Several years ago I planted a small apple tree orchard with about 20 trees.  It was at the end of the fall season and I was worried that deer would come onto my property and rub their horny horns all over the tree bark and kill the trees.  They did this in prior years and it is heartbreaking!  So, I went out and bought some metal pipes (electrical conduit) and some nylon dear fencing and went to work building a deer-proof fortress around the trees.  I knew this would be only a temporary solution, but I needed something to put up fast.  To secure the fencing to the metal poles, I used these white cable wire zip ties.

At first, the nylon cable wire zip ties held the fence firmly in place.  But after a couple of severe windy days, the ties loosened up and the ties slid down the poles a bit, making the fence look sloppy.  I went back out with some duct tape, pulled the ties up straight and tight again, then duct taped them in place.  The fence held up well in place the entire winter!  Well, almost.....

Apparently deer get used to traveling along a certain path, which was now blocked off by my fence.  So, instead of going around the fence, the dear cut through the deer fencing on one side, and knocked it down on the other side!  Although the cable ties held rather firmly, the fence was a mess.  I repaired the fence again, and it was fine after that and the trees were protected.

But as Spring came along, the sun seemed to weaken the nylon and eventually all of the nylong ties began breaking off!  I'm not sure why this happened.  My theory is the sun weakened the nylon and the wind blew hard on the fencing and snapped them.  Or maybe it was the freezing cold during the winter?  I am not a big fan of all things made of plastics and this just gives me more fodder...

In all fairness, this was not what these "cable wire" zip ties were intended for.  They are designed to be used to hold wire in place over long runs.  I use them all the time to make speaker wires and electric lines look neat over long runs.  For this purpose, the zip ties work great!  Zip ties I've used ten years ago are still in place!

Zip ties are simple, thin nylon straps with teeth along one edge.  At the end of the tie is a rectangular lock.  To use, you simply wrap the strap around the wire and pipe (or other item you wish to secure the wire to) and insert one end into the retectangular lock, and pull it through.  The teeth help to lock the strap in place.  These straps are 150mm long (or approximately 6 inches) and they are rather long.  When wiring up speakers, I had a lot of extra strap left over, which I simply snipped off with some wire cutters.  This gives the bind a neat appearance.

The zip ties have many purposes!  I used it to tie like spare keys together, create loops to hang tools up in my work shop, tie a hose up, a temporary lock, bundle up cord, secure milk crates together to create a shelving unit in my work shop, secure a chain to an eyelet screw, and secure my sneaker on my foot when the shoelace broke once!  I most recently used them to fasten seat cushion to the patio chairs to keep them from blowing away.  There are lots of potential uses!  Mostly, I use them for their intended use to secure wires though....especially in my pinball machines.

The cable ties are easy to use and you can put them to use rather quickly.  It only takes a few seconds to fasten a wire to a pipe or something.  There is no mess.  The ties always hold the item firmly in place too.

I bought my cable ties at Lowes several years ago.  They came in a clear plastic container about the size of a coffee can.  The container held 500 pieces all the same size and cost about $7.  You can also buy a container that holds various other sized ties as well, for about the same price.  These ties were all a semi-opaq white color, but the ties are also available in multiple colors as well.

I would highly recommend these zip ties.  They are handy to have around, especially if you have lots of wires you want to neaten up.  A container of 500 ties lasts a long time.  My container, despite all of the above mentioned uses, is not even half empty!  Unlike rubber bands, the zip ties do have a long shelf life and do not rot, provided not exposed to the raw weather.  The ties are sold in many stores!  Thanks for reading my review and best wishes for a wonderful day!

Mike 

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