I used to twist all my cables into tight little loops until one snapped inside a wall last week

After three hours of fishing out a broken HDMI cord from behind my desk, I realized those tight bends I thought were saving space were actually killing the wires, and now I'm wondering if anyone else here has a go-to coil method that actually prevents damage?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonl866d ago

That "tight little loops" line hit me hard because I used to think neat coils were the sign of a pro setup. I was all about wrapping everything up super tight to keep it tidy, but that snapped cable story is my worst nightmare come true. Honestly I never even thought about the stress on the wires until now, I just assumed tight was better. What changed my mind was watching a friend do loose figure-eight loops with their extension cords, and now I'm thinking maybe that's the way to go cause it lets the cable breathe without kinking up.

ruby5616d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, I did the same thing for years, thought tight coils meant I was some kind of cable wizard. Then I had a 50-foot extension cord that I'd wrapped like a snare drum, and it snapped in the middle of a job, sparks flying everywhere. Figure-eight loops are all I use now, it's way more forgiving on the wire and you don't end up with that tangled mess later, right?