Comment by registeredcorn
2 days ago
For people who cannot, or do not want to spend fantastic amounts of money on cable testers, can you name any reliable cable brands that, generally or strictly, sell cables which match their marketing material?
I don't need absolute perfection, but I hate the idea of buying an expensive cable, and being lied to about how good the performance is. I don't mind paying more for quality, but its hard for me to really articulate any difference between two USB cables, except by maybe their length, and how "sturdy" one might feel compared to the other.
It wouldn't do a lot to solve the issue of various low quality cables I already own, but I wouldn't mind throwing money at a cable company that doesn't lie to its customers.
I go for anything that’s USB-IF certified. Personally the Amazon Basics USB4, 40Gbps, 240W are great price for value whenever they’re around $10:
https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B0C93G2M83
At that price they’re my default “generic” cable. Unless I need a longer length or 80Gbps this is the main workhorse in my home. It’s nice just never worrying about discerning “charging” cable from “data” cable.
CableMatters is a very reputable brand if you need more variety in selection. Monoprice also seems to care about quality. CalDigit and Apple both have vested interest in providing quality cables. Strong brand is a good starting point, but even then I still try to stick with USB-IF certified offerings only.