All About YKK Molded Tooth Zippers

Do you ever get confused about using zippers in different applications?  Or what zipper to use? And why?  Or what the numbers and zipper sizes mean?  We are going to try and clear up a lot in this post.

Today we are covering the basics of molded tooth zippers.  First, a molded tooth zipper is a zipper made with plastic that has been molded to the fabric tape.  Molded tooth zippers are weather resistant and sturdy and are great for outdoor application -- coats, vests, jackets, and bags.  They can come in many different colors. They are not quite as flexible as nylon coil tooth zippers, and if the teeth get damaged, you often have to replace the whole zipper.

Types of Molded Tooth Zippers and Pulls

The Green Pepper carries 3 kinds of molded tooth zippers:  non-separating, 1-way separating, and 2-way separating.  Non-separating zippers do not come apart at the bottom -- the two sides are locked together at the bottom of the zipper so that it will not come all the way apart.  These are good to use in pockets and necklines.  One-way separating zippers come apart at the bottom of the zipper.  The zipper sides separate completely from each other when unzipped.  These zippers are good to use for coats and jackets and vests where you want to unzip to remove them.  Two-way separating zippers are much the same as one-way separating zippers, but you can unzip them from the top and bottom.  They have two zipper pulls.  However, you can only separate the zipper completely by having both pulls at the bottom.

And there are several types of pulls that can be used with molded tooth zippers.  A single pull which has one tab which pulls the zipper up or down; a reversible pull and a reversible flip-top pull, both of which can be used in applications where you want to be able to zip from inside and outside.  The Green Pepper carries single pulls and reversible flip top pulls for molded zippers.