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Zip Ties / Cable Ties

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DCRUTT

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2012
Messages
47
Location
Rochester, NY
A previous employer of mine used to have problems with "vendor approved" zip ties drying out and breaking when tightened.
We updated our purchase spec to only call out Panduit black ties. Problems went away.
 

Treeman

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 4, 2008
Messages
545
Location
Michigan
I cannot have inferior cable ties at my workplace (agriculture, greenhouses, etc.).

I use U.S. made Advanced Cable Ties (ACT) : https://www.advancedcableties.com/

Visit their page if you are a certification/specification type nutcase like me. I buy them through ZORO (Graingers online site) with the always available 10 to 20% online coupon code.
ACT Ties.jpg1777250832360.png
 
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engineer2

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Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
11,793
Location
Chicago burbs
IDK about brands, but I learned there are types rated for automotive use that are UV resistant. My kid brought some home after her 'plastic front bumper versus parking lot curb incident' and they were heavy duty made of black plastic. Makes sense as some zip ties I've used outdoors rotted away after a couple of years.
 
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Steel_Rain

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2024
Messages
1,322
In the utility that I worked for we used Panduit exclusively. They are outdoor rated and last a long time.
2nd for Panduit, I’ve seen them used in industrial applications and I own them and mine are made in USA.

I also use the made in Japan HellermannTyton:

IMG_0829.jpeg
 
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PCMusicGuy

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Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Messages
851
Location
Houston, TX
GripLockTies are made in the USA, but I think the smallest they have is a 5". They are reusable which is a bonus.
 

theoldwizard1

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 22, 2011
Messages
43,073
Location
SE MI
For small (4") zip ties, I just buy the generic brand on eBay. Usually for temporary use.

For important stuff, Panduit Pan-Ty. I usually buy them on eBay, but only if they are in a sealed, labeled bag.
 

KnurledNut

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Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
8,064
Location
n/a
Which are the best?
Depends on application.
-Sometimes the “best” are the cheapies if its temporary or not bearing a load. I don’t like using the expensive ones when its not needed.
-Manufacturers make different styles and use different materials that may be more suited to the end use, which may make one brand “better” than the other depending on what they offer.
I have a big bag of small Panduits manufactured exclusively for AT&T telecom work and not available to the public. They are a favorite.
-I can often take a pick and release/reuse the plastic ties, but the ones with the metal barb dig in and makes it harder which also cuts into the tie and I have broken them pulling really tight.
-I have had great success with stainless steel ties. Mine are GB.


Any good ones made in USA?
My Panduit, HellermanTyton, AMP and T&B are domestic.
-I believe I have some others that are too, but the brands escape my memory. I may have some 3M? And I think some of my jumbo duct ties are another USA make.
-That being said, I have had good success with cheaper import brands like Utilitech that Lowes used to carry. My Commercial Electric black ties have held up well in UV exposure. I am not sure what brand the fiber installers are using but their black ties with the screw hole are awesome in direct sunlight.

-The standout strictly build quality wise would be the T&B TyRaps. But again, they aren’t the best for everything. I have noticed they age the best. Whatever secret recipe they use for their base material will still function as intended many years later. I have some that are probably 20+ years old.
If I had to get rid of everything and only go with one current brand, it would probably be HellermanTyton.

-Honestly, the style/size/length/color usually matter more to me than the brand. Even the Storehouse from HF have done okay for me in light use.

Notes:
-I’ll have to check out the Mayhew Fedwrench mentioned.
-Those ACT Treeman showed sound like a good product.
-I have tried the low profile ones like NightSky mentioned. They do their designed task, but at the cost of strength, and can be finicky when the connection isn’t straight.
 

zmotorsports

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Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
21,312
Location
Northern Utah
I don't know about best, that may be a bit subjective, however, I did some testing last year with a couple of brands that I had on hand and ones that would send me some samples and have found a good value vs. quality in the UL94 rated black ones from ziptie.com. Their price breaks at larger quantities and customer service was excellent. I've been using these for exactly a year now and have been very impressed and now that I have quite a bit of experience using them, I can actually recommend them.



I stocked up.
zipties3.jpg
 

drokihazan

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2018
Messages
251
I don't know about best, that may be a bit subjective, however, I did some testing last year with a couple of brands that I had on hand and ones that would send me some samples and have found a good value vs. quality in the UL94 rated black ones from ziptie.com. Their price breaks at larger quantities and customer service was excellent. I've been using these for exactly a year now and have been very impressed and now that I have quite a bit of experience using them, I can actually recommend them.



I stocked up.
zipties3.jpg
Ordered a bunch of these, really competitively priced. Thanks for the suggestion
 

NUTTSGT

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Staff member
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
50,853
Location
Northern Central Ohio
Ordered a bunch of these, really competitively priced. Thanks for the suggestion
You're not kidding about competitive pricing. Definitely a price difference between UV/non-UV, but depends what you need.

I think most of mine are GB or Commercial Electric.

Yeah, like most others, had some HF ones. Thoe things to put and get brittle sitting on the shelf...red being the worst.
 

Notgrownup

Well-known member
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
5,844
Location
Snow Hill NC
I say first and foremost is where are you using them. I use cheap HF ones to tie bundles of cables inside my fairing on my Harley or under the seat . The reason I use these is because I will replace them in a year.
 

zmotorsports

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
21,312
Location
Northern Utah
Ordered a bunch of these, really competitively priced. Thanks for the suggestion

Glad it worked out for you. I showed a few comparisons of various brands I had used over the years and what I had on hand in my Shop Projects 2.0 thread almost exactly a year ago when I was looking for a more price friendly alternative as I go through a lot of zip ties in my shop. I really like the Thomas & Betts for quality, but the pricing just puts them outside of the realm of being practical if a person uses a lot of them. The customer service for this company was great as they sent me a few samples and I was impressed so I stocked up. Now that I have a good solid year of personal experience using them I can actually feel good about recommending them.
 

T444e

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 25, 2016
Messages
448
I've had good experiences with Gardner Bender from Menards. From experience, the brand Home Depot carries are absolute garbage, l had over 75% failure rate during installation. Granted it was outside and about 30F, but didn't have any issues with the Gardner Bender cable ties I switched to. Returned the opened, partially used package to Home Depot as they were that bad.
 

AEAdam

Well-known member
Joined
May 27, 2023
Messages
2,703
Location
SE PA
What? There are different grades of zip ties? MY HF zip ties are junk?

Darn you GJ!! I just put a bunch of zip ties in the engine compartment of my bobcat. Guess what I’m doing this weekend.
 

Firebrick43

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
13,971
Location
West central Indiana
We were putting AI dash cams in the company trucks a week ago. Someone had gone out and purchased two bags of Gardner bender 8”HD zip ties and they were breaking when sinched up by hand.

Never had a single issue over the years with TB Ty wraps or panduit zip ties.
 
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