"...you’d think that something so simple might have been perfected—becoming a 100 percent reliable commodity. But that hasn’t happened. There are still tons of faulty zippers out there. Teeth that break. Pulls that pop. Herky-jerky sliding and irreparable lockups."
Oh so true. I've had so many run-ins and fights with zippers over the years that I've developed an intense dislike for them. I come to the conclusion that they're a 100-year-old invention still looking for a suitable use.
They're forever jamming or the teeth fail to engage, or they catch on clothing which then cannot be extracted. ...And I shouldn't have to remind the average male of their ability to draw blood.
When they break they're impossible to repair. To repair them means changing them completely for a new one and for that one needs a 'degree' in sewing and the patience of a saint. Then there's the difficulty of finding a suitable replacement that fits.
Buttons may be less convenient but at least any fool can replace them.
Zippers are a suitable design for some people - those with patience and who take care. They're the ones who take the time to slow down, straighten the fabric and ensure that the zipper's interlocking teeth are best aligned before zipping. And we all know that's especially important on long very flexible zippers such as those on backpacks and sleeping bags.
On the other hand others like me are inherently impatient and regularly fall foul of inanimate objects such as sticking zippers, scissors that won't cut evey known material and screwdrivers that slip out of screw slots because they're the wrong size for said screw.
People like me should be kept away from such objects for the sake of our blood pressures and to protect others nearby who've 'delicate' ears.
Incidentally, sleeping bag zippers are my true nemesis, if I were to live long enough I'd be remembered for 'The 100-Year Sleeping Bag Zipper War'.
I've met a few people (and done it myself) that put themselves in a bucket like this and started self identifying with some character flaw like "I'm a person that gets annoyed easily at innanimate objects", and it's unproductive.
Why would you think of yourself like that? You're just perpetuating a flaw you already are self-aware about. I have found myself referring to some of my own character or personality flaws like this as if they were not fixable, and once you change the way you think about it, you don't "fix it", but let me tell you, I became way less annoying to those around me. Particularly because people will notice you are making an effort on things that you struggle with. The best way to stop being "the impatient one" is to not think of yourself as "the impatient one".
This comes across a bit condescending upon second reading, specially on the back of a simple zipper comment, but maybe it'll help someone.
Thanks for sharing this. This especially annoys me with my kids when they picked up the "I'm bad at maths" meme, likely early in their school years. We have since had many discussions about it – deciding you're bad at something is not itself a reason to give up trying to improve, and I firmly believe anyone can learn methods to be productive with a tool, given care and concentration.
It wasn't so much condescending as showing a tin ear for comedy. Comedic self-deprecation makes for engaging reading and is generally a sign of someone who is secure in their foibles.
No, I don't think your comment is condescending at all, rather I think bigger issues are involved, thus it's why I seem unusually vocal about the issue. I may be impatient but in reality my personality flaws have precious little to do with the matter.
The issues principally have to do with fitness for purpose, durability and manufacturing quality. There's no reason why zippers on suitcases, backpacks or sleeping bags cannot have a life and durability commensurate with that of the products they're used on but that's often not the case. If this were so then it's very unlikely that the YKK article would have been written in the first instance - and logically that discussions in this forum would never have existed.
Take my nemesis the sleeping bag zipper. Over the years I've done a lot of outdoors activity, camping, hiking etc. so I've owned a lot of sleeping bags and I can say honestly that not one of them has been without zipper trouble, in fact zipper failures are the principal reason for why I've had to replace them.
There should be no excuse for these zipper problems but unfortunately premature failures of these long zippers are commonplace, so too the fact that they are often installed in such a way that the fabric gets easily (and frequently) caught in the zipping mechanism. Not only does this damage the bag's fabric but it also leads to excessive strain on the zipper and ultimately to its early demise.
I would note that to avoid the problem I have purchased some of the most expensive sleeping bags available but they too have had the same zipper issues. Holistically, the issue is this: zippers on sleeping bags are essentially an afterthought, you don't really need one to get in and out of the bag, it's there more out of convenience. Simply, manufacturers pay more attention to, say, a bag's thermal properties, etc. than they do to the quality of the zipper and its method of installation.
Unfortunately, the 'optional' zipper becomes the weak point of failure, it's demise renders an otherwise useful product non functional or worthless.
This all boils down to bad design, and bad design is everywhere, it, like global warming, permeates into just about every nook and cranny - every aspect - of our lives. The fact that bad design is so all pervasive and that it costs humans so much time, money and effort as a consequence - and also that so few complain - is why I'm so vocal about the issue.
