How to Buy Quality Wire and Cable At The Lowest Price And Get It Right
The prices for wire and cable have gone beyond our expectations this year. Naturally, trying to stay within the limits of your budget when working on an electrical project is challenging in this day and age. Luckily, there are still a few tricks here and there that allow buying high-quality budget-friendly cables without compromising anything. Read this blog for six exclusive tips on how to purchase quality wire and cable at the lowest price and get it right. But first, let's dive into what's the matter with the cable market today.
Copper prices are skyrocketing. They have gone up 28 percent during the first half of 2021, and current tendencies indicate that they will only continue growing. Reasons for this are complex, including supply issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing demand for copper because of its role in the green energy market, inflation, and the risk of a copper shortage by 2030.
Naturally, growing copper prices lead to the growth of wire and cable prices. For an average person, this becomes evident as they witness increasing costs of the most popular residential wire and cable, such as Romex. The issue with Romex is even more complex because the prices are also affected by a resin shortage in the United States that came as a result of resin plants freezing. In 2021, the supply issues have increased prices by between 30% and 50%. This directly impacts the wire and cable market because it increases the prices on the manufacturing of plastic.
To buy wire and cable in this fluctuating market, the customers need to adapt and introduce new planning and buying habits into their routine. Here are seven tips from Nassau National Cable that will help you buy the best cables while keeping things budget-friendly.
First, if you want to save money by buying cheap cables from unverified sources, this will likely not work unless you rely solely on your luck. Buying the cheapest cables out there usually means that they come with the cheapest insulation and jacket, and do not pass the industry standards required for the specific type of cable. In the worst-case scenario, installing such cables will lead to safety issues or you may not be able to install them at all. In a better scenario, the wires will wear off faster than expected, and you will have to replace them sooner, causing you to pay twice as much for cables, if not more, given the current price surge.
If you have been buying the same type of cable for your needs all the time, you may want to see what's new on the market when making your next purchase. Some innovations on the market may result in cheaper and more efficient cables, such as when new insulation is invented. Other times, engineers come up with cables that are more efficient and have a longer lifespan, which makes them a better return on investment even if they are more expensive at first. For example, this is the case with CAT 7, a more efficient version of CAT 5E, and CAT 6.
Customers are often inclined to buy more wire and cable than they need just in case, or they may be persuaded to buy more by a seller. While this does not seem like that big of a deal, you spend more, and it shows if you buy a lot. Calculate the exact amount you need, and be straightforward with your seller. When you buy products from Nassau National Cable, you can indicate the precise amount you need. If you need help with your purchase, you can contact us through 24/7 chat.
In many cases, you can make your electrical project cheaper by buying copper cables instead of aluminum ones. Sometimes, aluminum wiring can cost half as much as copper one, so installing it in your house can save you hundreds of bucks.
Please mind that not all copper wiring can be realistically replaced with aluminum, as not all the alternatives fit the same standards as copper wiring. However, you can invest in high-quality XHHW, SER, SEU, RHH RHW-2, XLP USE-2, and direct burial cables.
We get it: there is always this wish to save money in the short term, but you have to think ahead as cables are a long-term investment first and foremost. Investing in high-quality, efficient cables of the new generation can save you more money down the road, even if those cables are more expensive right now. Another example of thinking ahead to save money is installing wire and cable one size larger than needed to save on the electrical bill.
Do not buy wire and cable from websites that look like a scam, and always check the website if it seems unreliable. Finding prices that are cheaper than the market overall is excellent luck, but if the prices are 30% or 50% percent lower than market ones, the chances are that you are dealing with an unreputable seller.
If you did your fact-checking and know for a fact that sellers are reputable, you can browse the websites of several sellers and compare prices on products to find the cheapest option for your budget.
Buying cables from well-known manufacturers is an excellent strategy for a safe purchase. At Nassau National Cable, we sell cables from famous American brands Alpha Wire, Belden, Lapp, Okonite, and Lutze. Our prices are slightly lower than a market average as a result of close ties with suppliers.
When we purchased Summer Dance, the standing rigging was one system that I knew I would need to replace right away. The upper shrouds had been replaced recently with well made cables, probably from that popular online Catalina parts retailer. The backstay and forestay were in satisfactory condition but were original from 1981. The lower shrouds were a mix of mismatched, poor quality, oversized replacements and failing originals.
