Well, I thought about that, and there are basically 3 reasons I think a patent would be useless in my situation.
First, if some Chinese company did find this thread and wanted to start cranking them out for their own profit, a US patent is going to mean absolutely nothing to them. Second, let's say a US company wanted to do the same thing and start making these for their sole profit. A patent only grants you a limited amount of protection on your design. A big company with a few lawyers could easily find their way around the patent laws to make a design just different enough so it's not considered infringement on my design. Third, I'm just a guy making these in my basement workshop, trying to start a small business on the side. I simply cannot afford the time and money it would require to get a patent. Also, I think it would prove to be un-patentable in the first place, as it's far too simple of a design.

I do appreciate your concern, though, and am also glad you like the idea. Thank you!