TimeOut

ITW Nexus Tac Link

 

Hello all,

It's common to see carabiners used by non rock climbing people to attach and hold things.  Smaller ones work well as a keychain and the larger ones help as a quick detach for a water bottle/canteen, baseball cap, or gloves to a backpack.  The carabiner was first invented in the 1900's by Otto 'Rambo' Herzog and made of solid metal.  Over the years, advances in metallurgy and design have produced versatile, strong, and light weight carabiners.  I've been getting back into the sport and have upgraded some of my equipment.  One piece that I found for a non safety carabiner was a ultra light plastic product from a company called ITW.  The Nexus Tac Link:

The ITW Nexus Tack Link is a 'D' shaped carabiner that is made of plastic composite material and used for the low stess/load situation.  If you are attaching light weight objects this works extremely well.  Below are samples of the size of the Nexus Tac Link compared to a Petzl Oxan Trilock:

Size comparisons to Am'D, standard aluminum carabiner, and a generic miniature keychain carabiner:




(L): Heavy duty steel Oxan (C): Aluminum Am'D Triact-Lock (R): ITW Nexus Tac Link...






Offered in Tan 500, Coyote Brown, Foliage Green, Canadian Average Green, Emergency Red, Construction Orange, and Pink colors, I choose Black:





The ITW Tac Link can hold up to 300lbs.  Quality locking aluminum carabiners usually have a strength of about 26 kN (kilo newtons). At 225 lbs per kN, 26 kN equals 5,850 lbs. Locking steel carabiners usually have a strength of about 45 kN, which is 10,125 lbs.  The thermal resistance (ability to withstand heat) of aluminum is also significantly different than that of steel. Aluminum carabiners cannot withstand more than about 1000° Fahrenheit. Steel carabiners can withstand over 2000° F!








For my LBT 'Go-Bag' I have a ITW Nexus on the side of the pack to quick attach /detach gloves, hats, or chem lights cyalume sticks.  It's worth noting that unlike aluminum or steel carabiners, the polymer material is much more quieter when you move around or when it comes into contact with other objects.  Another benefit is that it doesn't scratch things either.

The Nexus Tac Link has a cutout design around the entire outside edge of the carabiner.  This makes it lighter in weight and doubles to enhance gripping when slippery or wet:

Carabiner gate is also made of the same polymer material as the main body:

The gate pivots like a traditional carabiner:

Locking gate channel:

Only the spring action is made of stainless steel:

I noticed some play around the hinge when the gate was opened, this is probably due to how the gate moves around the 2 studs of the main body.  Regular metal carabiners don't have this flex but for what it is intended to do it's fine.  Just make sure you don't use this to repel or climb!

The Tac Link utilizes GhilleTEX composit polmer to reduce IR signature, helpful for those in the military but a non issue for the civilian setting.

I picked up several of these and use them on my camera bags as well as my other backpacks.  They are well made, convenient, and inexpensive for what they are.  ITW makes another product called the Grim Loc which is lower profile with a slightly different purpose and fit precisely for certain MOLLE webbing.  I ordered some so will be reporting when I use them for a bit.  If you are looking for a lightweight option instead of a regular aluminum carabiner, the Nexus Link works really well!

-MW