>>Cool idea. I'll look into it. Um, why won't the beads strangle you in an accident?<<<br><br>They're not that strong. They've been used for dogtags for a long, long time now, and that's always been one of the criteria for the military. In war movies you see guys yanking dogtags off of bodies- they don't unclasp them.<br><br>I think some of the larger diameters might cause bruises if pulled off your neck, but no broken neck or crushed larynx. Usually the "clasp" thingie gives first, but the beads will pull apart with enough force.<br><br>These are also available in silver, and I think Brigade Q. used to have them in stainless. I think you'll find that the chromed ones are brass underneath.. chrome-plating steel is a problem, they used to copper-plate bumpers and such first for adhesion. <br><br>They are about the most comfortable chain you can wear (a lot of cheap silver and gold chains have very rough, sharp-edged surfaces), and don't get funky like nylon or other cords with sweat. Nylon can *really* reek after awhile, and washing it doesn't seem to help much, or for long.<br><br><br>

Hi CastAway,<br><br>I don't like the Photon lanyard because of the breakaway device. It should come apart, then go back together, with a certain amount of force applied. Well, there is no obvious tab or protrusion that I could find on which any force could be applied. I tried simply pulling them apart, exerting all the force I could muster, and nothing happened. Maybe it's operator error, but these things should not require instructions.<br><br>My old lanyard isn't a bead chain, it's a wide-ish shoelace kind of thing. Not breakaway, but I'm still looking a good breakaway that doesn't need an instruction manual.<br><br>

>>I don't like the Photon lanyard because of the breakaway device<<<br><br>That's strange, I thought it was one of the 2-piece snap-together devices. That kind work something like a plastic easter-egg on a smaller scale. Obviously what you have is different. Sorry you are dissatisfied with it. <br><br>Hopefully the snap-ring is good. Maybe you can transfer that to another lanyard of your liking.<br><br>

Another advantage of using a bead chain as a neck lanyard is that it can be reconfigured into a wrist-lanyard and then converted back to a neck lanyard with ease. To achieve this you would use a standard size (number 3) bead chain and equip it with two couplers of size number 6. The number 6 couplers are a bit larger and have a hole in them so they can be used for splicing. The two couplers could then be used to splice a loop into each end of the chain, one loop for your wrist and one for your equipment. <br><br>You might want to do this if you are using a tool in a place where dropping it would mean losing it for good.<br><br>The second coupler can be made part of the neck lanyard by adding a 1" section of bead chain. Another advantage of having the extra coupler is that if the chain breaks, the second coupler would repair it.<br><br>

I like your idea about the steel chain but after six years in the Marines I wouldn't recommend it.<br><br>1) The beads tangle in your hair and rip it out.<br><br>2) The chain is prone to breaking easily.<br><br>3) If you need to hide they will make a lot of noise.<br><br>4) They work their way around your body no matter how still you are.<br><br>I prefer a piece of paracord. It has its many uses and if it does catch fire I've probably got more important things to worry about.