I could provide you with hundreds of examples but that's outside the scope of this discussion. Instead, let me give you an illustration that's a little closer to the zipper issue.
During the Iraq War, US soldiers were issued with battle fatigues that used Velcro as a fastener, the cargo pockets of their pants were fastened with it. Unfortunately, the desert sand and other dirt from combat meant that the Velcro clogged up and quickly became useless, thus soldiers lost valuables from these pockets whenever they were in a horizontal or prone position and such. I recall news reports of soldiers whingeing about the fact. The headlines read 'Please Give Us Back Our Buttons'.
I've experienced the same problem with Velcro on my own cargo pants, every time they get washed lint cloggs its hooks and it fails to fasten effectively. Moreover, removing the lint only partially fixes the problem as eventually the hooks get bent and fail to work which happens long before the pants are worn out.
...And I shouldn't have to mention the concomitant problems of having to prematurely buy new clothes and the fact that old clothing waste is a serious worldwide problem - not to mention the overproduction of cotton has led to water shortages and other serious ecological problems - take the now essentially-waterless Aral Sea for instance.
And I've yet to mention other upstream economic loses from the use of Velcro on clothes - I lost an almost new smartphone after going to a concert and lounging back in the auditorium's comfortable chairs.
I often wonder how many others have lost their smartphones in a similar manner - or lost them to that other nasty costsaving measure of recent decades, that of insufficiently deep side pockets in pants. These days, whenever one sits down things fall out of them. It's amazing that people actually put up with this nonsense, we've been wearing clothes for many centuries so there's absolutely no excuse for designing them in ergonomically unsound ways. (For heavens sake, complain more often, use your wallet to do your bidding.)
Using Velcro on clothes in the manner it so often is, is a quintessential example of bad design not to mention bad/substandard manufacturing practice. That ought to damn obvious to most. Velcro may provide a short-term convenience on clothes but in the longer term it has serious repercussions. Clearly, it suits manufacturers as it makes clothing cheaper and easier to manufacture (similarly, it's cheaper to include less material in the inside of a pocket). That said, I am still somewhat at a loss to understand why consumers don't complain about the issue and demand the return of either buttons or zippers.
Frankly, I've come to a reluctant conclusion that many people have too much money and don't mind having to buy new clothes before they otherwise would have had to do - and thus are overly seduced by Velcro's convenience.
Also, the Fashion Industry is guilty in the broader sense by pushing the notion that people need to change their clothes long before they're worn out so as to keep up with fashion.
Little wonder that many of us get frustrated at times.
For what it's worth, I absolutely have no patience and do not take care. If i need it open or close i just yank it. No straightening, no taking care and especially no patience or slowing down. If the first yank doesn't work i can just use two hands and yank the zipper and the fabric in opposite directions and it will function properly, no really a need to patiently straighten anything. Yet, can't even remember the last time I had issues with a zipper. You might be overthinking this a bit.
I don't believe I'm overacting as in my case the evidence is there with broken zippers (and that's many over the years). And I'm not alone, hence the quote from the story connected to these posts where the author has had similar experiences.
Moreover, zippers often fail at the most inconvenient times and that stands to reason, as zippers are involved at either the beginning or end of some more important process and the interruption to said process is often highly inconvenient.
Let me give you an anecdote (it's only but one of many nevertheless a notable one). Years ago, I worked alone in an office with three young women, one was my secretary and the other two were helpdesk assistants (I was always well behaved and it's something I'd never risk doing these days).
One day they all left the office together for lunch leaving me alone to continue working. During that hour I went to the toilet and my pants zipper broke necessitating a quick retreat to my office where I would attempt a temporary fix. Back there, the only practical and quick solution I could come up with was to take the very large paper stapler capable of stapling a half inch of paper and staple my fly back together - note, this was done with my pants still on as it was too risky to do otherwise.
Anyway, in the middle of the process the women all arrived back from lunch. Fortunately, they all broke out in hysterical laughter. I'd hate to think what would happen if that were to happen to me again today, I'd likely be charged with harassment.
That never happens with buttons, one may come off but in such circumstances that's hardly the drama of a broken zipper.
I'd add, it seems that from your experience with zippers that you've been unusually lucky (perhaps you can afford more expensive clothes than me).
I don't have any trouble at all with the zippers on my 3 backpacks, but they're all Ospreys so that might make a difference. They all get a lot of abuse.
