Choosing the right loading pin:

I offer a few options of loading pins for 1inch maces. The loading pin is the component which your weight plates stack onto before the mace handle is screwed on, locking the weight plates to the mace. Understanding the differences will help you make an informed decision on which loading pin will be best for you and your mace!

There are 2 main types of loading pin with key differences; the standard loading pin, which features a bolt type hexagonal head and the stable base loading pins, which feature a flat 9cm disc type head.

The biggest difference in functionality between these 2 types of loading pin is the stability of the mace when stood vertically upright on the head of the loading pin. The standard loading pin will stand vertically upright on hard level surfaces and on very soft surfaces (sand or soft soil lawn) where the mace can be pressed in such that the first weight plate effectively becomes the base, but will still be easily knocked over. However, on unlevel (e.g. a sloping driveway), uneven (e.g. a rocky footpath) or soft spongey surfaces (e.g. martial arts studio matting), a mace will be very unstable or even refuse to stand vertically upright. The stable base loading pins will stand vertically upright much more easily on a variety of surfaces and are much more difficult to knock over. It is worth noting that stability does also vary with the diameter of weight plates and how many weight plates are stacked. The smaller diameter and less weight plates make the mace less stable.

The next main factor to consider is the length of the loading pin. The length determines how many weight plates of a given thickness can be stacked onto the loading pin, and therefore the maximum weight of the mace for a given size of weight plate. Please see the table below for weight capacities with typical weight plates. The length also determines how much time the mace takes to unscrew/screw after changing the weight, the less weight plates you have stacked on the loading pin the more thread will have to be screwed and therefore the longer it will take to change weight. For this reason I recommend against the extended stable base loading pin if you plan on using the mace with small stack of weight plates and want to change the weight often, it will quickly become frustrating in how long the mace takes to alter weight.

The final key difference between the standard and the stable base loading pins are the materials they are constructed from. The standard loading pin is made from zinc plated mild steel and therefore overtime will rust if repeatedly exposed to moisture and especially salty water (at the beach), if the loading pin becomes rusty it may become more difficult to thread into the mace handle, if this occurs, I would recommend using a metal wire brush to remove any rust from your loading pin. The stable base loading pins are made 100% from stainless steel and will therefore never rust or corrode even when exposed to moisture.