Retractable Barriers Buyers Guide
At Discount Displays we have a large range of
retractable barriers
from the feature-packed industry leaders Tensator with their premium Tensa barriers (we are authorized distributors), to entry-level systems such as the queue master. With so many options, choosing the right system can be a difficult task. Buying retractable barriers can be a large investment, so you’ll want to get it right the first time.
With this in mind, we have used our experience to put together this buyer's guide to help you make the right choice. These are just some of the things you should consider when buying crowd control equipment.
Where are Retractable Barriers used?
You will have seen retractable belts at airports, in cinemas, conference halls, and even at schools—anywhere you need a flexible way of controlling the flow of people. When considering which range to go with, ask yourself how hard your barrier is going to have to work. Is the system going to stay in the same place, or are you going to be changing the configuration daily to alter crowd flow during busy periods? If the barrier system is going to be placed in a high footfall area or used often, then investing in one of our top-of-the-range systems, such as a premium Tensabarrier® with a higher spec, is the way forward.
Other words you may hear in place of Retractable Barrier: Belt barriers, Tape barriers, Queue barriers, Crowd Control barriers.
Indoor or Outdoor?
The suitability of a barrier to be used indoor or outdoors comes down to the materials that have been used and the weight of the bases.
The most durable material for an outdoor use barrier is stainless steel or Polycarbonate. Just keep in mind that not all stainless steel is of the same quality. Marine grade 304 stainless will last much longer than 201 stainless. Mild steel is great for indoor use but shouldn't be used outdoors as they are susceptible to rust in the elements.
Outdoor barriers also have heavier duty bases that can withstand being driven over, as well as water/sand fillable bases to hold up against the wind. Other features you may see are wheels on indoor barriers to make moving them around easier, and stackable bases for more efficient storage.
Cassettes & Tape Length
Our cassettes (the piece belts are wound into) are engineered to last and are tested up to a minimum of 10,000 cycles. Some units allow you to fit new belt cassettes yourself, so there is no need to buy a whole unit in case of damage.
Our barrier tape (also referred to as the belt or webbing) lengths range from 2 metres up to an impressive 7.6 meters. When buying barriers, consider the overall length you require, as you may find it cheaper buying fewer, longer units.
The listed length of the tape is the maximum possible length, so due to the clever retractable mechanisms used, barriers can be positioned at any distance apart up to this amount.
Release Mechanism
You will find different release mechanisms on retractable barriers:
Standard release: When you have a long line of barriers, your staff may want to take a shortcut which means releasing and reattaching the belt.
Safety or slow braking: Used to prevent injury when someone walks into the barrier. The safety release mechanism retracts the belt back slowly into the cassette unit. This also puts less strain on the hardware, preventing it from falling over.
Plain or Printed?
Most of the retractable barriers we sell are available in a plain tape option, in a variety of different colours. We also offer pre-printed tape with warning messages or chevron prints.
We also offer the option to add your own text, graphics, or branding to one or both sides of the belt. If this is something you are interested in, contact us and we can help you get the perfect design for your belt barrier. By using digital dye-printing we can produce high quality and accurate results in full colour.
How Belts Attach
Most units have a 4-way belt attachment, which means that you can create 90° bends in your run of belts, or a central post that has 4 other barriers connected to it.
There are also some barriers that have 8-way connectors while other, more advanced systems, have mechanisms that allow you to take barriers off at any angle and add up to 17 other belts connected to one post. Such systems give you more flexibility in designing your barriers to suit your specific needs.
Belts can also be wall-mounted to save space. The end of the tape can either be attached to another wall or a free-standing post.
The most common type of belt end is a universal belt end but you will also find:
- Magnetic belt end
- S clip
- Panic break
- Permanent
- Removable
- Magnetic
- Clamp
Optional Accessories
Some retractable barriers host the ability to add accessories such as sign holders, product bowls, or small writing desks, allowing you even greater flexibility to make the most out of your system. Suction wall mounted barriers are also available for areas with limited space and when barriers need to be moved around often or to unusual places.
