Which Cable Tie Brand Wins?
We compared 12 cable tie options head to head. Strong Ties came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Strong Ties
Price shown in test: 9 cents each
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Ty-Rap
Price shown in test: 88 cents each, the most expensive nylon brand tested
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Storehouse
Price shown in test: $2.99 for 100 pieces, about 3 cents each, the least expensive nylon brand tested
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Loop tensile strength, no UV exposure | Loop tensile strength, after about 1 year UV exposure | Loop tensile strength (stainless steel subgroup) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Strong Ties9 cents each | averaged 159 lb, the strongest of all nylon brands tested | averaged 232 lb (233, 226, and a third sample described only as 'a lb' in the transcript), a 46 percent increase in strength, again the strongest of the nylon brands after UV exposure | not tested |
| 2Ty-Rap88 cents each, the most expensive nylon brand tested | averaged 137 lb (135, 139, 137), second highest of the nylon brands; unlike other brands it kept providing around 100 lb of tensile strength even after the locking mechanism began slipping | averaged 179 lb (175, 182, 181), continued to gradually lose grip instead of snapping | not tested |
| 3Storehouse$2.99 for 100 pieces, about 3 cents each, the least expensive nylon brand tested | averaged 116 lb, tested about a year before the rest of the video | averaged about 135 lb (134, 140, 132), roughly 16 percent stronger after UV exposure | not tested |
| 4Commercial Electric Black19 cents each | averaged 97 lb (98, 98, 96), moving into third position among nylon brands at that point in the video | averaged 141 lb (139, 145, 140), moved ahead of the Storehouse brand | not tested |
| 5Gardner Bender Black11 cents each | averaged 96 lb (96, 97, 94) | averaged 110 lb (106, 110, 114), well above its 75 lb rating | not tested |
| 6Panduit27 cents each | averaged 92 lb (95, 93, 87), far exceeding its 50 lb rating | averaged 134 lb (130, 135, 136) | not tested |
| 7Gardner Bender White9 cents each, the third least expensive nylon brand tested | averaged 91 lb (92, 92, 90), above its 75 lb rating | averaged 47 lb (111, then failures at only 10 lb and 21 lb), extremely brittle and well below its 75 lb rating | not tested |
| 8ACT8 cents each | averaged about 84 lb (84, 86, 82), all three samples failing the same way at the locking mechanism | averaged about 119 lb (122, 124, 110) | not tested |
| 9Commercial Electric White19 cents each | averaged 84 lb (89, 79, 85), tied for last position with the ACT brand | averaged 133 lb (128, 136, 135) | not tested |
| 10Gardner Bender stainless steel36 cents each, the most expensive stainless steel brand tested | not tested | not tested | averaged 376 lb (393, 388, 346), the strongest of the three stainless steel brands despite having the lowest 100 lb rating of the group |
| 11HYCC stainless steel11 cents each, the least expensive stainless steel brand tested | not tested | not tested | averaged 344 lb (346, 338, 347), more than twice the strength of the strongest nylon tie tested |
| 12Storehouse stainless steel28 cents each | not tested | not tested | averaged 321 lb (312, 370, 281), the weakest of the three stainless steel brands |
How it was tested
- loop tensile strength test on cable ties with no UV exposure (3 samples per brand)
- loop tensile strength test on stainless steel cable ties (3 samples per brand)
- loop tensile strength retest after roughly 1 year of outdoor UV exposure (3 samples per brand)
- JB Weld epoxy plus a dozen zip ties used in place of cylinder head bolts to see if an engine would run
- a single stainless steel cable tie, wrapped 3 times, tested to see if it could lift the back of a pickup truck off the ground
“strong ties finishes in the top position at 159 lb, ty rap second at 137, the harbor freight storehouse brand third at 116”