"Do regular humans actually buy zip-ties? Have you ever bought a zip-tie? If so, what did you use it

[Demovictory9]

Link to tweet

[DURHAM D]

1. I have 6 or 7 difference sizes on my workbench right now.

Use them all of the time. Christmas decorations and fall displays (outside). To keep the Coolaroo from blowing away.

Most recently I used them to help a friend attach a small plastic tray to her walker. She needed something to hold her phone but the bags and baskets made for walkers were too big and way too expensive for her.

[TheBlackAdder]

87. YouTube's ProjectFarm compared the top selling ones, both after 1 year UV exposure and Indoor Use.

.

.

[catbyte]

2. I bought zip ties to anchor a 3-tier shelf to a doorknob to keep the cats from tipping it

over. I used the rest in the package to tie up electrical cords so the cats wouldn't chew them.

[PatSeg]

75. Your cats chew electrical cords?

We had bunnies and we had to protect all electrical cords from them, but never had a problem later when we had cats.

[catbyte]

80. Once in a while. They're better now that they're adults. It got to the point with Otis that I

had to paint them with Tabasco sauce and bitter apple. The package of zip ties I got from Amazon had several little ones and just a couple of long ones, which I used to anchor the shelf.

[PatSeg]

82. Oh, I suppose

it could be more of a kitten thing then. I'll bet the Tabasco sauce and bitter apple really did the trick.

I've had dogs who chewed on stuff, especially when they were young, but the cats did more damage with their claws as a rule.

[kcr]

99. I have a cord chewer

He particularly likes apple phone charger cords.

[PatSeg]

101. Really?

I wonder if they taste different from other cords. Or maybe he didn't want you to spend so much time on your phone? It is so hard to imagine what the attraction is.

[TexasTowelie]

3. Yes, I have bought zip ties as a separate item.

I used them to tie up appliance cables and to tie up garbage bags when my brother bought the type where the flaps are tied. I've even used them when putting out Christmas lights on the balcony railing.

Aren't those legitimate uses for zip-ties?

[Doodley]

4. Use them all the time. 101 uses.

[zipplewrath]

5. Yabbut

Normal ones, not the type meant as cuff replacements. That's some sick shit.

[Wawannabe]

6. Yes

Used all the time. For pc cords. Ummmm.
Not human size. Who the fuck does that? Oh. tRumpers!

[AmyStrange]

7. They come with some large, construction-size, garbage bags, and...

-

they're also used for tying electronic cables together.
=============

[Initech]

90. They come with PC power supplies and they're actually quite useful!

[fierywoman]

8. Tiny ones for tying up climbing rose bushes to a frame.

[KentuckyWoman]

9. Zip ties. Gorilla glue. Duck tape

The basis of every old lady's fixit kit.

Of course we aren't talking police handcuff zip ties.

[Hekate]

19. All true, says this old lady. nt

[yonder]

25. True dat sez this old guy.

[trackfan]

86. Plus the Flex Seal line of products. n/t

[wcmagumba]

10. Guilty, I use them all the time for many of the aforementioned uses...

power cords, holding parts of a project together and all kinds of things...as I understand it the ones drump's terrorists had on them were actually very heavy duty restraints used by leo...called flex cuffs and I don't even begin to know where you would purchase them. Flex cuffs really only have one use and in this case it was likely horrible...

[BusyBeingBest]

11. Second only to duct tape for temporarily attaching shit to other shit.

[Niagara]

12. Yes.

Zip ties are handy to organize cables and string lights. The zip ties are a camping lifesaver if a hook breaks on a tent or other camping gear.



A normal person wouldn't purchase them with the intention of binding and kidnapping other human beings.

[Retrograde]

13. There are a bunch in the garage

mostly used for keeping computer cables neat. We used one to repair a recycle bin recently. I don't take them with me when I go sight-seeing in capitols, though.

[Doreen]

14. They work well with keeping the 100 some cables you have in the back of your entertainment

system from taking up the entire space and getting intertwind with each other.

[lame54]

15. Halloween decorations

[LeftInTX]

16. Flex Cuffs are special type of zip tie

I love zip ties.

Bundling and hanging campaign signs from rails! We put up large 4 by 8s on rails. We use the heavy duty (we put 2 together) for the rails because the rails are like 5 inches in diameter. Awesome!

[PoliticAverse]

17. I use them for zip tieing, naturally. n/t

[Hekate]

18. Little ones for cords and such. Nothing at all big enough for handcuffs or around the body.

Some ass in full tactical gear charges in with special loops on his camo gear for great big ties, and my assumption is not that he’s come to fix the telephones.

Especially not after Malcolm Nance comments that the guy looks all dressed up for “catch and kill.”

