To date the only site I've found that tells you what gauge the cables are made of has been https://www.monoprice.com and their prices are outrageously low. I've bought lots of cheapo cables on Amazon and ebay and have always been disappointed.
I just ordered 5 6ft cables for $9.64 for all 5. The reviews seem really good so far, but they haven't arrived so I won't know the quality until later, but for price alone it's hard to beat. I'll try to remember to update this later after I have them for awhile.
I dropped by Best Buy because most of my cables are just about shot, but the least expensive cable they had was around $16 for a single 3 foot cable. I could pay that, but I won't.
For what amounts to a buck and a half for a 6' cable rated pretty good that's tough to beat.
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on November 16, 2017, 08:14:06 PM
To date the only site I've found that tells you what gauge the cables are made of has been https://www.monoprice.com and their prices are outrageously low. I've bought lots of cheapo cables on Amazon and ebay and have always been disappointed.
I just ordered 5 6ft cables for $9.64 for all 5. The reviews seem really good so far, but they haven't arrived so I won't know the quality until later, but for price alone it's hard to beat. I'll try to remember to update this later after I have them for awhile.
I dropped by Best Buy because most of my cables are just about shot, but the least expensive cable they had was around $16 for a single 3 foot cable. I could pay that, but I won't.
For what amounts to a buck and a half for a 6' cable rated pretty good that's tough to beat.
Big box stores are terrible places to buy cables. I think most cables are made nearly identically by just a few companies and are all about the same. I need some longer cables, so I will check out monoprice.
I did receive them and so far so good. They don't have those crappy little springs on the narrow end that always wear out, just the two bottom prongs for charging. Of all the best charging cables I've used the best have been the flat ones without the springs..
For the price they're great..I've paid much more for much shittier cables..
The only thing about very cheap products is that you have to buy those more often as they do not last as long.
So in the long run, cheap can cost more. There is also the safety aspect. Will the cheap cable cause a fire?
I wouldn't worry about the Monoprice cables. We buy a shit load of cables and wire from them at work and don't see any more problems with the stuff they sell than we do with anyone else's.
Sounds like that old "gold plated connector" scam back in the VHS era.
Cables that work at the start seldom fail later. I have ancient ones that still work just fine. It is almost like a car. If it doesn't fail in the 1st 1,000 miles, it won't in the next 5 years.
Quote from: Cavebear on November 26, 2017, 02:51:10 AM
Cables that work at the start seldom fail later. I have ancient ones that still work just fine. It is almost like a car. If it doesn't fail in the 1st 1,000 miles, it won't in the next 5 years.
It is called infant mortality. Only any product that isn't tested individually (burn in) before shipping, it is a possibility. Usually the failure curve is bath-tup shaped.
You wouldn't be planning a visit to Taiwan, by any chance? Cheap, good quality charging cables are a dime a dozen here. The ones I've had have lasted years with no problems. I have only needed to replace them if I lose them.
I've been using Mono Price for years. Some guy in a forum was giving me advice about something I can't remember and just added without any fan fare, "Buy your cables here: Mono Price." I looked at the site and was stunned by the prices. Ordered some HDMI cables, and was stunned again by the quality. Since then, I've bought splitters and hubs, all very high quality stuff that I've been using for years without a failure. I'll second AllPurposeAtheist. I recommend everyone put MonoPrice on their favorites list right now. Fast delivery and you will be pleased. Probably surprised as well. What a great company.
My biggest amazement about MonoPrice (http://monoprice) is that their business model seems totally out of touch with the modern day nickel-dimers that just push anything they can. I've sometimes wondered why MonoPrice doesn't seem geared toward the poor service and high prices typical of most providers. Although, since I bought my first HDMI cables from them, other providers have come down in price, but were still well above MonoPrice last time I checked. MonoPrice HDMI cables come in all kinds of colors which helps keep track of that mess of cables behind your computer, and come in lengths that are almost unimaginable. I also use them for audio cables and connectors. I've noticed that their inventory now spreads out to include other accessory components as well. I keep expecting them to stop competing, and will be sad when that happens.
So far the cables I bought have been excellent. I had purchased some really cheap 3' cables on ebay and they worked ok for about three days and then crapped out, but they have those small springs on the narrow end which as far as I can tell do nothing except wear out quickly.
I'm sticking with mono price from now on or until they give me a reason to not buy from them..Low price and high quality is a pretty good selling point..
One thing I have to keep in mind about all of this is that, among all the problems I have had with tech devices, the cables have never been the cause.
Quote from: Cavebear on December 02, 2017, 03:16:20 AM
One thing I have to keep in mind about all of this is that, among all the problems I have had with tech devices, the cables have never been the cause.
I have on a couple of occasions, but the main issue is the price and being fucked and insulted by merchants. Walmart advertises a Samsung TV for half price. But this isn't about Walmart. Apple, Marshall Fields, and Best Buy are the same. Back in the day, even at half price that TV was $2500. You buy the TV and are happy, but before they send you out the door, the sales person points out that you need cables. You inquire, "Cables? Really? Can't I just watch it without cables like I did 30 years ago?" He replies, "No you need cables to hook it to your DVD player, network, or provider."
"But I only want to watch the local news."
"Sir, you just spent $2500 for a TV, and to get that back in value, you need cables to pick up the other 260 channels of wonderful programming."
"You mean you just sold me a TV that won't do what it's supposed to do, because it doesn't come with the parts?"
"Well, you could connect it with the outdated RCA cables, but you won't get any sound."
"OK so how much is a cable?"
"Thirty six dollars, but you won't be able to watch your TV tonight without a cable."
"OK, then sell me the cable."
Of course, you are caught by the short hairs. You weren't expecting that last minute problem after you had set your mind to buying the TV, and it would be kind of stupid to take home a TV that doesn't work. I mean you wife and kids will think you must be an idiot. Walmart and Best Buy know this, and know you have this desire to have a TV that works. You've been had, and they know you will fork over whatever they ask, because you just spent $2500 on something that doesn't work unless you comply.
The real rub is when someone tells you about MonoPrice, and you check it out and find that a better quality cable is only $2.50. That's when you know you just got screwed by Walmart and are nothing to them but another customer to be nickel and dimed. OK, I used prices from "back in the day," but those were the actual prices and the actual differences 10 years ago. Since then, customers started to wise up to the scam. Now the big chains are charging 10 or 12 dollars for a better cable, one almost as good as what you buy from MonoPrice at a 5th of the price.
If you can afford it, buy the "best" (by Consumer Reports). If you can't, buy the "best value" (by Consumer Reports).
If you can't do either, ask for it for XMAS when relatives can be guilted...