When I get asked about what I consider to be the biggest hit of last week’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, I have to say, it’s this; Magnetic Velcro Fasteners. Invariably, I find the simplest solutions to be the best so it’s amazing that no one has thought of this before.
Lots of Soldiers are unhappy with the hook and pile tape used as closures for their ACUs. They’d love to replace it with buttons. If you’re one of them, I know it’s hard to believe, but this simple device might just be the answer to your prayers.
When Fighter Design LLC came up with the idea of combining Velcro brand fasteners and magnets, Velcro USA welcomed the idea. Here you can see how Magnetic Velcro Fasteners would look on your ACUs.
And here is a demo of how it works.
Pretty cool huh? Coming soon.
Tags: Fighter Design LLC, Velcro USA
Pretty slick, however I have a question, sorry if this sounds dumb but:
– do those magnets affect electronics (radio gps etc…) in any way?
– also, is there a concern they might become secondary fragments when worn that way (ie, under balistic protection).
I know this is probably too far thinking, but I’d like to get SMEs opinions.
Thanks
I had got a m249 pouch made for a friend years ago that used magnets for closure but this is a great idea. The Velcro closures on the pockets of the Canadian issue pants tend to come off. Magnets would help with wear and tear and stop me from horribly sewing them back on every once in awhile.
Dangit, I wish I’d thought of this idea. That’s very smart!
So these are separate pieces that go on over existiong velcro tabs, thereby thickening the closure point by as much? More stuff to snag… more stuff to loose.
Neat idea on paper… but I really dont think it will stand up to heavy use…
Matt, I’m pretty sure these replace the existing velcro tabs rather than stick over them. To retrofit your uniforms, you’d have to pull off the old stuff and replace with the new.
No, you just Velcro them in place on your existing strips. No sewing needed.
Jack’s question is not at all dumb. Jack, it’s unlikely that something with as little Gaussian density as those fasteners would have an adverse effect on electronic devices. However, it will adversely affect a compasses and present a potential danger when handling explosive devices and triggers that rely on a disruption of a magnetic field.
So, probably not a good choice for military application unless its efficacy is supported by extensive testing.
Thanks Sal for your input, that’s the type of information I was looking for! Cheers
Wow. That looks pretty cool. How can I get a hold of them to get some of these?
let me know if you found a place to purchase. i’ve search the web, including velcro usa site and haven’t found. thx
or just use buttons….if it aint broke dont fix it.
You gotta sew buttons on and the uniform police might notice.
People here are all asking the right questions. The team at Fighter Design has years of experience integrating neodymium magnets into custom tactical equipment, so we have performed a lot of testing to investigate any issues.
Here’s what we’ve learned:
1. Magnets will affect compass navigation (understandable), but we were told by most users that they don’t rely on compass/map navigation. Still, they can be quickly removed in a matter of seconds if the need arises.
2. We have not discovered any issues during our testing with radio/mobile/electronics use. Also, there have been no negative reports from the field. This is because most modern electronics are shielded. However, it is wise to test with your equipment.
3. We are not EOD. If you are working with explosives, and magnetic field triggers are a concern, you might want to stick with the standard issue Velcro.
We always continue testing and we will post any issues reported from users on our website, http://www.FighterD.com
Thanks for your questions.
-Slank
The Snowboarding industry has been using this idea for over 5 years. My favorite Planet Earth Snowboard jacket has this and its 5 or 6 years old.
This retro-fit idea is fantastic though. I would by them for all my jackets.
I’ve been experimenting with “magnetic snap buttons”. There was two variants I used: coin-shaped dime-sized magnet hidden in tubular webbing + socket from regular snap button, magnetic snap button in metal casing designed for wallets and bags.
The first variant was really bad – magnetic field was all around the magnet and it affected the compass (I do rely on it – it’s much better than carrying tons of batteries for GPS just to know where you go) in outdoors, was sticking to steel things and parts, collected metal debris, little bolts, nuts and pieces of wire during some job in workshop.
The second variant was much better because of concentrated magnetic field – metal case guides it to one point (small hole in the center). When fastened, it was not collecting small metal things and affected navigation not so roughly.
But, anyway – I’d use such things only on limited parts of garment and in limited situations.