My plastic clothespins kept snapping, so I tried 100-yen polycarbonate ones—nine years later they’re still fine
I dry laundry with a cheap pinch hanger from a home center. The frame is stainless, but the clips are normal plastic; over time the squeeze tabs went snap and crumbled.
We ran out of spare clothespins and kept swapping survivors from other “moth-eaten” hangers.
Finally it got ridiculous. I drifted into the 100-yen laundry aisle (Watts/Silk) and spotted the “about 2× stronger!” pins above. Because they’re “2×,” each pack holds fewer pins than the pastel blue/pink kind.
I hesitated—should I cheap out?—then bet on the extra strength. Result: they’re great!
They’re polycarbonate clothespins
The fragile pins were polypropylene; the “2×” ones are polycarbonate. They feel far more than 2× stronger. Same usage, zero breakage. They look nice too. I bought about three packs and replaced every pin on our hanger; also grabbed the larger size.
I expected little (“it’s 100 yen… unknown maker… self-proclaimed ‘2×’…”), but it pleasantly surprised me. Maybe the UV resistance helps—four years in, not even hairline cracks.
Update (2025/11/30)
Still not broken. The color has yellowed a bit and the vinyl hanger holes are starting to tear, but the pins themselves refuse to crack. At this rate they might hit 10+ years.
What is polycarbonate?
I only knew “some plastic.” Wikipedia had good notes: ポリカーボネート - Wikipedia
It’s used in:
- Fiber-optic cables
- Fighter jet canopy windows
- Car/motorbike turn signals and taillights
- Shinkansen windows
- Traffic lights
So it works in extreme conditions. Lots of outdoor use → UV resistance. With the right processing it gets very strong—even ballistic visors/shields.
Made by Fujisaki Co., Ltd. (Niigata)
Their site says “100-yen item company Fujisaki.” The catalog spans plastic, glass, metal, rubber—so they’re likely an import-focused firm without their own factory. The clothespins are Made in China.
I feel like lots of these companies sit in Niigata or Osaka—maybe good hubs for imports?
Their clients include Seria, Silk, Can★Do, and Daiso—all the majors. Not sure where the pins appear, but odds are decent.
Found them at Can★Do
I saw them yesterday at Can★Do with a refreshed package.
Regular pins come 20–24 per bag; these are 10 per bag.
Muji now sells polycarbonate pins too
Muji’s pins used to be whitish plastic; now they’ve rolled out clear polycarbonate versions. From big hangers to small ones, current models all use polycarbonate. You can still buy the old polyethylene pins loose.
We own a Muji aluminum square hanger, but an older one with polyethylene pins. It looks fine, but the plastic joints connecting the aluminum frame to the pins crack—worse than the pins.
We had leftover Muji polyethylene pins because of that. At a Muji store I found replacement joints sold separately—about 100 yen for ~5 pieces. If your Muji hanger broke, ask in-store; they’re often stocked in the laundry section.
Why write about clothespins?
I saw this on Amazon:
Stylish, and 4.5 stars with 100+ reviews. Several reviewers said, “plastic ones get powdery or crack, so this is better.” If that’s your gripe, the 100-yen ones suffice—hence this post.
This hanger had similar praise: 4.0 stars with 250+ reviews—impressive.
Nice looks—Pearl Metal brand.
On looks: I’d like to clip snack bags with the stainless pins above. We use wooden clothespins from a 100-yen shop for snacks—love the look, but the grip is weak.
Sometimes I grab a big binder clip; the stainless pins are cute enough that I’m tempted to buy some.
I tried stainless pins
We didn’t own stainless pins, so I bought some to see. 10 for ¥640—six times pricier than the polycarbonate ones.
Amazon reviewers said the stainless wire is bent by hand; there’s an inspection sticker.
The squeeze tabs are the issue. Reviews noted “the handles are twisted and hard to pinch.” Some, like the photo, angle like / /—with a right hand the grip wants to slip away. A bit unpleasant until you adapt.
Jaw opens about 1 cm—same as normal pins. Strong grip, so great for snack bags. Looks good too.
Compared with wooden clothespins. The wood ones are weak and misalign easily—cheap feel—so the stainless pins should replace them nicely. They grip snack bags hard, maybe too hard for laundry. Right now they’re perfect as bag clips for half-eaten chips, while polycarbonate stays my pick for actual laundry.