Just as an aside since we're talking about zippers and backpacks, if you ever want a truly amazing zipper experience out of a pack, get a GORUCK GR1 (or any GORUCK, really).
These are built to tolerate being used for rucking with 100 pounds or more of weight plates inside. So the zippers are tough, but ultra-smooth as well, and the metal zipper pulls have been removed and replaced with loops of para cord that are shrinkwrapped with rubber tubing. Easy to grab even with gloves on.
Also the best backpack in the world for carrying a laptop safely and easily.
If we're pitching our favorite bags, I'm going to throw in DEFY bags because they're made in Chicago up the street from my house. I've owned one for 5-6 years now and it's been absolutely bulletproof carrying all my shit all over the world.
I've been buying REI backpacks, they tend to grossly oversize the zippers, particularly on their travel backpacks. I have not had a zipper failure in, well since 2008 which was the last time I bought a backpack, because they (50 liter "large" travel backpack, and 18 liter "flash 18" backpack) haven't failed yet. I did have a clip failure on a timbuk2 messenger bag, but they gave me a replacement for free at one of their retail locations.
The only backpack that gave me zipper problems was so cheap it fell apart within one minute of use. The one I got afterwards was on the expensive side but it's now ~16 years old and has survived daily use pretty well, the zippers always worked perfectly despite me having put them through quite some strain.
When a zipper fails for me it's 100% a jacket. Cheap, expensive, doesn't matter, they all get stuck now and then.
That's often so with me. I've an ex-NATO military jacket that I bought from disposals. It was new old/surplus stock so I am the first to wear it.
It's by far my favorite jacket and it gets a great deal of use as it's not only excellently designed (in that everything about it is immensely practical), and that the quality of the materials used in its manufacture are excellent (it would be difficult to find better). Originally the military must have paid top dollar for them (and it's much better than the one my own country's military issued me with decades earlier).
Nevertheless its zipper is a perennial problem in that it's hard to engage when I'm in a hurry and it often jams or is sticky at the start end. Fortunately, it has a large flap that covers the zipper from top to bottom and it is secured with a vertical row of buttons!
I like that, there's nothing like a bit of 'bootstrapping' to guarantee things will always work.
I have at least four good backpacks, one used for hiking, another for short trips and the others to store my laptops, cables and related paraphernalia.
You're correct, the zippers take a considerable punishment due to their shape and the fact that I often squeeze too much stuff into the backpacks. It's usually a strain to do them up.
I’ve got half a dozen pieces of clothing with broken zippers. I hate throwing away nice stuff, but it’s not cost effective to replace a zipper and it seems you can’t just replace the zip. I was here looking for something better than ykk
That being said, if buttons work better for you, more power to you. People simply have different lifestyles and needs, and it's great to have options. I've not had nearly as much trouble as you describe (I've only zipped my weener twice in my entire life, and I don't think I drew blood), but there are other things in life that people swear by that just don't work well for me.
OK, fine. But read my reply to vasco. By the time I'd have found the paraffin or wax I'd have exploded with impatience. Besides, usually that's only a temporary solution as the lubricant comes off in the wash, thus the cycle repeats.
Moreover, I've noticed repeatedly that once a zipper starts to give trouble it's inevitability on a downward slope to compete failure.
Similarly so zippers with metal teeth and diecast-type zip housings suffer from clothes washing, as they are prone to progressive failure from being attacked[1] by washing powders and inorganic stain removers.
(I've only zipped my weener twice in my entire life, and I don't think I drew blood)
Granted, this is less of a problem nowadays as many zippers now use rounded interlocking nylon wire that's less likely to 'bite'. However, that once wasn't so especially in the days when jeans were more work clothes than a fashion statement. Their zippers were made strong and to last and had large brass interlocking teeth that could do real damage, and impatient guys like me were often 'bitten' to the extent blood would flow (I recall from experience). Presumably, the reason for the change arose from victims' complaints.
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[1] The sodium percarbonate in these cleaners attacks the metal, similarly so with metal the rivets and buttons in jeans (as in 501s, etc.), especially on the unpassivated underside that clamps to the material. The oxides that then build up rot the nearby fabric and the button can then detatch.
Regarding button, while it's certainly easier to replace them than to replace a zipper (I can see where to put the needle and don't have to learn how to use the zipper foot for my sewing machine), I find the reattached buttons tend to come off again easily.
Given I'm enough of a nerd to be on this site, I decided to try a pair of (small, rare earth) magnets next. While they were even easier to attach than buttons, the force between them was weaker than I had hoped, even allowing that I already knew it would only be a normal force and have minimal shear strength.
