Plastic or metal?

What is the general consensus regarding dress shirt collar stays - plastic or metal? I have several shirts whose collar have lost their stays (but still lay flat), some collars that annoyingly curl upward (rather noticeably) for lack of a stay, and some that have plastic stays that are bent/curled upward.

I have been thinking about picking up some polished metal stays off of eBay. They appear to be pretty reasonably priced, but am unsure about quality.

I would be happy to hear from anyone that has had personal experience with stays.

Tim

I cut them out of empty cottage cheese containers. Work just fine. I make guitar picks the same way.

majorrich said:

I cut them out of empty cottage cheese containers. Work just fine. I make guitar picks the same way.

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I'm not that industrious . For $10 shipped I can get 20 pair of metal stays.

Tim

Metal.

majorrich said:

I cut them out of empty cottage cheese containers. Work just fine. I make guitar picks the same way.

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You didn't answer his question ... are they metal or plastic containers?

Sorry. Cottage cheese only comes in plastic containers in any part of the US I have been. So I guess I would say plastic. Yogurt containers would also be good as would expired credit cards. I have used all of these to make collar stays and guitar picks at one time or the other. These are also made of plastic as far as I have ever seen in the US. So again I guess I would go with plastic. Are these items in metal containers in Canada? Just wondering?

I would hesitate to make them out of metal because my metalworking equipment is rather crude and might leave razor sharp edges and/or would tend to curl if I used aluminum or sheet steel thin enough to make a proper collar stay. My tin snips are mostly for duct-work and I am an avid do-it-myselfer. I have tried to cut aluminum soda cans into thin strips for other projects while my son was in cub scouts and despite my best efforts, always had sharp edges or pointy bits that I would imagine would spoil the fabric.

If you can get polished metal stays that you like, that is great! I have a bad habit of forgetting they are inserted and they go in the wash and disappear or get maimed horribly. Thats why I prefer plastic.

I prefer metal.
Our dry cleaners always places plastic stay each time a shirt is laundered.
I replace them with a short brass stay so that the collar doesn't shoot up at the top and into my neck.

I have them in brass, silver, and even ivory. The ivory ones won't set off metal detectors at the airport. I don't use plastic. The ivory stays are made from old piano keys, and are not so hard to find or expensive.

I have had brass collar stays in the past an I currently have stainless steel. I much prefer the brass ones...can't really tell you why...I just do. Not a fan of plastic ones as they don't really do the job I need.

So, in doing a bit more reading I am getting the sense the stays should be pulled out of the collar before the shirt is put through the laundry. I have never pulled the plastic stays out. Is this more necessary to do with metal or ivory or bone stays?

Tim

From what I understand, there is the potential for ruining the collar if you leave the stay in, plastic or metal.

dangerousdon said:

From what I understand, there is the potential for ruining the collar if you leave the stay in, plastic or metal.

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Interesting. Taking a closer look at my dress shirt collars, I notice that some have the stays sewn into the collar's points while others are not sewn in and the stays can be taken in and out. Not sure what to do with the ones that are sewn in. I could use an Exacto knife and make a small incision to allow removal of the stays.

What do you guys think? Set them up for replacement with metal versions or leave them as is?

Tim

I would leave any in that are permanently there.

Brass for me, but plastic is totally fine.

I have both metal and plastic though the plastic ones I have are thick ones that came with my Brooks Brothers shirts but I prefer the brass ones I have. They're a good heavy weight and come in multiple lengths which is helpful.

ive found the good plastic to be ok, my brass ones seem to fall out when tying my tie, but ivory or even horn sound sweet.

i had the ones with magnet, but i lost one of the magnets, so that sucked. it was steel.

IMO, this makes little difference so long as the stays are the proper size for the collar. Totally up to you!

On occasion I have cut down longer plastic stays to fit a particular shirt, so that is an option with plastic, if needed.

If they are sewn in I would leave them in.

I personally use metal, and prefer stainless steal, allowing me to use magnets on occasion for an extra locked down look.

I also have them in brass and titanium, which are nice. Plastic just doesn't seem to get the same crisp look that metal does after a collar has been laundered a few times and softens a bit.

I have a brass set from JAB and then Charles Tyrwhitt shirts come with metal stays. Crisper look. Only decent plastic ones I've seen came with BB shirts. Thinking of getting the magnet ones.

Whiskey Badger said:

If they are sewn in I would leave them in.

I personally use metal, and prefer stainless steal, allowing me to use magnets on occasion for an extra locked down look.

I also have them in brass and titanium, which are nice. Plastic just doesn't seem to get the same crisp look that metal does after a collar has been laundered a few times and softens a bit.

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