Float connectors

[MWithell]

For years I've used those little quick-change wire connectors - a length of wire with a curved bit in the middle where the bottom ring of the float is threaded on, held to the line with small -diameter float rubbers. They've worked fine - until last week. Three times the line snapped right by them when a carp powered off.
What do other people here use? I've thought of using a tiny link swivel but you then have to use something to stop the float sliding on the line (traditionally a split shot either side that either kept moving every time you struck or stuck solid so that you couldn't change the depth...

[Duckett]

On still waters I use Drennan Flexible Float Links if I want to be able to change float and or depth quickly - I always use them for the lift method. If not, just a length of float tube on the bottom of the float.

Trotting, 2 or 3 rubbers.

Phil

[Dave Burr]

What Phil said.

[Homer Simpson]

These are cheaper but delivery time is several weeks.
Guess all brands are repackaged stuff from the same factory.

[Dave Burr]

Be careful with some of the cheap ones on the usual sites as they are narrow in diameter and no good for many of my floats. I do like the swivel ones for distance work.

[Grumpy]

I usually use the Drennan quick change float adaptors in conjunction with Drennan float stops.Or a float rubber fixed to the bottom of the float.Works great when fishing the lift.

[JAA]

I use a mini-link swivel and silcone stops I make myself, 2mm and 2.5mm o/d silicone cord, cut it into 5mm lengths, then threaded them onto loops of 8lb 'Fireline' . With a fine needle and a small pair of pliers it takes about 30 minutes to make enough for, well, 'yonks'. These are much cheaper than any I can buy and silicone does not seem to be so fierce on the line and stands multiple reuse.

[MWithell]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'll check your suggestions out. Those Drennan flexible float links look like a more refined version of the wire things which I'm pretty sure were from that company.

[Nobby]

I love the Drennan float connectors but they are a bit thin and I have had a few failures. I made some floats with a short section of fly fisherman's 'gauze' tubing on the end. The line was passed through and held in place, fully adjustable, with a short wooden peg cut down from a toothpick.

The hard part was to stop varnish from creeping up the gauze and making it stiff!

I can't find any here now, so I must have sold them all at Romsey.

[Old Man River]

I make my own Float connectors, like the simple u shaped wire ones and use thin flexible rubber rig tubing to attach them to the line, I have never had any problems with them.
I would suggest that perhaps since you have never had failures until your 3 times in one day that it is not actually the connectors at all, but maybe the line had abraded a little where you had moved the connectors when adjusting the depth ? Moving the rubber connector on the line causes friction, friction causes heat , heat will weaken the line so maybe that us what happend.
Have you changed your usual brand of line maybe , to something that is not as robust?

David.