Help me find a durable retractable ID badge holder.

January 24, 2007 9:06 PM

Help me find a durable retractable ID badge holder. This is similar to what I'm looking for, but the problem is that I only need ONE and not one hundred of them. I've been searching for quite a while now and can't seem to find anywhere that will sell just one. I'm having no problems finding them in bulk, but that isn't what I need. I have an ID badge holder now but it has a nylon cord and I've already broken two of them. I want something more durable than the cheap nylon freebie ones.
posted by drstein to Grab Bag (19 answers total)

Ebay? Looks like they have a large selection here.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:25 PM on January 24, 2007

Also, perhaps a ski shop? They have these sorts of things for people to hold season passes on when they need to be swiped through some sort of card reader.
posted by rossination at 9:27 PM on January 24, 2007

Try your local fishing tackle shop. Fly fishermen use something similar called a zipper or retractor that should work
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:28 PM on January 24, 2007

Best answer: I second Ebay. Try this search to narrow the results down to only the kind you're looking for.
posted by vorfeed at 9:47 PM on January 24, 2007

If you have friends in the medical profession, they're likely to have a few hanging around, probably inscribed with the name of pharmaceuticals, though they might not be as durable as you'd like. Otherwise, eBay.
posted by holgate at 9:51 PM on January 24, 2007

It's not just heavy duty, it's customizable fashion style!. This froogle search turned up a number of solo units. Personally this is the kind of thing I'd just go buy at a store, my brother used to buy them so I know they must be available. I'd try hardware stores or uniform supply stores as well as the suggestions above. I'm pretty sure my brother just got his at a hardware store.
posted by nanojath at 10:04 PM on January 24, 2007

I'm not sure if this will do, but every hardware store I've been has them, in the key chain area.
posted by Marky at 10:30 PM on January 24, 2007

Office supply stores, too.
posted by Brian James at 11:11 PM on January 24, 2007

Call the manufacturer and ask them for a sample because you are thinking about a bulk purchase. They will likely send you one of each style they carry.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 3:13 AM on January 25, 2007

I've probably got a couple of BBC ones around somewhere - I'll send one on if you like...
posted by shoez at 3:30 AM on January 25, 2007

Most hospitals sell them in the gift shops, but almost everyone in the medical field gets them for free from drug and equipment reps. So, anyone you know in the medical field should be able to fix you up for free or very cheap.
posted by TedW at 6:21 AM on January 25, 2007

I forgot to add: the ones our hospital sells are nylon like most of the freebies, but they seem much more durable (better quality nylon, I assume) so you may want to go that route.
posted by TedW at 6:23 AM on January 25, 2007

ask someone in IT. I've had about thirty of those go through my hands in the last year or two, each with a different company's logo on it.
posted by Kellydamnit at 8:18 AM on January 25, 2007

Not sure if you're interested, but I may be able to get you a plastic one that's not as nice/durable for free and just pop it in an envelope in the mail. They're on a push at my office to get us to display our badges now (we used to just keep them in pockets, wallets) so they're giving them out to us.
posted by twiggy at 9:43 AM on January 25, 2007

You can find several of these listed on Amazon.
posted by plokent at 10:04 AM on January 25, 2007

Gotta second the fishing ones. The ones I have from the fly fishing shop have braided wire lines, not just cheapy string.
posted by advicepig at 10:52 AM on January 25, 2007

Response by poster: The ones used at hospitals aren't all that durable, unfortunately. They're the exact same cheapo nylon ones we get here in the IT industry. When I'm doing EMT shifts, we're required to have our county EMS Agency ID visible at all times. I've gotten badges caught up in the gurney, and for some reason, kids love to pull on them.

And I can't believe that I didn't think about checking eBay.

I did check Amazon, but they all seem to be the nylon type. I want *metal* :-)

Thanks guys, I'll grab one off eBay.
posted by drstein at 11:08 AM on January 25, 2007

I buy mine at OfficeMax or Office Depot, 2 to a pack.
posted by gimonca at 11:15 AM on January 25, 2007

Saw some today in Wal-Mart as well, in the stationary section.
posted by Ugh at 4:08 PM on January 25, 2007