>>why won't the beads strangle you...?<<<br><br>The bead chain should break away with any unusual force. I haven't tested it's breaking strength, so I can't be positive, but the hardware store listed it's breaking strength at 14 lbs. It also looks like it would give way long before it would support anything like a person's weight. <br><br>It looks like a good balance between enough strength and durability to securely hold your gear on the one hand, and not being strong enough to choke you if you get tangled up on the other hand.<br><br>Fill us in: Why didn't you like the Photon lanyard? Also, if you weren't happy with the break-away device, why?<br><br>Also, is your old ID lanyard a bead chain?<br><br>Thanks.<br><br>