Here's everything you need to know about Quick-Release Buckles in the tactical gear industry.

There are various quick-release buckles on the market, and each has its pros and cons. In this article, we will go over each of the most common buckles.

Here we have a short video overviewing how each buckle works. 

FirstSpear Tubes®

These are the most common quick-release buckles on the market. They are self-cleaning and allow for donning and doffing by inserting the female end onto the male end from either the top or bottom. Likewise, you can remove the buckles by doing the same and pulling up or down. The female end has a tab and a pull chord, which act as the lock. 

How FirstSpear Tubes® Work

To attach: guide the female tube onto the male tube from the top or bottom. Ensure the pull chord and tab are facing outwards. Once you hear a solid click, it should be locked in place.

To remove: Gently pull the tab on the female tube to release the lock. Pull the female end either up or down, sliding it off the male end. 

Pros and Cons of FirstSpear Tubes®

Pros

• Industry standard and commonly used.
• Designed to prevent them from being crushed, snapped, cracked, or broken. Even in cold climates!
• Self-cleaning and gets better with use.
• It can be donned and doffed by both upward and downward movements.
• It can easily be used with one hand.

Cons

• They can be expensive. Typically, these raise prices on cummerbunds by $40-65 on average.
• Pull-tab lock breaking is common when users pull on it like it's a parachute cord. 
• It can be stiff at first, but it will loosen with use and time.
• Reduces the ability to adjust cummerbunds from the front. (Con for all quick-release buckles)

Our thoughts on FirstSpear® Tubes

FirstSpear Tubes are a solid choice for any quick-release buckle. Though they are expensive, we've seen their prices decline in recent days. One thing YOU MUST KNOW is that the pull tab is not meant to be yanked on aggressively. The tab will handle quite a bit of abuse, but its design is deceptive if you've never used the buckle before. We've had a lot of folks come into our showroom and think it disconnects by yanking it outward like a Taktic buckle (discussed later). The tab is meant to be pulled slightly outward, then down or up to slide off the male end. Most commonly, the chord will break before the tab in our experience. This cord can easily be replaced with some paracord. However, if you treat the pull tab kindly, it will last you forever! 

 

2M ROC Buckles

2M ROC Buckles are a common, cheaper alternative to FirstSpear Tubes. They feature a unique locking mechanism with both ends being female and male. However, the pull tab side is usually the cummerbund's side. 

How 2M ROC Buckles work

To attach: guide the pull tab buckle to the other fixed buckle. Insert the male ends into the opposite female ends of both halves of the buckle. Then push up, and you should hear a distinct click locking it into place.

To remove: Gently pull the tab to release the lock and pull downwards. It cannot be pulled in both directions. This buckle can only be pulled downwards to remove it. 

Pros and Cons of 2M ROC Buckles

Pros

• Industry standard and commonly used as a cheaper alternative to FirstSpear Tubes.
• Designed to prevent them from being crushed, snapped, cracked, or broken. Even in cold climates!
• Self-cleaning.

Cons

• It requires a little more dexterity to attach since multiple things need to be lined up. 
• Pull-tab lock breaking is common when users pull on it like it's a parachute cord. 
  
• Reduces the ability to adjust cummerbunds from the front. (Con for all quick-release buckles)

Our thoughts on 2M ROC Buckles

If we were given a choice of any buckle, ROC Buckles would likely come last compared to all the others. But it's still a better choice than full velcro cummerbunds! Lots of companies offer it as a cheaper alternative to FirstSpear Buckles, but the extra cost of the FS buckles is totally worth it if you can swing it. Having to line everything up for the ROC buckle almost always requires two hands. In an adrenaline-rushing situation, you cannot rely on yourself to have good dexterity once the shakes kick in. While this isn't a deal-breaker, there are better options out there today, and we think you should choose them. 

DuraFlex Taktic Buckles

Made by Duraflex, the Taktic Buckle is an up-and-coming option in the quick-release buckle market. Unlike most quick-release buckles, it does not slide up or down to be donned or doffed. It simply clicks together like a large hook. The two ends hook into each other, and the lock in the center keeps them stuck together. By pulling on the lock cord, they split apart with ease.

How Taktic Buckles work

To attach: Pull the cummerbund side toward the other half of the buckle, then pull the hooking ends together in the opposite direction. It should click into place when done correctly. If it is slightly off center, it will not click the lock into place. You can slide it up or down to center it and the lock should engage. 

To remove: Gently or aggressively pull the cord to release the lock and pull outwards. It's one of the easiest release options discussed in this article.

