Over the decades, I’ve personally grown exhausted of testing mediocre or half-assed products. That’s not to say that said items aren’t clever, innovative or even inspired, but the final execution leaves much to be desired. So often have I been asked to review a lackluster product in hopes of giving it my personal blessing and ergo, boosting its sales, that I’ve merely declined the money upfront. (I know, I know. It’s not a very lucrative business model.)
Four years ago, Strapinno’s marketing team reached out with a similar idea: let’s get the jet ski ginger to promote our ratchet straps. The initial pitch was entirely unappealing: we’d like you to be an ambassador and we’ll pay you on clicks. “Yeah,” I wrote back. “No thanks.” But they were persistent and offered to supply The Watercraft Journal podcast with a handful of kits to giveaway to our listeners and a few sets for me to break…er, I mean test vigorously.
Well, I’m just gonna get to the punchline: I’ve had two pairs of Strapinno’s stainless steel 1 7/8″ x 4 ft. Dual Lock Transom Retractable Ratchet Straps hard-mounted to my aluminum dual bunk trailer for the past four years and they inexplicably have held up almost exactly as the day I installed them. Now, that’s not to say that I haven’t been smartly maintaining them over these past few years, but it’s to say that they have held up far, far better than I could’ve expected.
First, my maintenance schedule is pretty lax. I rarely hose down my trailer; but that’s in my freshwater lake here in Nashville, Tennessee. When dipping into salt or even brackish water, I at least try to splash some fresh water on it – if not dip into a coin operated car wash and blast it down with a pressure washer and soap. But what about the straps themselves? First, their stainless, which is a godsend. (Kawasaki Motor Corporation could take notes here.)
Second, they’re pretty damn stout. All of the ratchet mechanisms are cast heavy duty, and the thick nylon weave straps haven’t dried out or become brittle (although the color is beginning to fade in the Southern sun). Admittedly, I’ll douse the ratchets in WD-40 or some other penetrating oil that I have on hand (I’m not terribly brand specific). The locking mechanisms still have the rubberized latch covers too, which is frankly, flabbergasting.
OK, so are Strapinno’s Dual Lock Transom Retractable Ratchet Straps flawless? Well, not totally. The dual-locking mechanism is a little clunky – but it’s always been from the jump. You’ll just have to get used to the release mechanism. The straps like to fold over themselves a bit, so you’ll have to be mindful that they don’t tangle up or bind. I do think the oil helps, so a more permanent solution like a heavy dollop of white lithium grease could be in order. But for less than a $100 a pair, you could do so, so much worse.
