The Better Bungee claims to make a better bungee cord โ you donโt need a Ph.D. to figure that one out if you read the name. But what exactly is wrong with the bungee cords you and I have been using for decades?
Nearly everyone has a pack of multiple lengthย bungee cords that may or may not have come from your local bargain store. Those work great. For a while. Sort of. My biggest complaint is that it doesnโt take too long in the Florida sun for those cords to start degrading the rubber and risk flying hooks. Thatโs if the hook doesnโt separate completely first. Itโs pretty much what you expect for that kind of price.
Those cords also lack versatility. You get a standard hook, maybeย even coated if youโre lucky.ย Some packs have a couple of ball bungees. But thatโs pretty much it.
What The Better Bungee Does, Well, Better
From the outset, youโll notice major differences in The Better Bungee product line. Thereโs no outer cord jacket, just a solid piece of polyurethane. Hereโs a breakdown of what The Better Bungee says gives them an advantage:
- Ultra-light and super-strong
- Doesnโt become brittle and wonโt break
- Remains stretchy
- Odorless
- Color stable
- Perform regardless of exposure to hot, cold, UV, saltwater, gasoline, diesel, oil, hydraulic fluids, and most household chemicals.
The Better Bungee Styles
The Better Bungee tackles a variety of bungee styles and several are genuinely more helpful than the cheap rubber ones. Cord styles are thinner with lighter load rating while straps are thicker with heavier load ratings.
- Synch cords (hook on one end and loop on the other)
- Bungee cords withย overmoldedย nylon hooks
- Bungee straps with galvanized steel hooks
- Bungee straps with overmolded nylon hooks
- Slotted straps with galvanized steel hooks
- Slotted straps with overmoldedย nylon hooks
- Heavy-duty straps
- Bungee balls
- Bulk cord
- Bulk strapping
- Galvanized hooks
- Stainless steel hooks
- Nylon adjustable hook ends for bulk cord or strapping
General Observations
The thicker bungee straps are much stronger and are tougher to pull back. Thatโs not a surprise and you can safely stretch them up to twice their original length. Incidentally, they also make a great workout for drawing back more powerful compound bows in time for deer season.
The bungee balls got myย attention. Theyโre one-piece constructions that areย great for tying down a tarp like most designs. They go a step further by putting a hole through the center that other bungee hooks can grab hold of. Theyโre perfect for wrapping around a pipe, tube, or other material thatโs too wide for a standard hook.
Overall, the entire range is a nice step up from standard rubber bungee cords. Theyโre also Made in the USA.
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Pricing
Single cords start around $2.50 each and run through $6 or $7 for the heavy-duty straps. Bulk cord or strap runs around $45.Various sets are also available online and directly from The Better Bungeeโs website. Thereโs currently a pretty wide swing in online pricing, so shop around to get the best deals.
There arenโt a lot of single bungee cord prices to compare that to, but thereโs clearly a bit of a premium here, especially when you put them up against some of the bulk packs. The value lies in the fact that these should last much longer than their rubber counterparts. If you use bungee cords frequently, itโs worth the additional cost.
The Bottom Line
The Better Bungee is definitely onto something with their polyurethane bungee cords and straps. Theyโll last longer and avoid several of the major failure issues that plague standard rubber bungees with giving you more versatility to work with.
