Lanyard with Detachable Buckle and Break Away Explained

There seems to be some confusion about the buckle found on lanyards. Some customers have called saying they would like to get the buckle when referencing the break away. Here we explain the difference between the two styles. Video explanation

In the lanyard industry, a buckle is a detachable buckle . If you are wearing a lanyard with a detachable buckle, then the detachable buckle is found close to the metal attachment towards the bottom of the lanyard. There is about four inches of lanyard material in between the buckle and the metal attachment like the claw seen in the picture to the right. Most buckles are made of plastic, but TempIDs.com also has detachable buckles that have metal with plastic and metal on metal.

The break away is typically found at the back of the neck and is made up of either plastic inserts or velcro. Break Away Personalized lanyards are made of velcro.

Why would you need a lanyard with a detachable buckle? The buckle allows you to remove the bottom portio of the lanyard without taking it completely off your neck. Some people may have a house key or classroom key on the lanyard and using the detachable buckle allows you to use the key without bending over awkwardly. Same thing would apply for people that have an access card or a USB flash drive and would have a need to use the detachable buckle. Many USB flash drives sold in retail outlets have lanyards with a smaller version of the detachable buckle shown.

Why would you use a lanyard with a break away? The break away is used for safety reasons. When you pull on the lanyard, it will fall of the neck. Please note that this does not happen when you use a detachable buckle. When you separate the buckle, the large loop is still on your neck.

Some work place environments require employees to have a lanyard with a break away to avoid injury in case the lanyard gets caught in a machine. Same applies with some schools that stipulate students and staff must use lanyards with the break away.

A break away lanyard is almost always reusable. We recommend using a velcro break away for schools since students have been known to bend the plastic insert breakaways to get out of wearing the lanyard. The only way to mess up the velcro is to cut it off and then the lanyard vandalism is quite evident.

A break away lanyard can be made using velcro or plastic, but a detachable buckle cannot be made with velcro.

Break away lanyards are offered in both our regular and rush lanyard lines. You can get a custom break away lanyard in 24 hours and a custom lanyard with a detachable buckle produced in 48 hours with minimums of 200 and 50 pieces respectively.

When it comes to lanyards with detachable buckles or break aways, most customers usually get one or the other and not both like the Coca-Cola lanyard sample shown above right.

TempIDs.com does offer custom printing on the detachable buckle on the standard production lanyard jobs with a minimum of 500 pieces.

Let TempIDs.com know how we can assist with your lanyard needs 1-888-894-4591.