Sorry if this doesn't exactly belong here but since I smashed a perfectly good straplock I'm going to post it everywhere.
On another forum there was a debate about straplocks. I've not been shy about my use and dislike of Dunlops or my preference for Schallers.
Another forum member claimed that Schallers disintigrated on him while playing and posted these pics as proof.
http://www.inaneasylum.org/users/8nt...nschaller1.jpg
http://www.inaneasylum.org/users/8nt...nschaller2.jpg
http://www.inaneasylum.org/users/8nt...ngplunger2.jpg
http://www.inaneasylum.org/users/8nt...ngplunger1.jpg
Out of the 20 or so years of using straplocks and seeing things as a working musician I'd never seen anything like that kind of damage from ordinary use. So I decided to do my own test.
First, I dropped a strap with Schallers from shoulder height- I'm around 5'8" and there was no visible damage.
Second I took the strap and gripped it about half way down (the strap set at about 53") and slammed one straplock against the concrete floor at full strength. There was still no visible damage to the straplock
Third I gripped the strap at the end and swung the strap at the concrete floor at full strength and full length. Again, no visible damage to the straplock.
I posted my results and had another drink and congratulated myself on a good choice in straplocks.
But after that other drink I decided to find out just what it would take to completely destroy a Schaller straplock unit. So I got out a 1 lb claw hammer and proceeded to pound the **** out of the straplock unit. After the first strike, the plunger assembly came off. It took a total of 7 blows with the 1 lb claw hammer to break the unit- and even then, the cup came off of the backing but it neither collapsed the cup nor broke it into pieces as the first pictures showed.
I would assume that a full force whack with a 1 lb claw hammer FAR exceeds normal usage, not to mention 7.
Pics.
The Count witnessed the carnage:
For comparison here's some wear and tear on some old Dunlop units: