Drag Chain Sources / Experiences / DIY

[wisof]

Hello All,
I've seen some great builds here with drag chains which have either been fabricated or purchased. I would like to gather this experience in a thread to get a better idea of what worked, what did not, and general guidelines to choosing and dimensioning drag chain for cable management.

I've seen a bunch of it on Amazon and ebay, as well as some links to DIY versions for both the mill and 3D printers. What has been your experience? What are some good suppliers in Europe? I can't even seem to find the appropriate name for it in Spanish (I am in Spain) so it is difficult for me to find out if I can source it locally. Surely someone in Spain has the stuff!

[WillAdams]

They're used for the wiring in the sliding doors on vans --- some people have had success at junk yards.

I just used various sizes of zip ties --- just be sure to secure both ends.

[jsbannis]

I ordered mine from ebay. It was pretty cheap and works well. I'm not sure how the ungodly expensive stuff from name brands is better, but this has been sufficient so far. It shipped from China, so I think they'll probably ship to Europe as well.

[selektha]

Ordered from ebay and works flawless!

[danimal]

Here is my experience with ordering from ebay. The payment went through of course. This was for drag chain so I figured it was relevant. The sellers name is buyincoins so I would avoid them for the time being. It might be just a temporary shortage as he says or I might be filing a claim through paypal here soon. I would go with a different seller.

Thanks for your order of on 2013-08-03 from our eBay store.

We feel so sorry to bother you here. You may find your order on eBay still waiting for dispatch. We get a notice from our storehouse that we temporarily run out of stock of this item at the moment. We have been making every attempt to maintain stock of every item we offer on eBay, but on rare occasion that we meet the inventory management problem. We did not remove the item link on eBay, because to remove the item link would empty our sales records and lower our sales rank. We greatly appreciate your understanding on this matter.

We are contacting our provider to see when the item will be available again. The reply from them would take some time. We would arrange dispatch of your order within next 2-3 days if the new cargo arrives, otherwise we will contact with you again if the product is not available in a short time.

Your attention to this notification would be highly appreciated. Please don't hesitate to contact us if any question.


Thanks and Best regards,

edarenus

eBay Customer service

[cvoinescu]

I bought lots of stuff from buyincoins, and from several sellers who appear to use the same fulfilment company. I've had issues (one wrong item out of many, on two occasions), but I always got an apology and a prompt refund. Of course, it's a hassle when it happens, but they're not bad guys.

[danimal]

I bought lots of stuff from buyincoins, and from several sellers who appear to use the same fulfilment company. I've had issues (one wrong item out of many, on two occasions), but I always got an apology and a prompt refund. Of course, it's a hassle when it happens, but they're not bad guys.

I am glad to hear that it is not likely a scam; I looked at their feedback when I purchased the items and they have a very high positive score. I am hoping that they get everything sorted out and my order fulfilled here soon so that when the rest of my parts come in I can put everything together all at once. I am doing a complete system overhaul and building and enclosure for everything so I can run more often without interruption or worry that I am going to drive my girlfriend away.

[JuKu]

Ordered from ebay and works flawless!

Not my experience. One source would not lay flat, other was stiff. So, what ARE the good sources or well working alternatives?

[Improbable Construct]

I use this drag chain:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Drag-Chain-Cabl ... 257ebe501e

They are a USA seller and have a few options.
I use the 18x25 size.
Plenty of room for wires.
The only gripe I have is that the chain opens on the outside of the bend so you have to unmount it to run new cables through it if they have large ends.

[danimal]

The chain that I ordered from ebay never came. The company was good and refunded my money before I even asked for it. They said that they ran out and had no ETA on more. So I ordered this chain from Amazon and it works great. It is a larger than others I have seen used, but really it works great and the nylon bushings fit it perfectly so it is easy to mount. Here is a Link to my build where I used it.