You know how headphone cables always get tangled? In the past, I have put a cable down carefully, and picked it up just moments later, and the wires have already tied themselves into knots. And you know what else is super-annoying? Apple’s stupid USB-C and Lightning headphone adapters, the kind that you have to use if you want to plug headphones or cables recent into iPads and iPhones.

But what if there was a way to take both these annoyances, and combine them into something … slightly less annoying?!? That would be amazing, obviously. Today we will see how to use the powerful dark force of tangling to stop you from losing your headphone jack dongles.

The Shield charging cable from Fuse Chicken is literally wearing stainless steel chainmail. It seems designed to survive battle with orcs, or at least the dangers it might run into on a job site. Amazingly enough, this company’s Titan cable is even more rugged, being wrapped in two layers of flexible steel.

There are Lighting and USB-C versions of both, and we took them into battle to test their mettle. Actually, we towed a car with one, and hit the other with a hammer. Read on to see how they survived.

Apple likes Mophie’s new chargers and cables so much that it added all of them to its online store, and many retail locations too.

Included on the collection are a wireless charging pad, two car chargers and an array of durable Lightning and USB-C cables.

Scosche Industries unfurled its first line of USB-C to Lightning power cables, which will bring a 1-2 data-power punch to iPhones and iPads.

Pair the new StrikeLine cable with Scosche’s USB-C PowerVolt charger and get a fully charged iOS device three times faster than a regular charger.

USB Type C — it’s no longer a novelty but an emerging connectivity standard for Apple products. As a newer, more powerful variation of the same USB we all know and love (well, kinda), USB-C features higher power and faster data transfer than its predecessors via a smaller connector.

While older USB Type A and B were a great gift for Mac users — few mourned the passing of ADB and SCSI — USB is often finicky. Just plugging in an old-school USB cable can prove challenging, since you must position the connector just so for it to slide smoothly into the port. That often means several tries to achieve the proper angle and orientation.

Those obstacles disappear with USB-C because, in addition to its smaller size, it is designed to be reversible — with no up or down orientation, just like a Lightning cable — and the cables can have the same type of connector on both ends.

The price of a USB-C Lightning cable dropped 24 percent. That’s good news to almost every iPhone and iPad user.

This cable really should be bundled with Apple’s phone and tablet. It offers faster charging, and is required for connectivity with the latest macOS devices.

Tired of fraying and failing cables? Belkin just launched the Mixit DuraTek USB-C cable, a brawny cord built with Kevlar and a special strain-reducing design that should put an end to premature cable death.

Measuring 4 feet long with USB-C connections on each end, the new DuraTek cable sounds perfect for the latest MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Considering how much we rely on and use various cables to connect and charge up our devices, it’s high time they learn to keep up. These three new, rugged and highly adaptable cables from Nomad represent a step in the right direction.

From a PVC-jacketed cable to a built-in battery and a universal interface for any connection type, these next-gen cables are well worth checking out.