Velcro straps vs zipties for cable management, I made the switch

Honestly I used zipties for years behind my TV stand and thought I was being smart. But then I had to swap out an HDMI cable and I had to cut every single one off. That was a pain. So I picked up a big roll of velcro straps from a hardware store in Portland for about 12 bucks. Now when I need to add or remove a cable I just undo the strap and rewrap it in like 5 seconds. The only downside is the velcro can grab onto dust bunnies way easier than zipties did. But for me it's totally worth it not having to fight with wire cutters every time. Has anyone else switched from one to the other and regretted it or is it just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade31mo ago

That bit about velcro grabbing dust bunnies is so true. I have a cat and my cable setup looks like a lint trap now. But I still won't go back, zipties are just too permanent for anything you might move later.

james5331mo ago

My buddy Mark used the velcro straps on his home theater setup and ended up with a nightmare. He had this thick bundle behind his TV that got so matted with dog hair and dust it looked like a dirty sweater. Tried to pull them apart one day and the velcro just ripped off, leaving sticky residue all over his HDMI cables. Took him like an hour with rubbing alcohol to clean it all off. He finally switched to those little silicone cable ties you can get on amazon for cheap. Said he should have done it years ago.

grant.richard1mo ago

Wait, the velcro actually ripped apart and left glue? That sounds like a total nightmare. @jade3 you're probably right that zipties are too permanent, but after hearing that story, I'm suddenly okay with my dusty cable bundle.