At first, I assumed that I would replace the backstay, forestay, and lower shrouds with kits from that same retailer. They make replacement easy with pre-made kits or they can make custom replacements from your original rigging. But their prices are steep and I’d had a bad experience with their technical support so I decided to look for other options.
I tried to get price quotes to compare with the Catalina parts retailer from several other rigging shops that advertise in sailing magazines and online but they were either unresponsive or vague. Next, I considered making the rigging myself from materials bought online. But investing in the proper tools would dilute the cost savings considerably. I would have to replace the rigging multiple times to recoup that investment.
Then I remembered that there is an industrial rigging company located near me. I was familiar with their regular steel wire rope products from a job that I held long ago that used their products. I called them to find out if they worked with stainless steel and if they were experienced in building sailboat rigging. Their answer to both questions was yes and they gave me a very encouraging cost per foot estimate. For about the cost of the bare wire rope to do it myself (not including tools, thimbles, and sleeves), they could do it all. That’s what I call a no-brainer.
Following are approximate costs per foot (in 2014) for standing rigging from several popular sources compared to the rigging company in my area.
Popular online Catalina parts retailer: $4.00/ft. complete
West Marine: $1.02/ft. cable only
McMaster-Carr: $0.85/ft. cable only
Local industrial rigger: $1.13/ft. complete
I met with Cory at Broadway Industrial Supply and was surprised to learn that they fill many orders for stainless steel wire due to its popularity for architectural railings. I decided to have the shrouds made out of 316 stainless steel with thimbles and Nicro Press sleeves rather than roller-swaged terminals for two reasons: cost and simplicity.
The newer, roller-swaged style fittings are significantly more expensive than hand-pressed sleeves. The common reasons for using the new fittings are: there are fewer parts to maintain, fail, or chafe sails, and their ability to withstand a higher percentage of the breaking strength of the cable. I do admit they look really nice. Proponents make impressive claims about their superiority over the more primitive pressed sleeves. But the fact remains that pressed sleeves have been used successfully for decades in a multitude of application, are still an accepted industry practice, and even as bad as my rigging was, they performed well.
In all of the pictures in this post, the rigging tape was removed from over the swaged fittings to show their condition and workmanship.
BEFORE – Both ends of one lower shroud. Don’t wait for your rigging to look like this.When working with a rigger, especially an industrial rigger who may not be familiar with sailboat rigging, it’s important that you specify the correct cable type for strength, chafe avoidance, and rust resistance.
Regular steel wire rope like you can find in a home improvement or hardware store will not last long in a marine environment. Fuggedaboutit. Only stainless steel will survive and, among the different types of stainless steel cable, there are a couple of common choices. The first is 304 grade, which is slightly stronger but is less corrosion resistant or 316 grade, which is slightly less strong but more corrosion resistant. The difference between the two grades is due to the chemical composition of the metal. Your choice as to which grade to use should be made with consideration of the type of sailing you usually do (cruising or racing) and the water that you sail in (fresh or salt water).
Besides the material that the cable is made of, the construction is also important. The most common constructions that you will see are 1×19 (1 strand of 19 wires) and 7×19 (7 strands comprised of 19 wires each). The two types have different strengths, stiffness, and stretch. For applications where ease of bending and use with blocks is more important and the amount of stretch is not as important (wire to rope halyards, for example), 7×19 cable is better. In applications where minimum stretch and maximum strength are important and stiffness is not important (standing rigging, for example), 1×19 is best.
1×19 wire for use without blocks 7×19 wire for use with blocksLastly, there’s the matter of cable diameter. Your sailboat was originally equipped with cables of sufficient diameter for its design and intended use. Seldom is it beneficial to oversize the rigging diameter for racing or to endure abuse or neglect. Doing so just adds to the cost and weight aloft for negligible benefit so stick with the original diameters.
Substandard rigging workmanship isn’t hard to spot once you’ve seen the right stuff. The cable should fit tightly around the thimbles, which should not be too small or too large for the cable diameter or the connection pin. The sleeves should be the correct size for the cable and the sleeve seam aligned perpendicular to the eye opening. Each sleeve should have the correct number of evenly spaced crimps that are appropriate for the cable diameter. Two sleeves should be pressed at each end with a space between them equal to one to two cable diameters. The cut end of the cable should extend completely through the second sleeve but not more than one cable diameter farther so as not to create frayed wires that can snag sails and skin.