[Caliman73]

20. I buy zip ties all the time.

They are great for organizing cables and I also use them to cinch together my outdoor Christmas decorations. Last time I checked I was a regular human.

That is why it is important to be accurate with what you are talking about.

Have I ever bought Flex Cuffs? No. I am neither Law Enforcement, Security, or a serial killer. I have no need for Flex Cuffs.

[Bleacher Creature]

21. Those people didn't have regular zip ties.

They were flex cuffs, which are tactical grade zip ties used by law enforcement and the military.

[TheBlackAdder]

22. Cable management, Holding car parts in place in lieu of mechanics wire, wood joinery with glue.

[Mariana]

23. I've bought and used thousands of zip ties

for many mundane purposes around the house and garden.

I've never even seen zip tie style restraints for sale, and I've never owned any.

[orleans]

24. holding a string of lights to the patio railing n/t

[roamer65]

26. Cable management.

The ones they had were law enforcement type. Never seen those before and would have no use for them.

[Budi]

27. I zip-tied a license plate on the car once.

It worked !

[raccoon]

38. Must've been a heck of a long zip tie. NT

[Budi]

79. Lol.. haaahaa.. they said, "The plate must be visible". That's it.

That's funny...

Zippied it like a pizza hut sign in the roof of the car

[raccoon]

83. Maybe I should do that. Somebody stole my license plate at the end of December.

Maybe I should do that. Somebody stole my license plate at the end of December.I reported to the cops and report it to the department of motor vehicles, requesting a new tag. I’ve got it now. I’m pretty sure it happened during the night at my apartment complex.

[Budi]

84. No i actually zipped it on the front where the plate goes, cuz the place that wrapped my vehicle ...

..took the front plate off & left it on the front seat with NO bolts!
Dummies.
So i just zipped it as a temporary hold.

But for someone stealing plates maybe they'd hesitate if it was in the damned roof.

Wonder what they needed a decoy plate for?
Theft of something else or a drug deal, so the cops would come up with your name instead of theirs?
Shitheads do that.

Sorry that happened to ya.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

28. Tens of thousands back in the day. Quite expensive when they first came out.

Panduit, 3M and Thomas & Betts were the major players until the Chinese flooded the market and then they got cheap. We called them wire ties or tie-wraps. Before those were invented, in electronics we used flat nylon cord to bundle cables, called cable lacing. Yep, I'm that old.

Thankfully, I've never had any applied to my wrists!

KY..........

[WePurrsevere]

30. Much like duct tape, 2 part epoxy and my sewing kit they sort of ...

hold the universe together around here. We use them for a variety of everyday purposes and there are always a bunch in a drawer around here.

I just admit that didn't pay much attention to them before my husband the engineer & tech type came along almost 30 hrs ago. Now, much like him, I can't imagine NOT having them around.

[SheltieLover]

34. They sure do hold the universe together, along with epoxy, duct tape & sweing kit

But what the terrorists had were police/military flex cuffs.

I wouldn't even know where to buy those creepy things.

[WePurrsevere]

46. Yeah, I'd heard they were actually flex cuffs...

Being the curious type, I was wondering where on earth they'd find such things so googled 'flex cuffs' and was a bit surprised to see how easy they are to find, even on major online selling sites.

[left-of-center2012]

31. Sometimes useful as camping gear for tying things down

[SunSeeker]

32. These aren't zip ties. They're Flex Cuffs. You can't buy these at Home Depot.

I read that some think he stole them from a Capitol Police storage cabinet on Capitol grounds. But it sure looks like he has plans for those Flex Cuffs. They aren't stuffed in his backpack. He has them out like he intends to use them any minute. Looks like he came there with these to kidnap Congressional representatives and/or Mike Pence.

[SheltieLover]

35. Did you see that pix of "stolen" police backpack full of flex cutfs?

Last edited Wed Jan 13, 2021, 11:19 AM - Edit history (1)

Said to have been kept in a storage closet.

[SunSeeker]

57. Would have been helpful for the cops to have had that backpack at the barricades.

They should have been cuffing everyone who was pushing on the barricades outside the Capitol.

[SheltieLover]

58. At the least!

Probably not practical due to numbers.

Only "shock & awe" would have backed them off, imo.

Of course, opening & holding doors for terrorists is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

[WePurrsevere]

48. You can't buy flex cuffs at Home Depot but

was a bit surprised to learn that they're easily found at two major online shopping sites.

[Backseat Driver]

33. Creative uses: Actually, had to buy more to secure flexible orange plastic fencing

around the bottom half-way of the sides of large metal dog cage to secure and protect rapidly growing baby duck escapees after they graduated from the cardboard brooder box and keep would be visitors and predators out; think we used them to secure kids college stuff wrapped beneath grommetted tarps on the rooftop car-carrier along with bungie cords and rope; many of the cited uses above as well. They're pretty handy to have around the house for DIYers!

