Snap Hooks

[Grender]

Are all snap hooks made the same? I went to Home Depot today thinking I was too smart to get dooped into paying 4x the cost at the dive shop for the same thing. Now I am second guessing myself... Are common hardware store snap hooks the same thing? Or do I need marine grade ****.. Thanks for your assistance Scubabros.


In case you needed a visual, this is a snap hook.

 

[Bob DBF]

They are not all the same, however they might be, dependent on the LDS. I, personally, have used brass bolt snaps for decades, and although they are not as good as marine stainless, I have had no problems with them over the years as I lose or they get re-purposed rather than wear out. Depends on the crowd you hang with whether you will get grief about brass.



Bob

 

[Grender]

These ones I bought aren't even brass. They are steel with a Nickel plate... even worse than brass?

 

[PeterNBiddle]

These ones I bought aren't even brass. They are steel with a Nickel plate... even worse than brass?

Yes, way worse. Like, don't dive with them. Ever.

They will corrode very quickly - perhaps as quickly as one dive. Salt water is brutal. Once they start to corrode they will become v difficult or even impossible to open or to close once opened.


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[Grender]

So brass is the way to go then?

 

[PeterNBiddle]

So brass is the way to go then?

Brass or marine stainless. I have both, they both work well.


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[egovenatus]

Yep, brass or marine stainless, used them for years with no worries. That said I tried buying the cheap stuff too....they jam and corrode fairly quickly in saltwater. Try using Dive Gear Express, their prices are not bad and the shipping is quick.

 

[RJP]

Below is a picture of two different bolt snaps.

• The one on the left had been dragged all over the world on more than 500 saltwater dives over a period of five years at the time I took the photo (It's been on another 500 dives for a total of 1,000 or so over ten years and looks the same today as when the picture was taken)

• The one on the right was brand new when it went on a three week trip to Truk where it was used on roughly half of 57 dives. Let's say it had been in the water 30 times at the time the photo was taken.

Do you think you can guess which is one of these was $7 at a dive shop and which one was $4 at Lowes?

I'll give you some hints: The one on the left went on ALL 57 dives in Truk as well; no that's not dried salt on the one on the right, but rather genuine corrosion/pitting; yes, the indentations on the inside of the hook on the one on the right are where the steel was actually worn away from rubbing on the d-ring; no, I didn't polish the one on the left for the picture; lastly, I didn't have to pay any extra for the one with the handy "locked open" feature.

 

[Keith.M]

With all things considered. As much as you have invested in scuba gear. Why use anything else but marine grade stainless?

 

[BRT]

Even the brass hardware store item may not have stainless springs, and that would be the first thing to corrode away.