BEFORE – unprofessional workmanship and inappropriate materials (left & middle) vs. factory workmanship and materials (right)The old rigging on Summer Dance was a mix of 1/8″ 1×19 wire rope (right side of the big picture) and 5/32″ 7×19 wire rope (left side of the big picture). The oversize 7×19 cables weren’t even installed in the same locations on opposite sides of the boat, which probably produced uneven loading of the mast from one side to the other.
Cory at Broadway Splicing pressing an eyeHere are the lengths of the cables for a Catalina 22 with standard rigging. All cables are 1/8” diameter, 1×19 construction.
PartLengthQuantityForestay26’ – 5 ½”1Upper shrouds25’ – 3”2Forward lower shrouds12’ – 10 ¼”2Aft lower shrouds12’ – 11 ¾”2Non-adjustable backstay28’ – 2 ¼”1Stock adjustable split backstay24’ – 1 ¾”1Stock adjustable split backstay bridle4’2Shortening or lengthening your running rigging is fairly easy and most of us have done it at some time to optimize how it works. Once your standing rigging is built, however, except for significantly shortening a cable, any other changes usually require complete replacement of the part, which can be several times the cost per foot of running rigging. So when you order your standing rigging is the time to consider any length changes for things like:
To make it easier for Broadway Industrial Supply to build my rigging, I removed the old rigging and dropped it off with them for reference. If you do the same, label each cable so that you know where it came from. If your new rigging arrives without corresponding labels, you can at least match up the lengths with the old rigging to figure out where they go.
About a week later, I picked up the new rigging and was impressed with the quality of workmanship. All of the eyes were consistently and accurately formed. I had given my rigger a supply of white, heavy duty heat shrink tubing similar to what was on the original rigging. I asked him to put two pieces on each cable before making the eyes, enough to cover the crimped sleeves to prevent snagging and chafing the sails and running rigging. A few minutes with a heat gun sealed them all shut. Last, I slid white vinyl cable covers on the lower ends of all of the cables to prevent chafing the running rigging.
Installing the new standing rigging is simple for a trailer sailor after the mast is unstepped:
If you’ve done this job before, you might be asking, “But what about the turnbuckles, $tingy?” I chose not to replace my turnbuckles at the same time and that is reflected in my overall 70% cost savings over retail. My reasoning was not simply to save money, though. That was secondary. The biggest reason was that my existing closed body turnbuckles were still in good condition and I’m not convinced that open body turnbuckles are absolutely necessary, contrary to what many riggers will tell you in order to sell you more hardware.
I regularly disassemble, clean, inspect, and lubricate all of my turnbuckles. That alone negates the biggest reason given by the open body turnbuckle proponents. Yes, a tiny bit of water and dirt can get in those tiny holes in closed body turnbuckles. Yes, it won’t dry as fast as in an open body turnbuckle. But there’s also much less of it in there to begin with and to work its way down into the threads and corrode them compared to open body turnbuckles.
Another reason that proponents give for open body turnbuckles is that it is harder to see if a closed body turnbuckle is overextended. My rebuttal is that anybody who adequately familiarizes themselves with their closed body turnbuckles (through regular maintenance is a good way) should have no trouble recognizing whether a turnbuckle is overextended or not.
Moreover, my closed body turnbuckles are only exposed to fresh water so salt water corrosion isn’t a concern. I’ve also replaced some of the T bolts that were bent due to incorrectly rotated chain plates so those threads are new. If you’re not sure if your chain plate bolts are turned correctly, read Turn Those Chain Plate Bolts!
Open body turnbuckles are great, especially if you’re going to neglect their maintenance. If I needed to replace my turnbuckles, I’d give more consideration to open body ones. But body style alone isn’t enough reason for me to throw hundreds of dollars of working hardware away for shiny new hardware. Nuf said.
It’s now been almost ten years since I replaced by standing rigging this way and I have not had a single issue with it. And I sometimes push my rigging hard. If I ever need to do this job again, I’ll probably do it the same way.
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