I tried that magnet trick on a pair of my overalls after some of the press-locking fasteners broke but it too was an abject failure. Every time I bent over or made sudden movements the closure popped open.
As I couldn't immediately get replacement press-locking fasteners, I resorted to sewing on buttons at points where the fasteners had failed but that wasn't the most brilliant of ideas. When it came to removing my overalls I could no longer just rip them open from top to bottom in one go - as is my usual wont.
Velcro. We have a small dog which needs clothes, and naturally zippers would be no-go and buttons wouldn't work well for many reasons. Velcro though is like magic.
> When you use “velcro” as a noun or a verb (e.g., velcro shoes), you diminish the importance of our brand and our lawyers lose their insert fastening sound. So please, do not say “velcro shoes” (or “velcro wallet” or “velcro gloves”) – we repeat “velcro” is not a noun or a verb.
Weird, the word they're looking for is 'adjective'.
As the name of the company it absolutely is a (proper) noun.
And the video at the top of the page is absolutely wonderful. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Watch it with good headphones or speakers and the sound up.
> When you use “velcro” as a noun or a verb (e.g., velcro shoes), you diminish the importance of our brand and our lawyers lose their insert fastening sound.
Haha, so sad to hear. I wish I could print this and velcro it to my fridge.
Can certainly work in certain situations but not all with a young person. They can generally learn to rip open Velcro and now you’re dealing with that. Zippers require a certain level of coordination and dexterity they won’t develop for awhile.
Depending on the rest of the article design, that may be fine or it may risk fur getting caught in the zip. I have occasional trouble with my own body hair in zip.
I don't know the terms of art so I can't google for a picture of the "good" design, but it would have a wide strip of fabric behind the zip that would ensure no fur gets near the zip mechanism.
fur may stuck into it. And if zipper gets stuck for whatever reason the dog may not like sitting for the prolonged time while you're trying to unstuck it. Of course it all depends on specific circumstances, and it is definitely great that it works for your dog.
A garment with zipper also requires much better fitting - which giving dog shapes variations may be a tall order - than say with Velcro where usually there is some latitude, and with Velcro it is much easier to make adjustment by moving it a bit if needed while making adjustment with zipper looks daunting.
For me the annoying failure mode is when the metal ring on the puller which attaches to the slider eventually wears through and breaks (this seems to happen on bags and luggage a lot for me). The important parts of the zipper are all still working, it's infuriating that there isn't an easier way to replace the puller easily like for like (at least that I'm aware of).
Yes, paperclips are wonderful for this purpose, especially so when used on one's fly zipper as they've a low profile and can't be seen.
The best paperclips for this purpose are the V-shaped type that are narrower at the top. They've saved me from having to replace a zipper on a number of occasions.
If you read my comment about washing powders attacking the crappy alloy material that's so often used in those pull tabs and causing them to fail then a paperclip is the ideal solution.
I have a pair of kahkis from Banana Republic that have a touchy zipper. If I unzip too far, it is difficult to get the zipper back up. This has caused me significant consternation in public bathrooms! They probably cost around $60, with an MSRP 30% higher.
This comment was in reply to a question about buying the cheapest possible clothes.
My point was that zipper issues happen with clothes that aren’t cheap also. I realize BR is not high-end, but they are above Gap and Old Navy in their corporate family.
Yes, and I meant to convey that the quality of the clothing material and construction at banana republic is no better than the gap. It's just branding.
That's funny, I've found that Gap uses lower-quality materials, especially compared to the nicer BR stuff. The BR non-iron dress shirts, for example, truly don't need any ironing. Gap has "non-iron" clothing as well, but it's of much lower quality and wrinkles much more easily.
Yeah, there are probably differences. I suppose my overall point is that if you're buying mall brands, you are paying for brand first, and everything else second. I wouldn't expect good zippers from a mall store.
Oh so true. I've had so many run-ins and fights with zippers over the years that I've developed an intense dislike for them. I come to the conclusion that they're a 100-year-old invention still looking for a suitable use.
They're forever jamming or the teeth fail to engage, or they catch on clothing which then cannot be extracted. ...And I shouldn't have to remind the average male of their ability to draw blood.
When they break they're impossible to repair. To repair them means changing them completely for a new one and for that one needs a 'degree' in sewing and the patience of a saint. Then there's the difficulty of finding a suitable replacement that fits.
Buttons may be less convenient but at least any fool can replace them.