Pros and Cons of Taktic Buckles

Pros

• Extremely budget-friendly!
• Designed to prevent them from being crushed, snapped, cracked, or broken. Even in cold climates.
• Easy locking and releasing method. It requires a little lining up, but with some practice, it's a breeze. 
• A smaller, narrower size compared to other quick-releases. 
• No exposed pull tab to break, and pulling on it aggressively is how it was designed to be used!
  
• It can easily be used with one hand.

Cons

• It requires a bit of muscle memory to attach since the center needs to be lined up. However, it's forgiving if you are slightly off, as you can slide it to line it up correctly.
• Sometimes it can fool you into thinking it's attached when it's just slightly not. 
• Reduces the ability to adjust cummerbunds from the front. (Con for all quick-release buckles)

Our thoughts on Duraflex Taktic Buckles

Sometimes you will see it spelled as TacTik, Tactic, Taktic, etc... The truth is, the industry hasn't decided how it should be spelled. LOL! The Taktic buckle is an excellent choice. It's a bit more uncommon, but if you see a product with them, don't hesitate about this buckle. It's not tubular like most of the options discussed here, but that's what makes it so great! 

 

Duraflex UTX Buckles

Also made by Duraflex, the UTX is the least common of the options discussed here. We are bringing it to market with some of our new products. It's tubular, with the male end serving as the locking mechanism. Just like the Taktic Buckle, it can be pulled aggressively, and it will be removed. There are no tabs to be broken! 

How UTX Buckles work

To attach: Pull the cummerbund male side toward the other female half of the buckle, slide the male end into either the top or bottom of the female tube. It will make a distinct click as it locks into place. 

To remove: Gently or aggressively pull the cord to release the lock and pull in any direction. It's one of the easiest release options for a tubular buckle. With enough force, it will naturally slide out the top or bottom of the female end with the lock disengaged.

Pros and Cons of UTX Buckles

Pros

• Budget-friendly!
• Designed to prevent them from being crushed, snapped, cracked, or broken. Even in cold climates.
• Familiar tubular locking and releasing method. 
• No exposed pull tab to break, and pulling on it aggressively is how it was designed to be used!
  
• A good tubular buckle that doesn't infringe on FirstSpear's hard-earned intellectual property.
• It can easily be used with one hand. 
• It can be donned and doffed by both upward and downward movements.

Cons

• The male end needs to keep debris out of the locking arc to keep it from getting stuck. 
• Difficult to find, we usually have them made hot off the press for our products.
• Reduces the ability to adjust cummerbunds from the front. (Con for all quick-release buckles)

Our thoughts on Duraflex Taktic Buckles

These buckles are our favorite of them all. They improved upon FirstSpear's excellent design and fixed some of the common issues tube buckles face. You can pull the lock cord as hard as you want, in any direction, and it will simply release as intended rather than breaking the pull tab. They can be used with one hand, as quick-release buckles were intended to be used. 

 

Understanding "Solid Bar" vs "Split Bar" On Buckles

A common term you may see when shopping for just the buckles is "Split bar" or "Solid bar". This refers to the way it attaches to the product itself. A solid bar requires the product to be sewn around the buckle piece. A split bar has a cut on the product attachment side, which allows webbing to be worked through it. If you are buying a replacement buckle, you need to purchase "Split Bar" buckles. Manufacturers use Solid Bar buckles because they prevent wiggling or loosening through the hole in the split bar. 

Understanding How Quick-Release Buckles Are Made

We're going to let you in on a little secret. All of these buckles are made with the same process. They are all using the same materials, too. They are made by injection molding POM (Acetal/Delrin). This injection molding process costs an average $2.20 per pound! So why do these buckles cost so much?

Here are several reasons for the markup on quick-release buckles.

•  Initial design costs. Hiring engineering teams to design a new buckle can cost thousands of dollars. 
• Steel molds for each design in the POM injection molding process cost $10k-20k!
• Shipping! Even small packages cost several dollars. 
• Small order quantities. Generally, everyday folks aren't buying thousands at a time. This makes it not worth the time to sell these individually for tiny margins. 

The POM injection molding process made the modern world! Once everything is set up, you can quickly and cheaply pump out plastic parts by the thousands! All you need is a design and the mold. The plastic is heated up, injected into the mold, and pressed. It quickly cools, and the product is complete. The last step is to sand the products after they're pressed. From here, they are done, and they only need the pull cords tied to the quick-release buckle.