Annual match name badges

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

I don't know about everywhere else, but name badges with magnetic attachment are becoming more and more popular around here.  A lot of us have run into the problem of losing them when the magnet doesn't hold.  The problem is worse with vests and thicker material.  If you're lucky, somebody finds your badge and gives it to you or turns it in.  If you're lucky the magnet ends up in your vest pocket, or inside your shirt (harder to get to).  Here is a simple work-around.  Now, I used to do this with pin-on name badges long ago if I didn't want to keep punching more holes in my vest, but I sorta forgot about it until recently and it just occurred to me it will work with magnetic as well.  Cut a piece of card stock - I use a piece of a junk mail ad, to approximately fit the inside of your vest pocket.  Taper the top if needed so it doesn't show.  Pin or clip your name badge to the top and stick it in your vest pocket.  Done.  I could have posted this on the regular Wire and more folks would see it, but hey, their own fault for not coming here. 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

Excellent idea

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

On 4/17/2025 at 9:48 PM, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

I don't know about everywhere else, but name badges with magnetic attachment are becoming more and more popular around here.  A lot of us have run into the problem of losing them when the magnet doesn't hold.  The problem is worse with vests and thicker material.  If you're lucky, somebody finds your badge and gives it to you or turns it in.  If you're lucky the magnet ends up in your vest pocket, or inside your shirt (harder to get to).  Here is a simple work-around.  Now, I used to do this with pin-on name badges long ago if I didn't want to keep punching more holes in my vest, but I sorta forgot about it until recently and it just occurred to me it will work with magnetic as well.  Cut a piece of card stock - I use a piece of a junk mail ad, to approximately fit the inside of your vest pocket.  Taper the top if needed so it doesn't show.  Pin or clip your name badge to the top and stick it in your vest pocket.  Done.  I could have posted this on the regular Wire and more folks would see it, but hey, their own fault for not coming here. 

 

Thanks, that is an excellnt work around!  Those badges with magnets do not work on my vests at all and are always coming off.  Will give this a try the next time I get one of those type badges.

[Sedalia Dave]

If the right magnets are used, they'll hold really well. The problem is that all magnets are not created equal and until received you cannot tell if the vendor used the right magnets or not.

 

I have some dime and quarter sized rare earth magnets that will hurt you if you don't handle them carefully. 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

3 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

If the right magnets are used, they'll hold really well. The problem is that all magnets are not created equal and until received you cannot tell if the vendor used the right magnets or not.

 

I have some dime and quarter sized rare earth magnets that will hurt you if you don't handle them carefully. 

All the ones I have been isued would work fine on a single layer of cloth like shirts but did not work at all on my vest pockets which are thicker material.  Last one I got that kept falling off I put on my wild rag that was around my neck and it held just fine.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

41 minutes ago, Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L said:

All the ones I have been isued would work fine on a single layer of cloth like shirts but did not work at all on my vest pockets which are thicker material.  Last one I got that kept falling off I put on my wild rag that was around my neck and it held just fine.

I did in fact wear the above badge attached to my wild rag on one day, but it bounces around.  The pictured magnets look like the usual for badges I've had.  They do seem pretty strong, and I use them to attach stuff to my fridge and gun safe.  I'm guessing that some vendors may offer stronger ones but charge more, I don't know. On looking at some of my previous badge backing magnets I see some of them have 3 magnets vs the 2 on the one above.  I don't recall which badges those were for but I'll bet they work better.  I was thinking maybe I could use one of those as a substitute for the 2-magnet ones but the outer magnets are a little too far apart so don't fully attach to the smaller metal piece.

[T-Square]

I know most of the comments here focus on the magnets and how to fasten the badge — but what about making the names actually readable?

The most important part of a name badge is, well... the name!

 

Even with 20/20 vision (and let’s be honest, how many of us older folks still have that?), text smaller than 1.3 inches tall is tough to read from five feet away. If the goal is to identify someone before you’re standing face-to-face, the badge needs to be bigger, and the name needs to be bolder.

 

And if someone’s using a 25-character alias? Just abbreviate it. Clarity over cleverness.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Very  true, and besides the vision the memory fades as we age so I have to look at name tags more often than I should.  The easier to read the better because I don't want to have to stare at a woman chest for any longer than necessary.