1. Stainless steel Clips should be made of stainless steel. Stainless steel clips are far more durable than other types, suffering far less from corrosions, (oxidation). If a clip suffers from oxidation it may well become inoperable when it's required.
2. Suicide clips Clips that can accidentally clip into rope or line at the dive site are often referred to as suicide clips. Unknowingly or unintentionally becoming tethered to dive site debris is totally undesirable and these aptly named clips should be avoided at all costs.
3. Security Its vitally important that items secured by clips remain safely attached and that the clips used cannot accidentally be released. So ensure your clips have a secure locking mechanism.
4. Bolt snap clips A bolt snap clip requires a positive action to open it and its physically held shut by the force of a stainless steel spring when not in use. Such a clip is the ideal tool for secure and safe attachments.
5. Attachment Entrapment is always a concern and a careful diver does much to avoid the possibility. With clips the essential requirement is that a clip that has seized shut can be separated from the item its attached to. This is achieved by securing items to clips by either rubber o-ring or reel line.
Life support items have to be releasable by a good solid pull because when they're wanted, they're wanted in a hurry. Therefore regulators are attached to their clips by o-rings, the same for SPGs. Both can be released by twisting and because they remain attached by a hose they cannot be lost.
Other items don't have the luxury of having a second attachment point such as the backup torch. In this case, given the unlikely occurrence of an O-ring failure clearly the torch would be lost. Its for this reason that the torch is secured by reel line. In the case of emergency the line can be cut and the torch freed.