When cables break

[User 180565 is taking donation]

Worst feeling right? Especially if it's your phones charging cable. Mine got all worn out from wear had to bend it back and forth to make any signal, of course my phones manufacturer says sorry that's not covered by warranty. Luckily I saw a cheap one at walmarts check out line which was surprising because it's a type c cable. Some people hate on Walmart but hey at least they're there when you're in a pinch.

[Derek‽]

Charging cables are a dime a dozen these days. I know some people go through them like water, but I rarely have that problem. And when I do, the cost doesn’t really concern me thanks to their ubiquity.

I remember back when Apple refused to license its proprietary cables to third-party brands and you had to pay their atrocious first-party mark-up. *shudder* Dark times, those were. Now I can just pick up a 10' lightning cable at Walmart for less than half the cost of one of Apple’s 6' cables. Walmart’s own ONN brand accessories tend to be solid quality at a fair price.

[stevecureboi]

My cables don't usually break.
They do get eaten by my cats though

[daniel]

I charge my i8 with the cable that came with my i5s. I really wish that companies would improve the materials and build quality of cables, but, it's easy enough to keep them in good shape. Most of the failures I see are preventable.

Monoprice, Belkin, and Amazon Basics are good quality cables. Walmart probably has decent ones. I'd avoid gas station and dollar store chargers.

[Patrick [ASE]]

Best thing is to have at least 2 cables, leave one in place for home charging so it isn't scrunched up in pockets etc, and isn't messed about with too much
Many charger cables enter the device from the bottom, don't stand the device upright as this bends the cable
Depending on the connector, they usually break at the point they enter the connector, find some 'heat shrink sleeving', slide a short length over the connector and cable,  heat gently with something like a lighter, it should prevent the sharp bending.

I'm still using my  Sony Ericsson 750i with the original charger from over 10 years ago without problems

[Brian]

There's a very specific kind of cable that feels softer to the touch than the ones that tend to last. Those are the ones that seem most susceptible in my experience.

I had plenty of those when my iPod was still alive but my most recent device to come with a cable of that description is the charger for my Surface Pro. I am deathly afraid of handling that cable improperly because the device is basically Microsoft's take on a high-end iPad, so naturally all of the peripherals are way more expensive than they need to be.

I see electrical tape in my future.

[Caajscot (John)]

If a cable is broken then all we do is ring up our supplier for cable tv etc (Virgin Media) then they will send out an engineer to fix the problem at no cost to us, 3 weeks ago I found that our wireless box was not working properly with the signal from the back room and the engineer called and traced the cable from the back room and found it was broken so all he did was replace it at no cost. 

[User 180565 is taking donation]

Jul 23, 2018 23:37:21 GMT -8 Caajscot (John) said:

If a cable is broken then all we do is ring up our supplier for cable tv etc (Virgin Media) then they will send out an engineer to fix the problem at no cost to us, 3 weeks ago I found that our wireless box was not working properly with the signal from the back room and the engineer called and traced the cable from the back room and found it was broken so all he did was replace it at no cost. 

I mean is it free or is it secretly hidden in your next months bill?

[Caajscot (John)]

No, I don't pay for it, that is all part of the service,

[Scott]

I agree with daniel regarding the cheap cables you find in gas stations, etc. The other thing to avoid from there are the usb chargers that goes in the car's cigarette lighter. I've seen them blow the fuse on occasion.