[Bantamfancier]

72. Ducklings are escape artists.

It’s like they can vibrate right thru the pen.

[EarthFirst]

36. Oh; come on...

Yes; regular folks buy zip ties.

I can’t get behind the message behind this one.

Do regular folks buy flex cuffs?

No.

[Straw Man]

37. Flex cuffs aren't zip ties.

They work on the same principle, but they have a double loop -- one for each hand, y'know ...

I used zip ties all the time for various things around the house. Flex cuffs? Not so much.

[smirkymonkey]

39. I didn't even know of the existence of zip-ties or flex-cuffs until a few

days ago.

[cbdo2007]

40. I use them to hang my Christmas lights every year. Works great!

[Klaralven]

41. If you do a little Googling, you'll find there is a brisk business in handcuffs...

[FSogol]

62. Just remember your safe word!

[Denzil_DC]

42. Yes, they're useful in various sizes for lots of things, but they are NOT

the same as Flex Cuffs. You could probably improvise a restraint using them, but they're not difficult to loosen if you know how.

[Sympthsical]

43. This was inadvertantly amusingly elitist

Regular humans use zip ties all the times for all kinds of household projects. All my computer/gaming console/tv cords are held with zip ties. Shelving is secured in the garage with them. Outdoor items. Any time I just need to keep something together and stable for a bit. We have boxes of them at work for all kinds of things.

There are a billion uses.

I'm guessing Lauren isn't the type to find herself at a Home Depot on Saturday morning.

As others in this thread have noted, that guy had flex cuffs. Different grade of zip tie.

Still, this is just one of those hilarious things. Person says something on Twitter and accidentally reveals something about themselves. Harmless, but funny.

[obamanut2012]

44. They had flexi cuffs, not zip ties

I have lots of zip ties I use in crafting and DIY stuff, but have never bought flexi cuffs like the cops use, and which is what these traitors in the Capitol had.

You can buy them on Amazon and many other retail sites.

[fescuerescue]

45. All the time. Just took some out of my coat pocket this morning

I usually use them to secure wires and cables.

Last night I used one to secure a vacuum unit onto the wall of a mobile trailer.

They are used in many electrical and IT trades.

[cwydro]

47. I have packets of them in all my tool areas, drawers, Christmas box, everywhere.

They come in very handy.

[Goodheart]

49. I buy cable ties all the time. They're quite useful.

But I don't carry them around with me in public places.

[Kid Berwyn]

50. Works great for Tazing.

The perp can’t hit back, either.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

51. Most recently used them to help secure the cargo basket on the front of my bicycle.

They are very useful household gadgets, and most everyone who works in a trade uses zip ties.

[Bantamfancier]

52. ID bands for our birds.

When we’re sorting them, use different colors to group them so next time we only need to check the blue group or the red group. Saves us a lot of time not having to handle each bird every time.
When you’ve got 50 white calls, it can be hard to pick out your top 3. Or figure out which ones you’re willing to sell.

[apnu]

53. Zip-ties? Yes. Very useful. Speed-cuffs? Fuck no.

I'm not a fascist jock sniffer.

Cops have them but the local cop shop acquires them for the cops, so they don't buy them or carry them unless expressly ordered to.

[bluedigger]

54. No, they are marketed to aliens.

Filed under "Really dumb tweets".

[mercuryblues]

55. The correct wort you are looking for is Flex Cuffs

Even though they work like zip ties and made from the same material, the design is different. They are often called zip tie hand cuffs.

[Polybius]

74. Cam a really strong person break out of those?

Say The Mountain for example.

[ProfessorGAC]

56. As Others Have Mentioned...

...flex cuffs & zip ties differ.
Functionally, they are the same, but the material of construction differs.
Zip ties will simply break with sufficient linear force, and even easier with angular force (twisting).
The very purpose of flex cuffs makes that "flaw" of zip ties, a problem.
Flex cuffs very likely have a substantial amount of a urethane elastomer that increases flexibility, strain resistance, and typically increases tensile strength.
So, lots of people use zip ties, but flex cuffs, by the chemistry used to make them, are designed for one purpose.
We don't need those, as folks just living their daily lives

[MineralMan]

59. I have a bag of 500 of them in different sizes.

If you actually do things, they are very useful. If you do not, they are not.

They are the fastest way to hold two things together temporarily or even long-term.

[BainsBane]

85. I bet you don't carry them into the Capitol.

They intended to take hostages.

[MineralMan]

88. No, of course not, but they're a standard hardware store item.

All kinds of them are available, including ones that could be used as restraints. Someone asked where a person could buy them.

[Demovictory9]

92. can they be used more than once?

