Review – Velcro One-Wrap Ties

Velcro makes useful products. Well, variations on the same useful products. And it being so popular that its name has become the word for hook-and-loop attachment systems is a testament to this. And I’m glad that they have many different products to meet many differing needs. When I was looking to secure something to my backpack shoulder strap I found the Velcro One-Wrap Ties and thought “That’s what I need”.

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Now I know that a cut-up regular strip of Velcro could do the same thing, but with the simple attachment system built right, in these strips are very handy in a variety of situations with no customization needed. They are the non-industrial Velcro variety, so they aren’t the absolute best at holding together, but they do a pretty good job. The attachment system is essentially a wider end with a slot that you feed a smaller end through. This is the same principle that a lot of cable ties use, but these are reusable, and more comfortable to use than those are.

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They come mainly in multi-colored packs, which I’m not a fan of but can deal with, and for most people that will aid in the organization of the cords they’re storing organizing with them. But I have a bit of a different use. I use mine to secure a pouch holding a canister of pepper spray to my backpack, and one looped through a belt-loop and onto itself to hold a flashlight to a waist-pack camera bag. Both of these tasks are much more difficult than the pen- and cable-corralling the packaging suggests the use is. And the strips have held up quite well. They are more secure than my previous Velcro cut-to-size straps, and only loosen after fiddling around with them for quite some time. I have yet to have one fall off, and have only had to adjust them once in several months of use.

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So there’s one more use to add to an already useful and “fairly” inexpensive product. For their intended purpose they work well, and can even take on a few more difficult tasks along the way.

Speak Your Mind 50 #246-250

QUESTIONS

1.Did your family take a vacation this year?

2. Do you have trouble sleeping if you eat to much?

3. Which professional football team do you like the best?

4. Do you prefer tie shoes or slip-on shoes?

5.What did you wear to school yesterday?

ANSWERS By: Austin Smith

1. Only a week long trip, and it wasn’t my whole family.

2. No, I sleep the same under any circumstance almost.

3. I don’t watch football.

4. Slip-ons all the way.

5. I didn’t go to school yesterday.

A Tie Sampler (With Designer Thoughts)

I have a lot of ties, I mean a lot. I have, like, an eccentric schoolteacher number of ties. And the number keeps growing, and growing. I think on average I get a couple each week, although that is an average from getting none for quite a few weeks and then buying many of them when I get the chance and they have good ties at the local vintage stores.

I never really thought about it much, but it seems that I do have quite a few, and I enjoy the more wacky ties. So I thought why not share them with you on the internet. (it wasn’t actually my idea, but I liked it) And as a bonus, we’ll get a look inside the designers heads.

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First we have a kind of strange tie depicting Winnie the Pooh and a butterfly.

What was going through the designers head: Winnie is a bear right? Bears live in nature right? Butterflies also come from nature. I Just finished my tie design six hours early.

Then we have this one, made up entirely of french posters partially covering each other.

What the designer was thinking: Man, my poster collection is so cool. If I scanned one in and overlapped it like a collage I’m sure it would be a hit in every market.

I think this is my favorite, it’s just a toothbrush and toothpaste. With the toothpaste being three-dimentional.

What was going on in the designers head:  Crap, isn’t it such a coincidence that I got toothpaste on my tie that looks like it got toothpaste on it. If only the toothpaste had looked more real in the first place, then maybe this wouldn’t be a problem. Wait, I’ve got it.

Next we have an uncomfortably close picture of marvin the Martian, made exclusively for six flags.

What was going through the designers head: Humph, why do I get stuck with making the marvin tie? I’ll show them. I’ll make it almost unrecognizable.

Finally we have one covered in various writing implements and school supplies.

What was going on in the designers head: This tape we make for classrooms is great, I wonder what else we can make with this. Steve runs a silk factory, I bet he’ll know!