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I have as well, but Amazon isn't bad when what you need is cheap crap (a bag of 1000 cable ties, for example). Bonus: they keep offering me free trials of Prime

by nkrisc 7y ago

I have as well, but Amazon isn't bad when what you need is cheap crap (a bag of 1000 cable ties, for example). Bonus: they keep offering me free trials of Prime so I just save up a cart of stuff and then buy it when they give me free shipping.

mdszy 7y ago
I've also just stopped using Amazon for ethical reasons on top of the decline in quality. However, if I want cheap stuff, that's what I use eBay for. Given Amazon has just turned into, like I said, eBay with slightly faster shipping, I have no reasons to use it anymore.
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  At least with eBay you know what you are getting, Amazon seems to go out of its way to hide the fact you are buying from a 3rd party.
  - mdszy 7y ago
    Exactly, that's why I use it when I want cheap above all else.
quickthrowman 7y ago
Would you order those cable ties if you were a low-voltage contractor suspending a bundle of ~100 cables for 200’ above an ACT grid ceiling? Cheap cable ties may work for bundling cables in your home rig or home stereo setup, but they may not be sufficient for a more robust load that a commercial application demands.
- nkrisc 7y ago
  No, I wouldn't. But I'm not a low voltage contractor. To hold two Cat5e cables running through my basement, though? Sure. Heck I'd use tape if it wasn't a pain to remove later. If I was buying for a commercial project I would use a supplier I trusted.
  - quickthrowman 7y ago
    That’s fair, the 1000 pack is what contractors generally buy, which is why I wanted to make the point that counterfeit junk could make its way into permanent installations in commercial spaces and eventually fail. Not all contractors use quality materials, though generally the ones that offer guaranteed work and stand behind it spend the extra money for Panduit/Legrand/Etc.
    - nkrisc 7y ago
      To be fair to you, I probably misstated when I said 1000, it was just an example. I think what I actually bought was really closer to 200 or something.
- dkdk8283 7y ago
  In your specific example: Yes, and I would use more ties so the failure of one isn’t a problem. I wouldn’t however sell a customer a fake BMS panel or other electronics. I believe the right thing to do is use wax cord in this circumstance anyway. I’d use a cheap one too.

by nkrisc 7y ago

mdszy 7y ago

I've also just stopped using Amazon for ethical reasons on top of the decline in quality. However, if I want cheap stuff, that's what I use eBay for. Given Amazon has just turned into, like I said, eBay with slightly faster shipping, I have no reasons to use it anymore.

tonyedgecombe 7y ago
At least with eBay you know what you are getting, Amazon seems to go out of its way to hide the fact you are buying from a 3rd party.
- mdszy 7y ago
  Exactly, that's why I use it when I want cheap above all else.

quickthrowman 7y ago

Would you order those cable ties if you were a low-voltage contractor suspending a bundle of ~100 cables for 200’ above an ACT grid ceiling? Cheap cable ties may work for bundling cables in your home rig or home stereo setup, but they may not be sufficient for a more robust load that a commercial application demands.

nkrisc 7y ago
No, I wouldn't. But I'm not a low voltage contractor. To hold two Cat5e cables running through my basement, though? Sure. Heck I'd use tape if it wasn't a pain to remove later. If I was buying for a commercial project I would use a supplier I trusted.
- quickthrowman 7y ago
  That’s fair, the 1000 pack is what contractors generally buy, which is why I wanted to make the point that counterfeit junk could make its way into permanent installations in commercial spaces and eventually fail. Not all contractors use quality materials, though generally the ones that offer guaranteed work and stand behind it spend the extra money for Panduit/Legrand/Etc.
  - nkrisc 7y ago
    To be fair to you, I probably misstated when I said 1000, it was just an example. I think what I actually bought was really closer to 200 or something.
dkdk8283 7y ago
In your specific example: Yes, and I would use more ties so the failure of one isn’t a problem. I wouldn’t however sell a customer a fake BMS panel or other electronics. I believe the right thing to do is use wax cord in this circumstance anyway. I’d use a cheap one too.