What do you mean by easy shackles? I too am looking for another solution over knots. My spin haylard gets so tight its a quite a feat to get the bowline apart.
Easy Shackles and spool shackles work the same way. They are metal barrels in which a loop of line goes through the middle and locks around them on each side.
I make my soft shackles a little differently than Colligo. For one thing, I put a locking brummel in the sliding eye before tying the terminal knot. Colligo (at least in their instructional video) doesn't. Without the brummel, the knot will tend to pull out. That's why they have long leads between the knot and the exit (and why they suggest leaving the ends long when making the shackle yourself).
Secondly, Colligo (and most others) tie a knife lanyard knot (a.k.a. diamond knot) in the end. I prefer to make an 8-part button knot. Both are symmetric and appropriately sized, but I feel the button knot is prettier and more secure.
Colligo puts o-rings on the shackle to make it easier to milk closed. I don't. I looked into that, but customers told me that the o-rings tend to get pinched and break off anyway. So, I don't bother.
Both styles generally work and the differences are mostly cosmetic, but I think the locking brummel is a real advantage. Mine are less expensive too .
I make my soft shackles a little differently than Colligo. For one thing, I put a locking brummel in the sliding eye before tying the terminal knot. Colligo (at least in their instructional video) doesn't. Without the brummel, the knot will tend to pull out. That's why they have long leads between the knot and the exit (and why they suggest leaving the ends long when making the shackle yourself).
Secondly, Colligo (and most others) tie a knife lanyard knot (a.k.a. diamond knot) in the end. I prefer to make an 8-part button knot. Both are symmetric and appropriately sized, but I feel the button knot is prettier and more secure.
Colligo puts o-rings on the shackle to make it easier to milk closed. I don't. I looked into that, but customers told me that the o-rings tend to get pinched and break off anyway. So, I don't bother.
Both styles generally work and the differences are mostly cosmetic, but I think the locking brummel is a real advantage. Mine are less expensive too .
I hope that helps, Eric
Can you post a close-up pic of one of yours?
"I said, now, I said ,pay attention boy!"
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea Isak Dinesen If a man is to be obsessed by something.... I suppose a boat is as good as anything... perhaps a bit better than most. E. B. White
Here are a couple of pics. If you look at the photo of the open shackle, where the line exits the terminal knot, you can see part of the locking brummel. In the photo of the closed shackle, I've turned the knot up so you can see that it's a button knot -- not a lanyard knot.
![[Linked Image]](https://public.sn2.livefilestore.com/y1pGKIBOMWV3aAhnaug5P22oEOmBwan2tVdV_uW8mtEo0ywn8OCERe4ZWpHL80cuzOkcNCfEbYhcIwtdxhfcn-tPA/looped.JPG)
![[Linked Image]](http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg41/spiritwind_photos/PrecourtEasyShackle.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://www.mauriprosailing.com/Tylaska/images/Web/spool_attach8.gif)
Pretty cool - 
.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=12465&filename=SoftShackleOpen.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=12467&filename=SoftShackleClosed.jpg)