Coiled telephone style cables: Yay or nay?

[Jimi14]

Was curious regarding peoples thoughts on them.



I'm personally in the "nay" crowd. They get stuck everywhere, are hard to fit through narrow spaces, heavy so they tend tend to drag the keyboard with them if they hang in the air and when they inevitably gets stretched out they just become ugly looking.

[Rhododendron]

Same here. The curls always get stuck between my desk and the wall and then I have to pull the cable back out. Also, "custom coiled cables" people buy only to place them on their desks in a way that doesn't even make use of it are stupid IMO.

[Findecanor]

My keyboard stays put on the desk, so the cable will not need to extend or contract.
If I had a monitor stand or desktop computer with keyboard garage or a retractable keyboard tray, it would make more sense though.

It might also make sense for a wireless rechargeable keyboard (if the keyboard is not too light) but a keyboard that stays put does not need to be wireless.

[fohat]

I hate coiled cables, both in looks and in function.

[Muirium]

I love them on vintage boards. The look is very nice, and generally better conceived than those silly pictures of modern made examples above, which put the heavy coil too close to the keyboard. Vintage coils are generally looser and more forgiving than the things people are making now.

But my actual cable usage does tend heavily towards simple straight cables. I like something the correct length more than a stretchy bugger which is heavier even when you’re not making use of its extra give.

Coils are nice when you’re kicking back from the desk with a board in your lap, however. I like them best then. They are more elegant in midair than when tugging a board around a surface!

[vvp]

Nay.

[raoulduke-esq]

If the keyboard originally came like that (e.g. IBM) it’s nice and authentic. That’s why I make all of my converters to use the original cable rather than attaching inside the case. If the coiled cable is instead a $50+ add-on to a “keeb” then no. I don’t put rims or erector set spoilers on my vehicles either.

Great for folks who are after a certain look but I’m not one of those.