An updated version of this post with a video can be found here
Anytime we work with customers that are new to zippers, the first thing they say is, “Gosh, I had no idea that there was so much to know about zippers.” Zippers are something that we use just about everyday and are most definitely overlooked at the same rate.
In this post, we’re going to explain the difference between Separating Bottom vs Closed Bottom Zippers. Hold on to your seats, this may blow your mind! (that was written drenched in sarcasm)
Separating Bottom Zipper
First up, we have the Separating Bottom Zipper. This zipper is typically used where the two sides of the zipper need to completely separate. An example is a jacket. The two sides of the closure are known as the “pin” and “box”. The pin is inserted to the box to join the zipper together and then the slider is pulled upward to close the zipper. A couple of key notes pertaining to a Separating Bottom Zipper:
1. Broken Pin or Box – If the pin or box on the separating zipper is damaged or falls off, it’s almost impossible to repair. Our pins and boxes are mounted onto the zipper tape using machinery. Should you get your pin or box back on the zipper tape manually, the damage will reoccur.
2. Shortening Separating Bottom Zippers – If you have some zippers that happen to be separating bottom zippers and you want to shorten the length, do not cut the pin and box off. Always shorten the zipper from the top by removing the top stops. We’ve had customers cut off the pin and box and ask us to mount new ones on after the zipper was shortened. Unfortunately, once the pin and box are cut off, you cannot reattach them.
Closed Bottom Zipper
Next is the Closed Bottom Zipper. This zipper is typically used when the zipper will not separate. A pant fly zipper is an example. A bottom stop is used to stop the slider from going off the zipper chain. It’s a simple zipper that just does it job with not much hoopla. One thing to note pertaining to a Closed Bottom Zipper:
3. Converting Closed Bottom to Separating Bottom – You cannot take a closed bottom zipper and convert it to a separating bottom zipper. We had a customer that placed the wrong order and ordered 30″ Closed Bottom zippers. They came back to us and asked us to convert them to separating bottom zippers and we had to give them the bad news. At 10,000 pcs, the trim buyer wasn’t too happy with the news, but he learned to order more carefully on future orders.
There you have it. Separating Bottom vs Closed Bottom zippers. If you’re making a decision between the two different styles, we hope this information will be useful.
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