[MineralMan]

98. Not really. Normally, you cut the plastic

to remove them. I suppose it would be possible to insert a thin strip of metal to release the plastic catch, but nobody does that. You just use some sort of cutting pliers or other tool to cut the plastic.

[jobendorfer]

60. Yes, I use them from time to time

I'm a fine art portrait photographer.
I use zip ties (as well as tape) to secure cables to reduce trip hazards and avoid accidental unplugging.
I have also used them as backup to keep light stands from falling over.
I am sure they have many other mundane uses, but that's what I use them for.

John

[lagomorph777]

61. I keep a big jar of various sizes and use them all the time.

None are suitable for cuffing anybody though.

[denbot]

63. I'm a long haul trucker, I buy and use all sizes of zip ties.

Mostly to secure wiring, and small air lines together, or to route along a certain path.

[jcgoldie]

64. I use them

You can use them in all sorts of situations to fasten things and the are quicker and easier than wire for a lot of things on the farm but the kind most folks use is not the type these guys had that are used specifically to handcuff ppl.

[AnyFunctioningAdult]

65. Zip ties are different than flex cuffs

Maybe based on the same concept (one way movement through the lock), but yes there are a ton of uses for actual zip ties (IT cable management is a good one). Actual flex cuffs? No.

[Marrah_Goodman]

66. I've used them around the house for various things.

I have some 12 inch ones on my dresser that I just use to attach my bedframe to the headboard.

[ariesgem]

67. I worked as a truck driver picking up containers in rail yards..

You need them to secure the locks to the chassis. I never had any other need for them.

[RichardRay]

68. Original teeet deleted.

I think zip-tie Karen got owned.

[Greybnk48]

69. I'm an old lady and I use them outside mainly

but inside as well. My husband always has them in white and black. For example, I've used them to zip-tie braces to bird feeder poles to hold them upright all winter in the wind and snow. Not a versatile as duck tape (duct), but really handy.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

70. Sure, the regular ones.

Never the bigger ones used to bind people.

[Ellipsis]

71. Stuff.

[Polybius]

73. All the time, who doesn't have zip-ties in their house?

I can't imagine not having them. They are extremely useful for me because I work on cars and computers, but they are great for everything. I used them last month to hold up a fence temporarily until I get a replacement.

[Norbert]

76. I routed some wiring in our basement and used them to bundle the wire

[Marthe48]

77. My husband bought some to bundle computer cables

I'm sure I have some left from that time

[aidbo]

78. I consider myself a regular human. I use zip ties for all kinds of things in my restaurant job.

[GoCubsGo]

81. Yes, I have bought them multiple times.

Back before Dumbya killed my career, I used to buy them to keep on had repair equipment out in the field. I have bought them for home use, for things like attaching a retractable clothes line to a tree, so I didn't have to pound nails into it. I also use them to "lock" plastic storage bin lids. They're almost as useful as duct tape.

[nsd]

89. Zip ties -- yes. Flex cuffs -- no.

Zip ties are useful for organizing computer cables and electrical wires.

Flex cuffs, which is what those rioters had, are just for restraining people. Unless you're in law enforcement or the military, I can't think of a good reason to have them (except maybe for some consensual sex thing).

[mackdaddy]

95. Exactly. Me-too.

[twin_ghost]

91. I use them to keep electronic cabels together instead of a tangled mess. n/t

[Iggo]

93. Yep. To tie my pedals to my Holey Board.

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--UR7agEGF--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1531006984/zeydzgcgvxmhhnhpm8x0.jpg

[Vivienne235729]

94. Absolutely! It is in my camping misc box, I use it to hang things up,

[usedtobedemgurl]

96. We use them in our dungeon.

[seleff]

97. Soccer Coach/referee's friend

I use them to either attach soccer goal nets to the posts/crossbar or quick repair of holes in the net. A hole in the wrong place and you can have a mess with disagreement if a goal was scored

[IsItJustMe]

100. well, you usually don't see the length of the zip-ties that were gonna be used by the seditionists.

That size (length) can be used to hand cuff people. Beyond that, that length of zip-tie could also be used to tie a large drain pipe to a Television cable for safety and cosmetics.

[Happy Hoosier]

102. I use them all the time...

But I don't get the hand-cuff type.

[xmas74]

103. I use them in crafting.

Sometimes I don't have enough clamps to hold something in place while the adhesive cures and I'll use a zip tie. I also have them in my car along with a few bungee cords.

They are not the size of what was shown.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

104. Yes regular humans use regular zip ties. The would-be kidnappers did not have

regular zip ties though They had specialized zip ties for use as handcuffs. So your question is a bit irrelevant.

But, regardless - yes I have used regular zip ties. I've used them to attach plastic deer fence to poles to build my cat enclosure (aka "catio" ). I use them to wrap filter fabric around the pump I use in my pond.