What to Buy: Shock Absorbing Lanyard vs. Nano-Lok Video

Trying to decide between a shock absorbing lanyard or spending the extra cash on a Nano-Lok? Watch this video as Justin compares the pros and cons of the two technologies.

Hi I’m Justin and welcome to PK Safety. Today we’re gonna talk about the difference between the traditional shock absorbing lanyards and the new self-retracting Nano-Lok lifelines from DBI-SALA and Capital Safety. Let’s see how these two fall protection options stack up side by side. For our test, we’ll compare price, fall protection, and ease of use. Let’s start where everybody starts: price.

The Nano-Lok is advertised as a great lanyard replacement, but is it affordable? Typically the Nano-Loks are gonna cost between fifty and a hundred dollars more than their shock-absorbing lanyard counterparts. So what do you get for that extra money?

A fall of 420 pounds with a Nano-Lok will be stopped within thirty inches. A 310-pound worker will come to a stop within twenty four inches. A shock-absorbing lanyard is designed to tear internally and slow the rate of fall, reducing the fall forces. But it does this over a considerably longer distance. The fall distance for this ShockWave2 lanyard is the length of the lanyard plus the deceleration distance from the internal tearing. That deceleration distance can be up to 42 inches. That’s a whole lot of falling! And the lanyard is only rated to 310 pounds. With the shock absorbing lanyard, you’re gonna need a full eighteen feet of unobstructed fall clearance. If you don’t have eighteen feet of fall clearance under you and you’re wearing a lanyard like this, you are not protected, and you’re not compliant.

OK, let’s talk ease of use now. For these test models, the weight is almost identical – 2.3 pounds for the shock absorbing lanyard, and 2.35 pounds for the Nano-Lok. The Nano-Lok is self-retracting so the lifeline stays out of your way. The shock absorbing lanyard, on the other hand, is more prone to getting underfoot and being in your way while you work. One more point to make in favor of the Nano-Lok is the ability to self-rescue. A worker with a shock-absorbing lanyard whose fall is eight or ten feet and doesn’t hit an obstruction is probably dangling out there in the open. He or she is going to need to be rescued. Because the Nano-Lok stops a fall within a couple of feet, the chances that the worker will be able to climb back on board the structure are much higher.

Are the Nano-Loks more expensive? Yes. Are they heavier? A little bit. Are they safer? Yes. They provide improved fall protection for the workers that wear them. And that’s really the whole point. Thanks for watching. As always, give us a ring if you have any questions or contact us online at pksafety.com.