So, as your local friendly experts, we frequently hear what you love about Apple products and what you hate. One of the things we hear MOST frequently is that your cables for iPads and iPhones just aren’t lasting long enough. A lot of times, we (and yes, we are definitely including ourselves in this one) unplug the cable by pulling on it. Fast, simple, and lowers the life of the cable because you are putting stress on its weakest point. Want cables to last longer? Make sure you’re pulling on the hard plastic part that connects to the machine, not the cord.

But  then storage: if you are moving the cable frequently, you may wrap it or knot it or just wad it into a ball. Now you’ve got more stress on the cable and also? It will knot itself like a particularly annoying piece of magic.

So, here’s a solution we like:

Braided cables. We chose the Hammerhead style, as that’s a brand we know and trust (and, note the Made For iPod, iPhone, iPad label — this means the cord meets Apple’s strict quality requirements, unlike the very cheap ones you see out there). It’s a 1m cord that will prove more durable and FAR less likely to tangle than the Apple equivalent. And, for those trying to make the cords blend in in the car, it comes in black too. The Hammerhead Charging Cable is $24.95.

Speaking of the car, we’re big fans of their 2 port car charger as well. Alton Brown, the celebrity chef, rails against one use kitchen devices — things that only do one thing. We feel the same way about tech accessories. The Hammerhead charger has two ports so you can charge your phone and tablet, or two phones, or a phone and an mp3 player, or whatever combination you need. USBs are universal, now — so you’re not limited to charging Apple devices with it. The dual USB adapter is $24.95.