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I receive an off road mag 'Outdoor X4' with lots of places to explore and information that is (to me) worth the read.
There is a product mentioned on recovery gear that places questions in my mind. Soft shackles by Lucky8 company. the rating is 18,000 pounds and they
are touted to actually be light enough to float if dropped in water when your fumbling fingers refuse to work.
Anyone have experience with this type of product? I am a bit reluctant to place my faith in them and would rather use my 1 inch metal shackles for recovery, if I need to actually use the tree strap or a similar item.
I also don't have synthetic line in my winch so I am not experienced with the properties of that material.

Happy trails and holidays to you all.

Sounds like a pretty cool idea, from the safety standpoint it sounds like a win. Not much scares me more than a shackle flying back at me at Mach 1 when using a snatch strap for recoveries. I try to avoid using them at all costs but sometimes you don't have that option.

I made some last year: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=8284&hilit=soft+shackle

Fun, easy to make and I had Andre modify the winch mount he was making me to accept the soft shackles (rounded edges). Ask him how much fun that was to do

Here are the ones I made
Made with Amsteel-Blue (yes they are red)
The four 5/16" have a break strength of 18,500 lbs (Haflinger use) and the two 1/2" are more Pinz/Mog sized with a break strength of 45,000+ lbs
I need to load them and then I can trim the tails.
My video of how they work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUlQIgNtE9s

Info:
While knots are always the weak point - these use a 2 strand Diamond Knot
These same shackles, but in 7/16", were sent to Mill Valley Splicing in Mass. and failure was, as expected, at the knot but at 32,400 or 16+ tons (Minimum Breaking Strength listed by manufacture is 21,500) - again these numbers are for 7/16" not the 1/2" and were tested using two 3/4" pins.
Based on Mill Valley's testing the knot reduced strength by just 30%.
I would say they are solid and they have been well proven in the sailing world and rigging for tug boats.
They are super light, easy, float, don't become projectiles and are all the rage in the Euro 4x4 world.

Dan

(This was mentioned before on here.) Like all tools, they have good points and bad. I'd carry both possibly but there is no fully replacing a (non-Chinese) metal one for many reasons, mostly having to do with sharp edges. Just because everything on your truck was made to work with rope doesn't mean that the other truck you are working with on a trail does.... and that's the real world of recovery.

I have also never, ever seen a good quality metal shackle break. The real ones are rated well beyond what any of these 4x4/6x6's could exert on them and are stronger in all ways over any rope. (See Van Beest shackles from the Netherlands)

And just like all good gear, the less worry about failure there is, the more you can get done and get done safely.

Not to take away from the guys I know who get into the whole soft-shackle game but at least have a couple of these as well when it really matters and never worry about breaking. (how do you beat a 62,000lb!! metal shackle for $23??) http://www.masterpull.com/3-4-van-beest ... n-shackle/

The 5/8" ones are rated at 42,900lbs for $17 http://www.masterpull.com/5-8-van-beest ... 2-900-lbs/

I agree
There is no magic one item for all tasks
I use some of each - sometimes you just need a steel shackle and other times the best thing to use is a soft shackle.
They are simple and fun to make and you can use many sizes of Amsteel to suit your vehicle

I've never really been concerned about breaking a shackle itself. It's what the shackle is attached to that has given me pause from time to time. Of course in those situations it makes no difference what the shackle is made from.

It's what the shackle is attached to that has given me pause from time to time. Of course in those situations it makes no difference what the shackle is made from.

I beg to differ! If you have great tension on a metal shackle, and the attachment point gives way, then the shackle snaps back towards the winch like being shot from a slingshot. This is where a "soft" shackle has benefit in that it has MUCH less mass so it would do less damage when shot like this scenario. But I do agree, any attachment point that fails creates its own danger in that it might be "removed" at great speed, and attachment points like this might cut a soft shackle anyway (but a cut soft shackle would typically happen before the attachment point gets launched). If in doubt, use a different attachment point (like an axle) instead of some "iffy" recovery point elsewhere. Axle buried in mud? It is too easy to say "I can't get at it, I have to use this poorly welded D ring on the bumper" but if this results in injury, you would have been better digging in the mud!

Bottom line is that there is always a danger when working with high tensions during recovery efforts. Use of dampening blankets, proper equipment, proper techniques, and keeping bodies out of the danger area are extremely important to minimizing injury to people and damage to vehicles and equipment. Think things through, and use safe and sane recovery techniques.

But soft shackles make great sense when forced to join recovery straps, for one example. Other times metal shackles might be a better choice.

Ran into a video that explains the ups and downs of metal vs fiber shackles really well. This guy knows his stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW304fXuG1M