Quite often, people ask us, what is the difference between polyester lanyards and nylon lanyards? Polyester lanyards are the most economical type of lanyard that you can purchase, making them appealing to the general public. These are your typical, everyday reels that hold a badge and several keys. Polyester material is used for plain lanyards – that do not include any print but are available in stock. Lanyards with fast delivery such as the plain type are available for customers in Dublin and other major cities via express delivery.

Polyester has some benefits over nylon, one being that it is more durable and can be worn for a longer time. Of course, this also means it’s heavier than nylon which is a potential downside in the views of some people. But overall polyester is a very flexible and durable product which is a very popular material for both plain and printed lanyards in Ireland. Below we summarize some of the differences and case studies for both materials, to help anyone looking to decide between the two for their next order.

For example, if you are an active person and always out and about you would prefer a lightweight lanyard. If you are a delivery driver or someone who is out of the office a lot and need to clip your keys onto the lanyard, then it would be recommended to go for a lighter material. Polyester can sometimes be heavy if it is 20mm or 25mm thick and it may see some wear and tear. Nylon material is a little more flexible and softer in this regard – and it is lighter – so that would be preferable in this type of situation.

Another benefit of polyester is its durability and strength. Some people may say that the downside to this material is that it doesn’t react well with certain chemicals or cleansers. However, in my own experience, I’ve never had any issues cleaning polyester lanyards. Polyester also has fewer issues with retaining moisture than nylon (which can lead to rust) and therefore is not prone to mildew.

A further positive point for polyester material is its flexibility and stretchability. This means you can wrap lanyard straps around tight areas and they won’t snap. Polyester will also never rust, but you can stretch it up to about 5%, so it won’t break if someone pulls the excess lanyard back too far. Polyester is used in a variety of other situations and products and is a suitable material for interior products, such as window shades, cable ties, and even gloves because of its resistance to UV damage.

Polyester Lanyards

Nylon on the other hand has a few advantages over polyester: Nylon has less stretchability than polyester allowing for tighter tension in the material and therefore better functionality during production. Of course, this means that nylon is more durable than polyester because of its increased strength. It also has an added glow or shine to it when printed due to the very fine material. It is regarded as a premium product and offers a product that really stands out and grabs attention when worn.

Nylon lanyards are strong as well as very eye catching. For example, if you were to use a cotton lanyard strap on your backpack, the cord might break because of its thinness when you’re trying to clip it on. Nylon can withstand a few pulls here and there as opposed to other types which may start to fray. Another benefit of nylon is that it has better resistance to sunlight, so it will not get damaged as easily when exposed to UV rays.

Nylon also has fewer issues with retaining moisture than polyester which can lead to rust and therefore is not prone to mildew. Of course, if nylon is exposed long enough, then this may eventually happen, but it is a strong product.

Another benefit of nylon over polyester is its durability and strength. The downside to this material is that it’s not very stretchable. Therefore, you can’t wrap it around tight areas or use it for things like window shades or cable ties. Instead, you would have to use a different material for those applications.

One more benefit of nylon is its resistance to sunlight and UV exposure. The downside to this is that as time flies by, the sun will eventually degrade the color of the lanyard which would devalue the product in general.

Nylon Lanyards

In order to classify the differences between polyester and nylon lanyards, we can do the following:

  • Compared to nylon lanyards, polyester lanyards are approximately much cheaper
  • Polyester lanyards have a more textured surface and are available in plain colours
  • Nylon lanyards are more elastic than polyester lanyards
  • Lanyard dyeing with polyester is easier than with nylon
  • Nylon lanyards are a premium product with a glossy finish which is eye catching

Both polyester and nylon are suitable materials for lanyards, but each has its own benefits and drawbacks that make one better than the other depending on certain applications. Our sales team can assist with any questions you may have in deciding which material is best for you or your organization. Click here to make an order for both personalised lanyards.