Poly-Cord

POLY-CORD

CW EVALUATION

Even the bungee has gone high-tech

HISTORY IS FULL OF PRODUCTS SO SIMple that it seemed they just couldn't be improved upon. But the horsedrawn cart gave way to the car, the abacus gave way to the calculator, and even the pencil gave way to the word processor.

Now take a look at the bungee cord. On one hand, it would seem to be pretty hard to upgrade, but on the other, it doesn’t really look like a product of the upcoming century, what with its metal hooks and clothcovered strands of rubber. At least a company called Poly-Restraint Systems (P.O. Box 763, Macon, GA 31206; 912/781-0195) didn’t think so. That’s why it developed PolyCords, round plastic straps with bonded-on nylon/fiberglass hooks. The product is available in four colors (red, blue, yellow and black) and three lengths (12-inch, 18-inch and 24-inch), sellingfor $2.02, $2.23 and $2.45, respectively.

The company claims that a PolyCord will last longer than a conventional bungee, that it’s stronger, and that its hooks are less likely to scratch

a motorcycle's finish. And, as far as we could tell, all of those claims hold true. Additionally, we found that the Poly-Cord withstands most chemicals that are likely to be found in a motorcyclist’s garage (contact cleaner, DOT 3 brake fluid, solvent). We even gave one the heat test: A hot exhaust pipe will melt the cord, but a conventional bungee will burn much more easily.

Indeed, the Poly-Cords are quite strong. In fact, it could be said that they are too strong. Stretching one over any given piece of cargo requires a healthy pull. And once stretched out, the stiff Poly-Cord will squeeze the life out of whatever it’s trying to hold down. That's no big problem if the payload is a jacket, but a paperback book will never be quite the same. And don’t even think about picking up a carton of milk on the way home. Using the long, 24-inch Poly-Cord alleviates the problem somewhat, but you still won't want to haul crushable items.

The problem could be solved easily in the future: All the company has to do is reduce the thickness of the cord, or maybe change the plastic compound. If that happens, you might have to pack up your old-style bungees and haul them down to the Bungee Museum. The Poly-Cord isn't quite perfect right now, but neither was the first car, calculator or word processor.