Almost every charging cable dies within an inch or two of a connector, and the reason is mechanical rather than electrical. Knowing that makes them last considerably longer.

The Failure Mechanism

Inside the cable are fine copper strands. Every bend flexes them, and metal fatigues with repeated flexing.

At the connector the cable is rigidly fixed at one end and free at the other, which concentrates every bend into a very short section. That short section takes all the strain and eventually the strands break.

The outer insulation splitting is usually the visible sign of damage that has already happened underneath.

What Extends It

Slack at the device end, so the cable is never under tension. Unplugging by holding the connector.

Coiling loosely rather than wrapping tightly. A cable wound hard around a plug has a permanent bend built into it at exactly the weak point.

Clipping the free end where it is used, so it never falls behind furniture and gets yanked. Adhesive clips in quantity, of the kind at eboot.net, cost a fraction of one replacement cable and remove the yanking entirely.

What Accelerates It

• Using a device while it is plugged in, which bends the cable constantly
• Charging in bed, where the cable is bent sharply against a mattress
• Unplugging by pulling the cable rather than the connector
• Wrapping tightly around a charger, which stresses both ends
• Leaving a cable pulled taut between two fixed points

Strain Relief

The moulded rubber section where cable meets connector is doing a real job: spreading the bend over a longer length.

Better cables have longer, more flexible strain relief. Cheap ones have almost none, which is why they fail first regardless of how they are treated.

Braided Cables

A braided outer sleeve resists abrasion and does nothing about internal fatigue, which is the actual cause of failure.

They last longer where the damage is external, and a braided cable bent sharply at a connector fails in the same way.

A Frayed Cable Is a Hazard

Worth stating. Exposed conductors on a mains-side cable are a shock and fire risk, and a damaged charger lead should be replaced rather than taped.

Cables that get warm in use, or chargers that get unusually hot, should be taken out of service. So should anything that has been crushed or that has an intermittent connection, since intermittent contact generates heat.

Buy the Right Length

A cable too short is held under tension, which is the fastest way to kill it. A cable much too long tangles and gets caught.

The right length with slack at both ends outlasts either.

Keep a Spare

Cables are consumables. Having a working spare removes the temptation to keep using a damaged one.