A cable tie, also commonly called a zip tie, is a length of strong Nylon lined with a gear rack. On one end of the tie is a small square case through which you can feed the other end of the tie. The teeth on the tie are arranged in a saw-tooth pattern, and the case contains a ratchet which locks against the teeth, preventing the tie from being pulled back. The simplest way to remove the cable tie is to cut the plastic and discard it afterward. It is sometimes possible to relieve the tension on the ratchet and loosen the tie, however, the cheap, disposable nature of the tie usually makes this unnecessary.

The cable tie has a multitude of possible applications, but one of the most common uses for the cable tie is, unsurprisingly, to organize cables. Computer cabling, electrical wires, home theater equipment, speaker wires, and power cables can be aesthetically improved and organized with the simple application of a cable tie.

Police and military organizations have also adopted the zip tie for use in the field as temporary handcuffs; one example of this is the PlastiCuffs brand tie which is a larger tie made specifically for prisoner restraint.

History of the Cable Tie

Cable ties were invented in 1958 by an electrical company, Thomas & Betts. The original product was called "Ty-Rap" and was developed for airplane wire harnesses. Ty-Rap used a metal ratchet instead of nylon.