Cable management is always changing and new products are being introduced to help clean up your desk setup. I challenged myself and found the best products under $25 that would be flexible enough to adapt to my technology needs while still looking tidy. This is going to rule out zip ties and duct tape. I have 3 products to share with you that I feel will work the best.
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$25 Cable Management Fix Links
1. Estefano Cable Tray Set
The first affordable product I want to introduce is the Estefano Cable Tray Set. This can be found on Amazon. It gives the option to use adhesive pads to attach to the bottom of your desk. This is an extremely easy fix when you don’t want to drill screws in surfaces and it does stay secure. The openness on the tray does allow for a drill to go through if you decide to go that route.
There is an option to mount the trays facing the front or the back of the desk depending on what type of desk you have and what access you want for cables. The nice thing about the two short trays is that you have the option to separate them on a desk versus a long one that will only work one way. The steel material is very flexible and can come in handy when you are jamming cables in the tray.
When it came time to place the cables in the trays, it was very easy to organize, route and even fit a power strip in. This set includes 10 Velcro cable ties which help clean up the cables inside the tray. The final step is to use the cable holders to route them to the back of the desk. One drawback is the adhesive on the holders, they are not very strong and probably won’t hold long. In general, this tray is a useful tool but doesn’t always hide the cables too well because of the large openings.
2. Monoprice Cable Tray
Moving onto the next product for your fix. This is the Monoprice Cable Tray. This offers concealment from one side of your desk. It comes in only white from Amazon. To help with this, I have added the Tidy Helper Clips. Now this tray also has the option of forward or backward facing under a desk. Unlike the previous tray, this one is enclosed so the cables can hide a lot better.
This tray did ensure there was a big enough opening for a drill to pass through. As I started to put my cables inside, I used the Tidy Helper Clips for the smaller cables to help bundle and get them out of the way. These clips also help keep the cables coming off your desk tight together.
The only downfall with this easy fix is you’re not getting any Velcro ties to hold together the bundles of cables so it might be a little chaotic inside. Zip ties could come in handy as an alternative for Velcro in this instance. As for the white color, that could steer people away if they would prefer a black tray.
3. Enonci Cable Raceway Kit
The final product from Amazon is the Enonci Cable Raceway Kit. I personally like the raceways because it produces a clean and compacted look. This kit includes 2 raceways and some other accessories. Unfortunately, installation isn’t quite as simple as the other products we have discussed. The first issue is you have to apply double sided tape to the raceway in order to attach it to the desk. This can be a hassle for some people.
Secondly, power strips don’t exactly fit inside the raceways, so the best solution is to screw the power strip itself into the bottom of your desk. This might be inconvenient, but worth saving some money. Once the raceways are attached, you can feed the cables in and out of the spaces easily. Since power strips can’t fit inside the raceways, I had to get creative with my laptop charger. I ended up using a few Velcro straps and screwed them to the bottom of the desk to hold my charger up.
I would say the only negative is you are able to see the cables coming down from the power strip, but there are ways to hide them. You can add a file cabinet or drawers in front. This is also the least flexible product out of the ones we discussed. With that being said, the raceways may not work for you. They can crack easy as well, so having that extra patience and time to weave cables through will be ideal. An upgrade option with the adhesive already attached is the Stageek Cable Raceway. This product can be useful to keep cables organized too.
Bottom Line
Overall, cable management can help keep your cables looking clean and organized. If you want affordable products, Amazon is a great site to check out.
