Syncwire rugged microUSB cable review

USB cables may look durable, but it does not take much to bend a connector or damage the rubber jacket. These things happen, as you may have learned by now, and when they do they can easily ruin your day. Unless you have a spare, which is not always the case, you may be unable to charge your smartphone or power an important device.

Enter rugged USB cables. With tougher connectors and a more durable jacket, they can withstand a great deal of abuse -- even from curious pets. I've been testing Syncwire's "durable" microUSB offering for the past couple of weeks, and here are my impressions.

As suggested, what makes Syncwire's microUSB cable -- and other rugged USB cables for that matter -- special are the connectors and rubber jacket. An aluminum design is used for the connectors to make sure that they cannot be bent or pulled out easily. So, if you step on them, they should hold up fine.

However, it has been my experience with microUSB cables that the first thing to go is the rubber jacket. I've always handled my cables with care, but after a certain period of time I noticed that it would develop cuts -- most commonly, near the connector. As the cable gets bent the rubber starts to lose its elasticity and, with time, the jacket will fail. That can lead to all sorts of problems if the wires are exposed.

Syncwire's solution is to use a triple-layer jacket comprised of nylon fibre, TPU, which is highly elastic, and mesh. Underneath the sleeve is foil shielding. The wires housed in the cable all have their own rubber sleeve, so even if the jacket gets severely damaged they should remain insulated, which is important.

But how does it work in real life? Syncwire sent me a pack of two, and I have tested both in two different scenarios. I have used one to power my Xiaomi Yi, which is mounted on my helmet and doubles as a traffic camera, and the other to charge some of my mobile devices. The former has been bent heavily and it has held up perfectly fine so far. Needless to say that the latter works fine too.

Due to the cables being rugged, they tend to be a tad stiff and stay straight, so if you need to route them nicely you will have to use some tape to hold them in place. I find that to be a benefit when powering my action camera, as the cable doesn't get in the way of my head movements. When charging a phone, however, you have to be careful not to trip on it.

Also worth noting is that, even though the cables should be identical, the pair in my box isn't. One is a tad longer than the other, with the shortest measuring 98 cm (roughly 38.6 in or 3.26 ft). The advertised length is 3.3 ft. There is also a 6.5 ft version, in case you need longer cables.

Syncwire's ruggled microUSB cables are available on Amazon for $7.99 a pair. The 6.5 ft version goes for $10.99. Starting today and until August 10 at 11:59 PDT you will be able to get 20 percent off using the "HRIVULG2" discount code (enter it without the quotes).