Hook and Loop Information

At HookandLoop.com, our product stock features a variety of widths and two different brands, from sew on colors to peel and stick hook and loop in two different adhesive backings, to specialty fasteners like Total Hook, VELCRO® Brand VELSTRETCH®, VELCRO® Brand ONE-WRAP® and more. We have a whole warehouse full of hook and loop product stock that gets turned around on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis depending on how popular the item is.

Before going over the difference between hook and loop, it’s important to note that what most people consider “Velcro” is a product called hook and loop. “Velcro” is a brand, called the Velcro Companies, and they are the original manufacturer of hook and loop fasteners.

Every day we take phone calls and answer emails from customers trying to find the right product for their application. Sometimes we suggest sending samples to the customer in order to test out the products we have available and to see which one works the best for them.

A lot of our customer interaction involves teaching the customer all about hook and loop. One of the first things we explain is that the product is hook and loop. We also explain that there are different manufacturers and different brands of material. At HookandLoop.com, we stock two hook and loop brands: our DuraGrip Brand, and the VELCRO ® Brand. Each brand offers different advantages.

Burrs: the Inspiration for the Hook and Loop Fastener

In 1941, the Swiss engineer George de Mestral was removing burrs from his dog. These barbed seeds come from a variety of plants, and are evolutionarily specialized to attach to animals and humans as a way to spread to new areas. Commonly, however, they are seen as a source of irritation, as the barbs can be painful, and at their worst, they can cause severe damage to livestock and automobile tires. George de Mestral, however, saw something different: a potential use for the hooked barbs on the seeds he was holding.

Velcro® brand fasteners are such an ingeniously simple product that we often take it for granted, assuming it will last forever. However, there are factors that will cause VELCRO® Brand's durability to fail. Protecting hook and loop fasteners from the following will maximize its useful lifespan.

Hook and loop closures are easy to use, safe, and discreet, but they don't last forever. Every type of hook and loop closure has a lifespan, or cycle life, after which it will no longer be able to stick as well as it used to. At this point, it will need to be replaced.

Cinch straps have a surprisingly long history. While these capable devices are commonly employed in modern applications, they go back to the days when beasts of burden were the primary means of human transportation. Although today's hook and loop cinch straps are vastly improved on their original predecessors, they still share some of the same basic design considerations.

The hook-and-loop fastening system offers a wide variety of uses for a broad range of industries, including the military, medical and transportation industries. Available in many styles and strengths, there is a hook-and-loop fastener for nearly every task imaginable.