Maratac clip has a good gate action then it is a nice clip for its apparent, intended applications.

I didn't intend any of what I wrote to be a direct comparison of the capabilities of the different clips beyond holding stuff on your person (not holding your person to something else!). The Wichard clip is in a class by itself, as Don notes and the price indicates, and it was the first of the gate clip designs (if you get one of those in your hand, it's like going into REI and comparing real wire gate carabiners meant for climbing to the teeny little cheapo versions on the key chain display.) Here's a link to the Wichard catalog of stainless fittings: http://www.wichard.com/documents/stainlessSteel.pdf.

The "gate action" of the Maratac is exactly what disappointed me the most, and I tried to figure out why it wasn't as good as the other mini clips, such as the Suncor, which is a direct competitor in stainless steel. Maybe the bad one of the two I received was an exception, but I expected more. The wire ought to be longer, IMHO.

Very pretty, though!

I might mention at this point that I've been carrying a couple of Maratac's gate clips for several weeks now while attaching and detaching them to the metal D-ring on my 511 pants about 50 cycles per day. I haven't had a single problem or issue and it has never come off unintentionally folks.

While interesting in itself, considering the smallest size wichard and how much larger and more expensive it is, it seems odd that the mention of it ever even came up here.

We can still directly compare it to the BP or other similar clips and I would consider that a perfectly valid parallel. I actually have enough confidence in these now that I'll probably perform some destruction testing on a couple of them just to demonstrate the reliability that I've experience thus far.

As has been touched on already, the application is what's going to effect its reliability. I've already tested one to 40lbs of load which is far more than what it will ever see as my EDC key ring attachment point.

Yes, CC's shipping is expensive but if you're going to place a larger order on something it's worth the price to include of couple of these as they're great for key chain duty at the very minimum. They'd probably make great ear rings for the ladies as well....:laughing: