GBC ID Badge Holder, BadgeMates, Translucent Retractable Carabiner Badge Reel, Assorted Colors, 4 Pack (3747498)

My old badge holder broke, so I went ahead and bought a pack of these to replace it. They are nothing special, but for the price they are decently made. If there is one advantage to these over my pair that broke, its that these are much easier to clip onto a belt loop, they just slide right on. My first one broke after about a year, the plastic bit that holds the badge itself wore out and split at the bottom, (partly due to how I stored the badge in my pocket, as it put constant pressure on that part of the plastic). The reel part still worked perfectly fine. If I really wanted to, it could easily be fixed with some good tape, but whats the point when I only paid about $10 for 4 holders and I have a spare? I ended up giving 2 away to coworkers who had their badge holders break, and they have been using them for the better part of a year with no problems (Time to buy some more for extras). Here at my work they are used to carry a small RFID badge and they are used on average 1-6 times a day depending on what you do. All 4 of mine have lasted about a year with me and my coworkers, so I suspect this pack would last me at least 4 years if just using them myself.

I got these for work because I need an access badge to open doors and all that and more than once using a little alligator clip I've found my badge on the floor in my cube. For what I paid, I did not expect these things to be of the highest quality and honestly they've probably exceeded most expectations on that front all told. When putting them on my belt loop in the mornings or taking it off at night I can feel a bit of play between the metal and plastic on the reel part, but my biggest gripe has been the plastic that holds the badges itself. I have to turn my badge in at the end of every day so I have to unsnap the thing regularly. After a few months of use the plastic is starting to crease along the button fastener and will likely tear off at any time now. I still have three others, but it bugs me since every other aspect of the device is perfectly functional. Looking at it, even if I could find a replacement for the plastic loop, there's a little metal piece holding it to the cable and there's only so many times you could bend that to replace the plastic loop and then bend it back before it breaks.

Great new design for ID reels! Finally, a ID reel that stays with you! The ingenious design of the caribiner clip keeps your ID secure to you. It has plenty of cord and also comes with a bump stop to lengthen the life of the string. I bought enough to give everyone I work with one of these and bought an extra pack as replacements. I have high expectations for this reel to actually last, so I hope I wasted my money buying more. I've had this item for over a month now and it works flawlessly. Will update post as time passes.

***UPDATE*** I wrote this review about 5 months ago. I've been using the same one and it has held up to all the pulling and retracting I can put it through. I can't imagine why there would be a negative review here, but, I just wanted to let every know I am a satisfied customer. I started a new job at which I need a security badge to go everywhere. The company provided a bad holder, but it broke within the first week. This is an inexpensive but good quality bad holder. It seems like an inconsequential item, but if you work in a building that requires a badge for every door to open, you need one of these.

The string on the badge reel is not that durable. Overt ime, it will start to wear out and eventually snap. They usually last about 4-6 months for me but at least there are four of them in the package. Not a biggie for me because I didn't expect them to last forever. If you want something that lasts, use a lanyard or something that doesn't have a retractable thin string. The reels served my need so I would recommend these if they're what you're looking for.

I purchase this set about 4 months ago. I have gone through three of the four already with very minimal use. I do like how there is a clip which I use to clip to my belt loop. The issue with these is the pull string breaks a little too easy. I pull it about 5 to 6 times a day just to use the badge reader at my job. Every time the string has broken right at the end where it connects into the plastic piece on the end. I had one key and two id badges. Its ok this is kind of what I expected, but wanted to share my story.

I bought a badge reel in july of 2011 when I needed one for work. Recently a friend was amazed by the retractable string and when he pulled on it - it finally broke. It was old, scratched and dirty but I got 2+ years out of it. Since the passing of my badge holder I decided to buy a new one and came across these on amazon. These were attractive to me because of the plastic snap clip on the bottom as opposed to a key ring. I ended up buying the four pack for around $10 (with prime). WHAT I LEARNED: These differed from my old one because of the carabiner top (my old one had a clip that slipped onto my pant tops). It was a tad bit more difficult to find places to attach these too as opposed just a slip clip. I had to connect it to my belt loops - I normally keep them attached to my pants for easy access - because of the top clip the main thing hangs lower and swings when you walk as opposed to staying still on your person. The string extends to about 27 inches By week 1, my carabiner snapped off (the small moveable part). It is now useless - however I gave one of them to my roomate and hers has yet to break off. Note that she keeps hers attached to her backpack or purse and doesnt take it off/on a lot. If you plan to buy these and later hand them off to friends - Don't. Keep them around just in case yours breaks! If you essentially purchase each individual badge holder for around $2 I would say that you're probably getting your moneys worth. This product is mainly for people that don't intent to clip and unclip it on a daily bases