To be honest I bought these as extra straps when wearing something in my gladiator. The main harnesses were in place and so were the secondary harnesses. I went to remove these belts, pinched the tongue. only to have my thumb pierced because the tongue broke off and the spring underneath dug into my thumb. So damn I had to take antibiotics and stitches because of the porous metal. No, I didn't have to press down hard on the tab to release the strap or anything. simply press lightly to release tension on the nylon strap. Be careful with the buyer or maybe use sturdy gloves when trying to rely on this product.