The Better Bungee claims to make a better bungee cord – you don’t 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 length 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 doesn’t take too long in the Florida sun for those cords to start degrading the rubber and risk flying hooks. That’s if the hook doesn’t separate completely first. It’s pretty much what you expect for that kind of price.
Those cords also lack versatility. You get a standard hook, maybe even coated if you’re lucky. Some packs have a couple of ball bungees. But that’s pretty much it.
What The Better Bungee Does, Well, Better
From the outset, you’ll notice major differences in The Better Bungee product line. There’s no outer cord jacket, just a solid piece of polyurethane. Here’s a breakdown of what The Better Bungee says gives them an advantage:
- Ultra-light and super-strong
- Doesn’t become brittle and won’t 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 with overmolded nylon hooks
- Bungee straps with galvanized steel hooks
- Bungee straps with overmolded nylon hooks
- Slotted straps with galvanized steel hooks
- Slotted straps with overmolded 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. That’s 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 my attention. They’re one-piece constructions that are 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. They’re perfect for wrapping around a pipe, tube, or other material that’s too wide for a standard hook.
Overall, the entire range is a nice step up from standard rubber bungee cords. They’re also Made in the USA.
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 Bungee’s website. There’s currently a pretty wide swing in online pricing, so shop around to get the best deals.
There aren’t a lot of single bungee cord prices to compare that to, but there’s 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, it’s worth the additional cost.
The Bottom Line
The Better Bungee is definitely onto something with their polyurethane bungee cords and straps. They’ll last longer and avoid several of the major failure issues that plague standard rubber bungees with giving you more versatility to work with.
