It’s usually a question of when, not if, your charging cable is going to start wearing around the point where the cord meets the connector. And maybe you’ll try to make it work for a little while, but sooner or later your denial will wear off and you’re going to have to drop the cash on a new one. And then the whole sad process starts over.
One company is hoping to break the cycle with a leather cable that is not only tough but also aims to be the best-working cord you’ve ever bought.
Esbee started out wanting to build a cord that didn’t shred or fray after a few months of use, but the company ended up completely scrapping current designs — like the one that came with your iPhone or iPad — and building their cable from scratch.
Esbee’s design has two wires each for data and power (your existing cord likely has one each), and they have five layers of insulation protecting them including an 18-strand, tin-plated copper mesh and a fire-resistant layer of thermoplastic elastomer. The mesh in most cables usually has 8 strands or fewer, according to Interesting Engineering, so the Esbee has a lot of shielding even before it gets to the leather part.
The cable’s outer layer, which was once the outer layer of something else, comes from Pakistan’s Indus Valley and comes in two different materials and seven colors. You’ll be able to get black or brown leather or red, blue, green, yellow, or pink suede, so you can go for a look as classic or “fun” as you like.
Esbee is going to launch a Kickstarter soon to fund production of its super-tough cables. You’ll be able to pick one up during the campaign for $24. And that’s a few more bucks than the standard-issue Apple cable, but if it’s as tough as the company claims it is, you should make that extra money back from saving on replacements.
If you’re opposed to leather, you aren’t out of luck for some strong charging gear. You can always look into a bungee-cord-style … cord, or you could make like acting legend Christopher Lee and go metal.
