Cable-tidy wire?

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Lobster 13 years ago

You know how when you buy any electrical appliance, the flex will be neatly bundled together and secured with a short length of plastic-coated wire, with its ends twisted together?

I have box-fulls of old wall-warts, miscellaneous connectors and cables which I'd like to tidy up a bit (so I can see what I've got), and would like to get hold of a small reel of that stuff to do it with.

I'm sure it will be available cheaply on ebay, for example, but what do you call it? All permutations of cable/tidy/wire/flex etc are bringing up a million items, but not what I want...

Thanks

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David WE Roberts 13 years ago

Like the stuff used as gardening ties and freezer bag ties? Paper or plastic strip with wire down the centre?

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polygonum 13 years ago

Wire sack ties?

Or maybe use horticultural tie - plastic-coated wire.

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pcb1962 13 years ago

I use the narrow velcro type,

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neater than a bit of twisted wire.

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polygonum 13 years ago

Or twist ties...

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harry 13 years ago

You could use electrical cable ties instead.

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Frank Erskine 13 years ago

I think it used to be sold for freezer bags.

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charles 13 years ago

google for wire ties. I bought some a couple of years ago, but can't remember the source.

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Dave Plowman (News) 13 years ago

I prefer re-useable cable ties for this. For more frequent use, velcro strips.

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charles 13 years ago

For cables that will frequently get used, I agree - but the velcro straps are very expensive. Wire twist ties are cheap and neat. Ideal for long tern storage.

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Tim Watts 13 years ago

Tie-wrap?

It's that stuff you can buy by the reel in garden centres - usually in green format.

Or buy a box of freezer bags and you will get a handful.

Personally I would buy this:

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's velcro, kind to cables, reusable and strong - and can be cut for any size bundle.

I use it in datacentres for tidying bundles of mains and network cables:

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Graham. 13 years ago

When confronted with the permanent ones, sods law dictates I won't have a pair of snips with me, and I end up using totally unsuitable like a Stanley knife.

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Huge 13 years ago

I use the 'lacky bands the postie leaves on the drive.

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Bill Wright 13 years ago

Garden centre.

Bill

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stuart noble 13 years ago

"Twist tie" I think

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Lobster 13 years ago

Yep, have been down the velcro/cable tie route (and I do use both types already) but these twisty things are definitely what I want for this particular purpose.

Many thanks to all for steering me in the right direction...

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at 1.67 GBP for 50m (a lifetime's supply?!) will do me very nicely! :)

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Terry Casey 13 years ago

You may find a source closer than Hong Kong. My reel, which looks identical, came from a Pound shop IIRC ...

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Dave Plowman (News) 13 years ago

Re-usable cable ties are cheap. If you've not come across them, they're like an ordinary nylon cable tie but with a press latch to remove them.

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charles 13 years ago

I've been using re-useable ties for years. They are ideal for mains cables, xlr microphone cables and the like, but rather too bulky when you are trying to tidy up the lightweight low voltage outlet from a Wallwort. That's where the twisted wire ones are useful. Horses for courses.

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Mike Barnes 13 years ago

They perish rather too quickly for my liking.

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Cable-tidy wire?

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