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.
tried paypal and credit card.
