What do you call the slotted part that keeps cables from breaking?

[endecotp]

The outer sleeve wearing away is the main issue

Take more care of your tools. Don't swing them around by the cable etc.

At the first sign of that happening, dismantle, chop the end off the cable, and re-assemble.

 

[endecotp]

just to clarify, that pic isnt mine, its just a random screenshot i took of a video where i saw the thing i wanted

OK, so we don't need to worry about it, but...

but yes it is, thats a moulded plug with a plastic earth pin

...I really can't see a plastic earth pin in that photo.

 

[Nanako]

Take more care of your tools. Don't swing them around by the cable etc.

At the first sign of that happening, dismantle, chop the end off the cable, and re-assemble.

I don't, of course. Its a belt sander though, it gets moved around a lot and cables flex

Sure, dismantling and reassembling it is in the near future. But the little rubber boot on the end there is supposed to prevent exactly this situation. And it completely fails at its job.

I want to chuck that and replace it with something better, during the reassembling. Something that doesnt concentrate all the damage into a weak spot right at the end

 

[JohnW2]

Ah, "strain relief boot" seems to be what the one without slots in it is called ... Yes those are godawful and everything that uses them breaks right at the end, its utterly terrible. I want to get rid of that thing and replace it with something that will ACTUALLY spread strain out ... slotted ones at least are definitely better, it looks like there are spiral designs too that look even better still.

I'm personally not convinced that any of these things do much good and, as you imply, it seems that some make things worse. No matter what the design (and material) of the boot/sleeve/whatever, there will be a 'vulnerability' where the cable emerges from the end of it.

If one avoids 'abusing' the cables too much, it seems that they usually last intact for a very long time without any of these gizmos.

 

[JohnW2]

...I really can't see a plastic earth pin in that photo.

Nor can I - and the angle at which the plug has been photographed mean that an earth pin, if present, would be obvious, hasn't it?

 

[Nanako]

I'm personally not convinced that any of these things do much good and, as you imply, it seems that some make things worse. No matter what the design (and material) of the boot/sleeve/whatever, there will be a 'vulnerability' where the cable emerges from the end of it.

If one avoids 'abusing' the cables too much, it seems that they usually last intact for a very long time without any of these gizmos.

no i can see a clear purpose for it, they are there to prevent the cable from bending at an overly sharp angle, which would pinch and stretch opposite sides of that bend

The resistance they provide forces the bending to be spread out across a larger section of cable, at a much shallower angle. The concept is sound

i just think that most designs are lacking in terms of size and flexibility. I can see it working if one is larger and tapers to a thin end so it doesnt defer all the force to that end

 

[JohnW2]

no i can see a clear purpose for it, they are there to prevent the cable from bending at an overly sharp angle, which would pinch and stretch opposite sides of that bend ... The resistance they provide forces the bending to be spread out across a larger section of cable, at a much shallower angle. The concept is sound

I don't think that's necessarily true.

As I wrote, many of these devices merely kick the potential problem a little way down the road. Although it's true that they "force the bending to be spread out across a larger section of cable, at a much shallower angle", hence "prevent the cable from bending at an overly sharp angle" over their length, the cable often can, and will, "bend at an overly sharp angle" at the end of the boot/sleeve/whatever.

 

[Nanako]

I don't think that's necessarily true.

As I wrote, many of these devices merely kick the potential problem a little way down the road. Although it's true that they "force the bending to be spread out across a larger section of cable, at a much shallower angle", hence "prevent the cable from bending at an overly sharp angle" over their length, the cable often can, and will, "bend at an overly sharp angle" at the end of the boot/sleeve/whatever.

thats clearly just a problem with how they end. They need to taper out gradually and be relatively more flexible at that end, so that there isn't a sudden, sharp change in the cable's flexibility, but a gradual gradient

im starting to feel like i need to actually design one now....

 

[JohnW2]

thats clearly just a problem with how they end. They need to taper out gradually and be relatively more flexible at that end, so that there isn't a sudden, sharp change in the cable's flexibility, but a gradual gradient

All true, but I don't think that (m)any are anything like as sophisticated in their design as you are suggesting.

im starting to feel like i need to actually design one now....

Yes, maybe - as you imply, one clearly could have a reasonable stab at an 'optimum design'.

However, to what extent it would represent a solution to an appreciable problem may be a different matter. I have countless corded power tools (and other things) that have been treated pretty roughly/badly for many years, if not decades, and very rarely have had any problems of the sort you are considering. When I have experienced 'problems', it has most commonly been with cables 'pulling out' (at least partially!), due to be inadequately 'restrained' (in relation to the 'roughness' of use!), rather than due to 'acute bending' of the cable.

 

[blup]

Strain relief is built into the plug and should suffice for normal use. If you cut off a moulded plug make sure you dispose of it as the exposed conductors will be live when it’s plugged in.