Paracable is a new company that is hand-wrapping Lightning-to-USB cables with paracord, a lightweight rope originally used in parachutes. The cables are not official 'Made for i' cables, but Paracable founder Travis Beck told MacRumors that they have sourced high-quality cables from China and have tested them thoroughly.

The company buys cables without the USB-end attached in order to wrap the paracord, then attaching the end and using a hardening resin to ensure it is firmly attached.

ParacableAs Paracable explains, they were trying to create a cable that would not be destroyed by the founder's cat Baxter quite as easily as Apple's OEM Lightning cables.

After much thought and prototyping, the first Paracable was born. As a byproduct of the Baxter-proof cable, we had also created a beautifully textured and colorful cable worthy of the iPhone's gorgeous industrial design. "We can make these in all sorts of colors and patterns," we thought. And so we did.

Each cable is hand assembled and soldered one at a time using a unique process that ensures it's longevity and durability. We spent many months perfecting the process in order to create the best cable possible. One that not only looks good, but will last.

Paracables are available in more than 20 different colors for $27.95 each from the company's website.

Top Rated Comments

Jessica Lares Avatar
162 months ago
Ehhh, you're basically buying something that was modified. This is the sort of thing you would buy at Etsy, at a market, or other art related thing. This shouldn't be something that is sold to everybody.

I don't care whether they've tested them or not, these are still cables that don't comply to the standard Apple wants. And honestly, just because it works, doesn't mean that it's good for your device or the computer it's pushing the data to and from to.

They're using glue to seal these things too, that's just another thing to get in the way. It's going to come off eventually.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jjwarwick Avatar
162 months ago
I'll pay $28 for the cable - but they lost me at another $20 for international shipping. It doesn't cost more than a few dollars to post something to the UK.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flottenheimer Avatar
162 months ago
... They're (Paracable) using glue to seal these things too, that's just another thing to get in the way. It's going to come off eventually.

No one use more glue than Apple these days.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DonutHands Avatar
162 months ago
Wonder how long till they get shut down by apple. Those are cheap $1.50 unauthorized knockoff cables wrapped in cloth.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chiefsilverback Avatar
162 months ago
Paracord's strength is derived from the inner nylon cores, not the outer sheath. My assumption is that they are using the outer sheath only and therefore this product is purely decorative.

A cat's claws will quickly make that braided nylon look pretty tatty!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Intarweb Avatar
162 months ago
Will they actually charge and sync? I've bought knockoff ones that didn't. This seems like they're buying knockoffs and putting their wrappings around them.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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