Why Do Charging Cables Break So Easily? (And How to Stop Replacing Them)
You buy a new charging cable.
It's pristine. It's cooperative. You imagine a long future together.
A few months later you're holding it at a highly specific 37-degree angle because that's apparently the only position in which electricity can now travel.
So, why do charging cables break so easily?
Usually, it isn't one dramatic event. It's repeated everyday stress.
1. Bending near the connector
One of the most vulnerable parts of a charging cable is where the flexible cable meets the harder connector.
Every time the cable is sharply bent, pulled sideways or wrapped tightly around something, that area takes some of the strain.
Over time, repeated stress can damage the materials or internal wiring.
2. Pulling the cable instead of the plug
We all know we should grasp the connector.
We also all know that sometimes the phone is over there and we are over here.
Repeatedly yanking a charger out by its cable puts unnecessary strain on the connection between the cable and plug.
3. The bedside-table problem
Beds are apparently charging-cable obstacle courses.
Cables get trapped between furniture and walls, crushed underneath bed frames, bent around bedside tables and occasionally sucked into vacuum cleaners.
A little extra cable length and sensible positioning can help considerably.
4. Pets
And here we arrive at our area of particular expertise.
Some cats, dogs and especially rabbits love chewing cables.
Besides destroying an expensive charger, a damaged electrical cable can be dangerous to your pet. Accessible electrical cords should therefore be protected and damaged cables taken out of use.
5. Tangling and knotting
A knot isn't necessarily going to destroy a cable immediately, but repeatedly pulling tight tangles apart creates additional bending and twisting.
Loosely coiling cables instead of winding them tightly can help them last longer.
A naturally tangle-resistant cable helps too.
Funny how that works.
6. Cars and bags
Your charger leads a secret second life when you're not looking.
It's underneath your laptop. Then it's in the bottom of your handbag. Then somebody closes the centre console on it. Then it's tangled around a water bottle.
If you regularly carry your charger around, choosing something designed for more than stationary bedside use makes sense.
7. Buying the cheapest replacement over and over
A cheap cable can be perfectly adequate.
But if you're replacing the same type of cable repeatedly because of the way you actually live, the cheaper option can eventually become the expensive option.
We prefer designing things around real life rather than pretending everyone gently places their charger into a velvet-lined drawer after every use.
How can you make charging cables last longer?
Try to avoid sharp bends near the connectors, unplug them by holding the connector rather than pulling the cable, coil them loosely for storage and keep them away from places where they can be crushed.
If pets are the problem, don't rely solely on training. Manage their environment and physically protect or remove accessible electrical cords.
And if your lifestyle is simply hard on cables, try one of our Bunnyproof ones.
Designed in Auckland after a year of trial and error, our cables combine flexible metal armour with everyday usability. They're pet-resistant, tangle-resistant and designed to survive considerably more real life than the average charging cable.