You might have heard oftether tags . These little tags offer a way to prevent phone snatching theft, a crime that's on the increase. Theidea is you fit the little T-shaped plastic or fabric tag between the smartphone and the case it's in, clip a wrist lanyard to it, and bingo, no more theft.

I first saw these on social media -- I remember there being quite a bit of hype about them -- and then I later bought one from a UK company specializing in gear for first responders, police, and the military. I wanted one less for the theft prevention and more to stop me from dropping or losing my phone when hiking.

Also: Why I recommend this power bank to most iPhone users - especially if you travel often

The one I bought was expensive and only available in the UK. After people started asking me about them after my post about travel security gadgets, I decided to see how good tether tags from Amazon and eBay actually are.

So, I bought a bunch. In fact, I went a bit overboard and in all bought a few dozen. I bought polymer tags, fabric tags, and even metal tags. Some were a couple of bucks for a dozen, some were a few bucks for a handful, and there was one that was$16 for a tag and a wrist strap (spoiler: this was a good one).

Also: This stuff has replaced super glue for my electronic repairs - and it's cheaper

I then did a little research. I used some luggage scales to measure the sort of force I could achieve trying to snatch a phone from someone. I found the limiting factor to be grip strength, but I could get a good 50 pounds of pull force.

I had a look around and found a 56-pound weight to use as the test weight. 

The idea was simple -- I'd fit the tag to a phone, attach the weight to the tag, and try to lift it with a smooth, continuous pull, and try to not drop the weight on my toes. 

Let the carnage begin. And it was carnage.

I was quite horrified by how many broke, and by how easy they broke. Many of the polymer tags just tore with very little resistance.

The one that didn't break made a good impression of Stretch Armstrong, extending a couple of inches, and while it didn't break, but was totally unusable afterwards.

The metal tags didn't fare much better. The standard metal tags broke in various ways -- sometimes, the metal ring gave way, and other times, the folded metal holding the loop gave way.

Also: I tested the world's thinnest SSD enclosure - here's why it's the perfect PC accessory for me

The weird metal tag that is supposed to fit through the speaker holes in the case for the iPhone -- spoiler, it doesn't fit well at all -- just mangled and started to damage the phone, so I stopped that test. These metal tags seem like a bad idea because they not only fail but can also damage the smartphone and case.

But three survived the test. 

The Niton999 tether tag that I use daily had no problem holding the 56-pound weight, as did two other tags from the bunch that I tested. One of the tags from theProject-CB kit (the clear tag from this kit broke easily, but the black fabric one survived), as did the one from theSmallRig lanyard kit . 

Another kit I rate highly is theNiteIze tether kit . This has a curly cord lanyard and is also pretty strong and durable.

All the survivors were the fabric style tags, and they showed no signs of damage at all. 

Also: Should you buy tools from Amazon Basics? Here's my verdict after testing a bunch for weeks

The bottom line is that you get what you pay for. The cheap tags are, in my opinion, garbage. They may be fine for preventing your phone from hitting the ground, but they aren't built to withstand much in the way of abuse. 

If you want something that's going to have a chance of surviving a preventing your phone from being snatched,get something decent and perhaps even consider attaching it to astrong retractable keychain . 

Don't rely on something that costs you a few bucks!

Featured

Is ChatGPT Plus really worth$20 when the free version offers so many premium features?

Your MacBook is getting a big upgrade. 5 best features I can't wait to use in MacOS 26

Yet another European government is ditching Microsoft for Linux - here's why

The best AI for coding in 2025 (including a new winner - and what not to use)

• Is ChatGPT Plus really worth$20 when the free version offers so many premium features?
• Your MacBook is getting a big upgrade. 5 best features I can't wait to use in MacOS 26
• Yet another European government is ditching Microsoft for Linux - here's why
• The best AI for coding in 2025 (including a new winner - and what not to use)