If you own a truck, you probably own bungee cords. I’ve bought dozens of them throughout the years. Until recently, the average lifespan of my bungees was not more than a couple years. Either the sun’s UV rays would cause them to get brittle, they would snap in really cold weather, they would get sliced by a sharp surface, or they would just lose their stretch. A few years ago, I stumbled across an ad for The Perfect Bungee. “Perfect” is a pretty big claim, so I put them to the test.

The Perfect Bungees are manufactured by a company called BihlerFlex. Unlike other bungees made of rubber, these are made from a proprietary polyurethane material called Flexa-Pure. In addition to being UV, tear, oil, and chemical resistant, the bungees seem to retain their stretchability even at subzero temperatures. They are available with either nylon or galvanized hooks; I prefer the nylon hooks because they are less likely to scratch finished surfaces.

The bungees come in different configurations for a variety of different uses. The one I use the most often is the Adjust-A-Strap (pictured here), which has holes along its whole length so you can hook it to itself, allowing you to shorten the length of the bungee when securing smaller items.

While I believe nothing is truly “perfect,” just the fact that these straps have survived for three years and don’t seem any worse for wear prove that they are vastly superior from anything I’ve used in the past. You can buy these straps in packs of four at theperfectbungee.com—a pack of 18-in. bungees costs about $20, while a pack of 36-in. Adjust-A-Strap bungees goes for $35.

—Josh Risberg, a carpenter in Rosemount, Minn. Photo courtesy of the manufacturer.

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