Pulled out my old zip ties from 2018 and they were all brittle

Last week I was cleaning up behind my TV stand and decided to swap out some cable ties that had been there since I set it up in 2018. Man, every single one of them snapped like dry spaghetti when I tried to undo them. I remember being so proud of that setup too, had everything running along the desk legs and down to a surge protector mounted underneath. Three years ago I thought I was a genius using those thin white ties from a 100 pack I got at the hardware store on Broadway. Now I see why people spend the extra couple bucks on velcro straps or reusable wraps. The dust buildup alone was bad enough but finding little plastic shards all over the carpet was a pain. Has anyone else had old zip ties just fall apart on them after a few years?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithj1011d ago

My brother had the exact same thing happen with a box of zip ties he kept in his garage, but his were even older, from like 2014. He went to use them to hold some wiring on his boat trailer and they just crumbled in his hands, not even clean snaps like your ones, but dusty chunks. We had to spend a whole Saturday untangling the mess they made. It turned out he also had a pack of those glow-in-the-dark ones from a camping trip that year, and those were somehow in worse shape, they literally turned to powder. Now he keeps a roll of that self-fusing silicone tape in the truck instead, it doesn't break down no matter how hot it gets. Its funny how we think plastic stuff is permanent until it just decides it isnt.

felixb2512d ago

Took me back to when I tried to reuse some black ones from a network rack I built in 2017. They snapped the second I touched them, like they were made of glass or something. I think the UV light from sitting near a window just kills them over time, even if theyre indoors. Velcro straps definitely hold up way better, I switched to those after that mess and havent had a single one fall apart yet.