The Benefits of a Longer Stanchion Belt
A retractable belt barrier is an economical way to get a nice crowd control set up going. They’re lightweight and portable, and if you’re on a budget, there are many low price options available. Many of these are pretty bare-bones, with simple black post finishes and belts. Many also feature belts in the 7.5 to 8 feet range. That’s where you might run into a snag – a cheaper post with a shorter belt means ultimately you’ll need more posts to get the set up you want. But just because you want the economical choice doesn’t mean you have to settle for an inadequate belt. Visiontron Prime stanchions are an effective and affordable belt barrier, with an 10-foot belt to boot. What makes a longer belt such a good choice? Let’s find out.
Comparison of Retractable Stanchion Belt Lengths: 7.5ft vs. 10ft
Shorter Belts = More Posts
As we previously mentioned, while a shorter belt may not sound like a bad idea if you save money on the post, it can add up to a bigger investment in the long run. Let’s say you need to create a 50-foot continuous barrier (and you can’t spring for a super long belt option). This could be accomplished with five Primes with an 10-foot belt, whereas you’d need seven of a comparable 7.5-foot belt barrier. The longer the length of your barrier, the more stanchions you’ll need, and with a shorter maximum belt, the amount can quickly eat into any savings that a cheaper post provided.
More Post = Higher Shipping Cost
Needing more posts affects more than just your cost for a product; it also affects shipping rates. Shipping additional posts mean you’ll have to pay those costs as well, so it’s definitely worth your while to make do with the smallest number of posts possible, to save you on the shipping costs which can, like the costs of the post themselves, add up quickly to erase any perceived savings.
More Post = More Storage
Needing more posts can also eat into your storage space. You’ll need to store your stanchions when not in use, and the more posts you have, the more space you’ll require. With a belt barrier’s base diameter typically in the 14-inch range, you’ll need to account for an additional 14” by 14” square of space for each additional post, provided you’re storing them upright. Using a stanchion cart to store posts lying down in a vertical configuration helps alleviate this, but ideally, you would wish to maximize your storage space, right? One easy way to do this is to alleviate the need for more stanchions by choosing the option with a longer belt.
So How Many Posts Do I Need? 10 ft belt vs. 7.5 ft belt
The Good News
The good news in all this is that you don’t need to sacrifice your belt length just to save some money. Visiontron Prime belt barriers, with a standard 10-foot belt, are under $50 which puts them in the same class as other economical stanchions with much shorter belts. Making sure you choose the right post with the belt length you need will ensure that you save on equipment costs, shipping rates, and storage space when all is said and done.