In this article, we will examine the differences between wooden battens and plastic/composite battens. Styx Solutions battens are used as the example.
Wooden Battens vs Styx Battens
WOODEN BATTENS | STYX BATTENS |
Require staples and a hammer, an air-driven staple gun or an air compressor to install. | No tools or staples required to install. |
Heavy and difficult to carry when wet, and place extra weight on the fence. | Lightweight, at only 300g per batten. Will not absorb moisture. |
Treated wood can leach into the environment. | Will not leach into the environment. Inert product. |
Treated wood can be difficult to dispose of. | Fully recyclable at end of life. |
Can move on the fence or break. Barbed wire often used to prevent movement at additional cost. | Will not move on the fence or break. Removes the need for barbed wire. |
Staples required. Corrosion issues caused by treated timber (and especially near the coast). | No staples required. No corrosion issues. |
Can be slow to install, often requires more than one person to be efficient. | Fast installation, with only one person required. Saves time and money. |
For hot wires, additional insulators may be required. | Any or all wires can be hot - the batten itself is an insulator. |
Lifespan varies considerably due to conditions, wood quality, treatment type, and type of stock pressure. | Lifespan is consistent - expectation is 20 - 25 years. |
Typical product dimensions are 40 x 50 or 50 x 50mm, providing a larger contact area for stock to push against. | Dimensions are 20 x 50mm, reducing the contact area for stock. |
Applied to one side of the fence only. | Interwoven down through the wires, and on alternate sides, creating an effect similar to netting. |
How easy are plastic battens to install?
Check out the video below to see the Styx Batten in action.
The Styx Story
Darryn Ross, founder and Director of Styx Solutions Ltd, is not only an expert in plastics and injection molding, he also has a background in farming. He saw the battles that farmers face with fencing - battens moving on the fence, stock pushing their heads through, the time it takes to staple, the mold and corrosion, the sagging fence lines - and he thought, "surely there's a better way?". So he went to work on creating a batten without these problems. A few years and a couple of Fieldays Innovation awards later, the Styx Easy Batten system became available to farmers nationwide. They are a plastic/composite batten that weaves through wire and clips directly on via an interlocking mechanism. They're strong, flexible, and once they're on the fence they're designed not to move. A complete game changer in the farming community.
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