Breakaway Vs. Non-Breakaway Lanyards: Which Suits Your Need?

When shopping for a lanyard that suits your ID card setup, you could be wavering between buying either a breakaway or a non-breakaway lanyard. However, the fact is that the best decision is situational and based on your working environment. Hence, you should consider both of these excellent choices carefully!

What Should You Look Out For?

The most important things to keep in mind when shopping for lanyards revolve around your workspace. For example, you have to ensure that the lanyard and its attached accessories don't violate any policies. In some workplaces, such as an airport or medical center, metals may not be the best idea. Furthermore, your office may require color-coding to differentiate between staff departments. Some other considerations include:

• What is the most frequent use case for your ID card?
• Do you use your ID card often?
• Is your workspace hazardous in any way?
• Are you frequently moving around the workplace, such as between departments or levels?
• Do you tend to forget your ID card?

By understanding how you utilize and interact with your ID card, you find out which lanyard type suits you best. You can also look for additional features such as end-fittings that'll add to your ideal ID card setup.

Who Are Breakaway Lanyards For?

Breakaway lanyards are lanyards with a breakaway feature, allowing the lanyard to snap apart when under pressure. This feature is designed with the wearer's safety in mind, preventing the user from choking when something pulls on their lanyard. Hence, it's a significantly safer option if you work in an environment where your lanyard may be pulled on. 

An example would be working in a prison or a correctional facility, especially if you have to interact with inmates or patients.

That's not even including the chance of an accident occurring. If you work with heavy machinery or frequently visit sites that use such equipment that has many moving parts, you may want to opt for a breakaway lanyard. You can purchase these as flat lanyards, or a braided variation.

Who Are Non-breakaway Lanyards For?

For those who are in safer work environments such as an office building, you may not be able to utilize or appreciate the safety features of a breakaway lanyard to the fullest. If your workplace doesn't include any physical risk factors, a non-breakaway lanyard could be sufficient for your everyday usage. These are made of different types of materials such as Polypropylene and Polyester.

If you're a budget-conscious user, you'll be delighted to learn that non-breakaway lanyards are typically sold at a lower cost than breakaway lanyards due to them lacking the breakaway feature by design. Furthermore, they are ideal for events. You can buy non-breakaway lanyards in bulk at a low cost, as they make great gifts for you to hand out as freebies during your next trade conference or convention.

Shopping For Lanyards?

There's more to lanyards than just a breakaway feature. If you're interested in looking at various types of lanyards, view our entire catalog of lanyards to see all the available options!