c/cable-management-geekery

leo107•1d ago

My dad saw my cable management and called it a 'rat's nest'

I spent 4 hours last Sunday behind my TV tray in the living room using velcro ties and a J-channel to get everything flat against the wall. My dad came over to drop off a power tool and saw the finished work. He just shook his head and said 'Looks like you gave a spider a spool of black yarn.' I thought it looked pretty clean honestly. Has anyone else gotten roasted by an older relative who just doesn't get the zone?

2 comments

blairf48•3d ago

My brother swore by zip ties for everything, then I saw his desk

He told me to ditch the velcro straps and just use zip ties for all my cable management behind the TV. Said it was cleaner and cheaper. I tried it for a month and every time I needed to swap a cable I had to cut the tie and start over. Had a pile of snipped plastic bits on the floor. Anyone else find zip ties more trouble than they are worth?

2 comments

ivanb41•5d ago

Took a chance on that velcro strip trick someone posted here

A user named @techdad42 said to use adhesive velcro strips to bundle cables behind my desk instead of zip ties, and I finally tried it this weekend. It took me about 20 minutes to redo everything, and now adding or removing a cable takes 5 seconds instead of 15 minutes with scissors.

2 comments

elliotw37•7d ago

Velcro vs zip ties for permanent setups, which is worse long term?

Had a chat with my buddy Mike who works at an AV install company in Austin last week. He swears zip ties are better for behind TVs because velcro collects dust and loses grip after a year. I've always used velcro since it's reusable but now I'm second guessing after seeing his 5 year old installs with zip ties still holding solid. Anyone else run into this debate? What do you use for stuff you don't plan on touching for years?

2 comments

wyatt513•7d ago

Spent $40 on those velcro cable ties and wish I hadn't

I bought a pack of 100 reusable velcro ties off Amazon thinking they'd be the end of my cable mess behind my desk. Turns out they lose grip after a few times undoing them and now I'm back to using twist ties from bread bags. Anyone else find a brand that actually holds up longer than 2 months?

2 comments

claire_campbell•10d ago

Question about cable ties: reusability vs one-time use for permanent installs

So I was helping a friend wire up his home theater last week and he insisted on using those reusable velcro straps everywhere. Said zipties are a hassle if you ever need to swap a cable. But I've always used nylon zipties for anything behind a TV because they hold so much tighter and look cleaner. I can see his point about accessibility though. When you're running 12 HDMI cables behind a wall plate, is it better to secure them for good or leave room to pull them out later? Has anyone else run into this debate on a project?

2 comments

dylan265•10d ago

Ziptie vs Velcro for permanent installs - which side are you on?

I was helping a buddy wire up his home theater last Saturday and we got into it about zipties vs velcro straps for the cables behind his TV. He swears by zipties because they look cleaner and you can cinch them down tight. But I kept telling him wait until you need to swap out that HDMI cable in 6 months and you have to snip every single one off. I use velcro for everything now after I had to redo 12 zipties just to move my desk 3 inches. But I see guys on YouTube doing pro installs with zipties and it looks so good. What do you all use for permanent setups behind a TV or desk? Is there a right answer or just preference?

2 comments

eva243•10d ago

Friend told me my cable mess behind the TV looked like 'spaghetti monster'

They weren't wrong but it stung hearing it out loud, so I finally bought a pack of adhesive cable clips for $8 and routed everything along the table leg instead. Anyone else have a blunt comment that pushed them to tidy up?

2 comments

holly63•12d ago

I was team zipties for years, but velcro straps won me over after my stereo install

Honestly, I used to swear by zipties for everything behind my desk and TV. They're cheap, they hold tight, and I have a million of them in my tool box. But last month I had to swap out my receiver because it died, and cutting all those zipties off my cable runs took me like 45 minutes. I nicked two HDMI cables with my snips and had to replace them. That was the moment I grabbed a roll of velcro straps from the auto parts store down the street, and now I can reroute wires in 5 minutes flat. Tbh, I still use zipties for permanent stuff like the main power cord, but for anything I might touch again, velcro is the way. Has anyone else had a similar conversion or found another system that works better?

3 comments

rowan849•13d ago

My velcro strap experiment ended in a tangled mess

I thought I'd be clever and replace all my zip ties with velcro straps behind my desk. Big mistake! After about 3 months the adhesive on those straps just gave up and everything fell loose. Woke up last Thursday to a pile of cables behind my monitor stand. Ended up going back to basic cable raceways from the hardware store, cost me $12 total. Anyone have a brand of adhesive velcro that actually sticks for more than a season?

2 comments

mia_anderson•13d ago

Changed my mind about those sticky cable clips after seeing a desk photo from 6 months ago

I used to think those little adhesive cable clips were junk. Like they'd just fall off after a week or leave a sticky mess (which honestly some of them do). But my buddy Dave sent me a before photo of his home desk setup from last January and an after photo he took yesterday. The before was a nightmare of loose cords everywhere under his monitor stand. The after had these neat little white clips holding every single cable against the underside of his desk in a straight line. He used the ones that you can open and close again, not the permanent snap-in type. That one photo convinced me they actually work if you clean the surface first with rubbing alcohol. Has anyone else had good luck with a specific brand of those reusable clips?

2 comments