G Scale Couplers - Kadee or Hook & Loop?

  I prefer the stock Bachmann knuckle couplers. I drill a small hole and put a cotter pin in so they can't open.

 Kadee's  ain't cheap.

I wasn't aware that the couplers were Bachmann.  I guess I thought that they were automatically Kadee because of the design.

Hooking up coaches to one another is one thing, are the locos basically the same thing, specifically a LGB Stainz loco? Or is Stainz loco best left alone with the hook & loop? Might want to try using the Bachmann coupler on the other end of the coach on the Stainz loco.

The hook & loop couplers that are most prevalent on G scale rolling stock are the most reliable performers, IMO.  I've been running G scale sine the early '90s and have experimented with knuckle couplers.  The hook & loop type stay coupled when both couplers have hooks.  LGB trains come with asymmetrical couplers.  That is only one coupler on a car has a hook.  However, a spare hook is always included if you want to have symmetrical couplers.  

In the garden, most of us have adopted the credit card on a stick uncoupler.  There are manual and automatic couplers made by LGB, but I have found that dirt infiltrates them, so they require more maintenance than I care to do.  

Many G scalers have installed Kadee couplers and are very pleased with the operation.  I have not tried Kadee couplers so cannot express an opinion other than the look nice.   

I had much better luck with (Lionel-G) knuckles.

Hook and loop are ok but not impervious to uncoupling from a small bounce and a pita to quickly uncouple  by hand at times.

. I like the ability to move plumb to remove or rerail a car vs the "roll"  for H&L (tool-less).

I also see H&L as "Euro", so my preference is style dependant too.

If you want closer to scale couplers you might consider O Lionel lobster claws. Too big for O actually, they would be about right for G 😁

I think Scale City offers some dummy couplers that may be of interest too. The dummies look great and VERY rarely uncouple. Great if you don't switch cars for fun; but like run the wheels off them instead 

Thanks for the information. 

Something me to consider as I'm building up my G rolling stock

I have Kadee offset couplers on the few pieces of G scale stuff I have.  They work fine but I hate the way they look.

After several decades of experience with LGB, I have found the hook and loop couplers most reliable.

I too have 34 years with LGB hook n loop and never a problem.

Funny story, My outdoor G Scale Denver & Rio ABA Alco PAs dragging my (6) 3ft streamline aluminum passenger cars (23ft long total) up a 3% grade and my USA Trains knuckle coupler comes undone right behind the powered units.  I watch in horror as my Alcos take off like a banshee and my 18ft of passenger cars race back downhill towards a curve.  Luckily I dove for the cars and stopped their crashing off the curve and into some rocks, then I hit the remote stop button on the Alcos right before they zinged off a 14" high trestle and into a stone planter.  Whew, no one told me that playing with trains was this dangerous.  After that I wired the couplers together.  I'm gettin' too old for this crap. 

Chris S.