Places to buy paracord for cable sleeving - Page 2

Thread moved to the new cable sleeving forum

Paracord Store does international shipping?

Another great place to add is amazon.com I almost get most of my paracord there from rothco. Their paracord has always been top notch and without the fuzzies.

Somethings to look for with paracord are.

1. 450 or 550 - sometimes 450 and 550 are the same diameter and just more strands in the middle (this is the difference between the sizes 450 550 and 650) - other times it is a slightly larger diameter. However both work just fine but will look off if you have two different types. Only use 450 and 550 for single sleeving, also be mindfull that there is no paracord for sata sleeving.

2. The "fuzzy caterpillar effect" - Sometimes I get paracord that is fuzzy and looks like its been snagged everywhere, this has to do with the maker and I promptly throw this paracord away as it looks terribad in photos and in your system.

3. Glossy paracord - Sometimes the paracord is the same color name but it is made by another maker and it has a glossy effect to it, which I will be honest here, I prefer the dull colors to the glossy as the glossy looks fake looking. Just be mindful of this when ordering allot of it.
Edited by Lutro0 - 5/30/12 at 6:12pm

You're extremely lucky for the availability of good quality paracord in the US. Here in the UK it's still a big problem finding a decent supplier of consistent quality paracord at a reasonable price. The biggest imported of paracord in the UK although well priced supplies inconsistent quality from colour to colour and batch to batch ranging from top quality to stuff you wouldn't tie your shoelaces with. They can't be relied on and aren't prepared to 'cherry pick' good quality stock. Recently I've noticed that they've reduced the colours available and are often out of stock on basic colours.

Other suppliers of good quality paracord charge anything between double to 8 times the equivalent cost it would be in the US (taking account of import VAT and shipping), in some cases it's cheaper to buy MDPC-X sleeving which negates the idea of low cost sleeving. It also can take up to 2 months for them to get new supplies.

Back in January I contacted all the UK paracord suppliers I could find and requested samples. The vast majority were either overpriced and/or poor quality. The only consistent quality supplies I could get at that time were manufactured in China and the outer casing is thinner than that available from the US. It does sleeve reasonably well with very little to no 'fuzziness' and is a reasonable price. However because the paracord is thinner it makes it a lot more difficult to use the heatshrinkless 'weld' method. Also the wire colour can 'bleed' through which is OK on white as I use white wires but can make colours like red a bit dull (using white wire gives it a slight pinkish tint).

I have now finally found a supplier* of very good quality paracord at a good price with quick delivery and consistent quality at a slightly higher price. It is manufactured in China but is so much cheaper than US manufactured paracord that it's worth using on a regular basis.

In the last few months I've binned (or given to Charity Shops) well over 500' of poor quality paracord.

Edit: *If anyone in the UK would like details of this supplier please send me a pm.
Edited by Big Elf - 5/31/12 at 3:16am

I'm interested in trying my hand at sleeving with paracord, and picked some up from a camping store very cheaply.

My question is... what do you do with the core of the cable? And how do you either remove it entirely without wrecking the sleeve and how to get the wire inside the paracord?

Thanks

C

Wild Elk is a relatively new supplier of 550 paracord in the UK. It's consistently good quality and USA manufactured. It's pricey compared to the US but the best you'll get for the money in the UK.

I have placed a few orders with paracordplanet, really good quality and speedy shipping!

Well I might as well add www.Lutro0customs.com to that list.

paracord was made just for my shop so the quality is perfect for sleeving and there is cheap international shipping - not to mention getting everything from one place helps.

I'm not sure how or why you had issues, but I've been using them forever for many things, computer sleeving being the newest, and have never had an issue.
I do work for fellow wounded veterans as well as survival school, and use paracord by the kilometer every year, so I like variety, and that's why I gravitated to them.

Anyone else ever had issues?
I know one of the men that work there, from my Wounded Warriors work, maybe I can see what's gone wrong.

Thanks - T