How To Pick The Right Webbing Length
Tensator Group
We have been leading the customer journey since 1881, providing queue management solutions to over 150 countries.
“You won’t need to buy as many posts with our products,” said the wily salesman to the unsuspecting customer. “Our webbing is longer than competitors, and you will save oh so much money.”
This story just needs a picnic basket and the customer to point out what big teeth the salesman has.
When you are looking for queue management solutions and products for your business, finding the best products at the right price is the age-old conundrum for buyers and procurement officers. No one will deny the idea of spending less money for a product is appealing.
One example of what appears to be a "cost-saving" option to overeager buyers are retractable barriers with a "longer webbing" of 3.4m compared to the standard Tensator 2.3m. On the surface, this longer webbing option looks like it can save you money on your queue management system as it is regularly sold on the promise you need less posts.
However, in truth, this isn't entirely accurate and can in fact be misleading.
This article will highlight why choosing 3.4m webbing can hurt your queues, and why the Tensator alternatives are more reliable.
Why don’t Tensator have one?
3.4m webbing retractable barriers are marketed as an efficient and cost-effective queue management solution. You may be wondering why Tensator, as world-leaders and the literal inventors of the retractable barriers, haven’t thought to create a competitive product.
It’s actually a very simple answer: we do have an equivalent, but it’s not suitable for a long-term solution in busy areas like shopping centres, airports, or train stations.
A better question is “why don’t Tensator offer their longer webbing products as a standard?”
The posts are the same diameter: 25.4mm (or 2.5 inch) tubes. The reason we recommend our 2.3m webbing in these posts is because it is the maximum length possible before the webbing would bind on the interior walls of the cassette and it becomes useless. Suppliers who choose to offer a 3.4m webbing more often than not will have the same size posts.
Now you’ll ask, “so how are competitors using 3.4m webbing then?”
Essentially, to fit the longer webbing into the same size post tubes means it needs to be thinner, and as a result, lower quality. If used in areas with high visitor volumes, this thinner webbing simply won’t be able to last as long.
When to use longer webbing?
Tensator offer longer webbing as an option: up to 3.65m to be exact. We would just never recommend it in areas where presentation is important and high traffic is expected.
But longer webbing does have a use!
In areas where you need a temporary, short-term barrier to establish a clear boundary, thinner & longer webbing is the perfect choice. For example, our NightView Webbing is ideal for this because:
The irony here stems from how competitors state their 3.4m webbing is cost-effective, yet they could actually increase the length further. However, the reason they don’t is because they understand the webbing’s integrity is already compromised in busy areas, and extending it further would not be effective.
It is important to know that products such as our NightView webbing are extremely effective at what they are designed to do. They just need to be used in the right places. We wouldn’t recommend 3.65m webbing as a standard, but if you did buy them, we estimate you would need 7% less posts with Tensator than you would if you bought posts with 3.4m webbing.
Is that 3.4m webbing still appearing as a “cost-effective solution”?
Cheap products, expensive problems
Budgets are tight, and we know queue management systems aren’t necessarily the first thing on a project planners mind. So when you’re at the end of a massive site renovation, we know it can be easy to fall for cheaper variations of Tensator products. You may be on a tight budget now, but by purchasing supposedly “cost-effective” solutions, you’ll just find yourself out of pocket further down the road.
Why are we saying this?
Well, there’s a reason we don’t use the thinner webbing in high traffic areas:
Essentially, the thinner webbing is more likely to wear and tear. Coupled with a less effective braking system than Tensator products, the cheaper webbing will wear out quickly. It just can’t last as long.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Another claim made by competitors is how by purchasing this longer webbing, you’ll need to buy 1/3 less posts compared to when you use Tensator products. This sounds good on the surface, as 3.4m webbing has a tendency to do, but the result can make your queue less effective. The stanchions will be placed further apart which encourages queue-jumping as there is a large space beneath the webbing to duck under. Plus, the extra webbing means the springs will need to work harder to retract and will wear out quicker than with shorter Tensator webbing.
As springs wear down and the power lessens, often the barrier webbing won’t fully retract to the cassette consistently, leaving barriers looking untidy.
So to recap where we are currently on this “cost-effective” 3.4m webbing option:
So Why Use A Tensator Product Instead?
Investing in a robust queue management system requires you to look at the solution as a whole. This means you will need to consider:
Approaching every situation with a collaborative method, we at Tensator are queuing experts. Our world-leading Tensabarrier® is designed to ensure your queues withstand the wear and tear of large crowds and high visitor numbers. The pioneers of queuing and the original inventors of retractable barriers, we have defined and refined our product. Quality is at the core of any Tensabarrier product®.
Let’s take it from the top – our braking system. As stated previously, our system ensures webbing retracts back to the post slower than other comparable products in the market. Our crowd control retractable barriers therefore reduce the possibility of injury from the tape end. For added security, the button lock also needs to be pressed down to release the barrier in the first place.
Within the cassette, is the star of this tale – the webbing. At Tensator®, our webbing is manufactured from high-grade military fabric. Designed to withstand the wear and tear busy locations and sectors, we have Tensator webbing which has been used for literally decades. If you don’t believe us, the below image is a cassette from one supplied to British Airways and was used for 15 years! The only reason we replaced it was because the branding was being updated: the webbing cartridge still works.
Making our way down the barrier, the Tensabarrier® post is manufactured from steel and is significantly thicker (1.5mm) than the majority of competitor products. Stanchions made from aluminium, for example, are far more prone to damage. Dented or punctured posts give off an unprofessional look in your workplace. Tensator® products look better for longer.
Finally, we reach the base. The Tensabarrier® bases have the lowest leading edge on the market, ensuring accessibility for all. As a result, this reduces the trip hazard risk for the visually impaired while making it easier for wheelchairs, pushchairs, and large pieces of luggage to pass over the edge.
Conclusion
“You won’t need to buy as many posts with our products,” said the wily salesman to the now suspecting customer. “Our webbing is longer than competitors, and you will save oh so much money.”
“No I won’t,” the clever customer replied confidently. “I’m just going to have to buy them all over again when this super thin webbing wears out because of your subpar product.”
The customer then went to Tensator who helped them find a bespoke solution with webbing which lasted well over a decade.
The moral of the story: Longer barrier webbing is thinner and weaker.
The 3.4m option isn’t the “cost-effective” solution you are sold, as you need to compromise on the following:
Plus there is a high chance you will need to purchase more products in the future. Buying a cheap product may appear to be the right option short term, but spending a little bit more on long-term solutions is the more economical choice.
As suppliers claim you need 1/3 less posts with them than with Tensator, you will recall how 3.4m isn’t even the longest webbing on the market. If you are willing to compromise on webbing thickness and the associated potential problems, then you should use the 3.65m webbing we have at Tensator. This will give you:
Looking at the post as a whole, if you are looking for a “cost-effective” or “economical” solution and are willing to make allowances, then using Tensator products ensures you make the most out of them for longer.
Visit our website to learn more about our world-leading Tensabarrier® products, or get in touch to speak to one of our queue specialists.