Proper Cable Coiling

When I first got audio cables, I long pondered what was the best way to coil them. After using audio cables for over 10 yrs, it is only recently that I have learnt the correct way of doing so. I also realized my dad (a general contractor for over 30 yrs) already did this with his 100 foot power extension cords. To think I always wondered why I couldn't coil up that cord like he did...

The problem: The instinctual way of coiling cables results in kinks and excessive turns. If you think about it (and this may take a moment), the traditional way of coiling cables results in one TWIST of the cable for every loop you make.  This means when you uncoil it you will be left with all those twists and turns in the cable.

The solution: The technique commonly called the "over/under" method of coiling cables eliminates this problem, and you can coil a perfectly straight cable, be it a 10 feet of 100 feet long.

The litmus test: A properly coiled cable can do this: hold one end in one hand, and throw the rest of the coil. If it lands perfectly straight with no twists/loops/knots in it - you succeeded.

Video Tutorial:

Also seen on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over/under_cable_coiling

P.S. For those still reading this post (gasp), I will mention an important detail that is still unsettled in my mind. The one downside of over/under coiling: when you uncoil you MUST pull each end of the cable from the correct side. If you don't, you will get knots! For long cables this isn't that hard to do, but for my 10 foot guitar cable this is a common problem that results in knots when uncoiling.  Sigh, my quest for perfect cable coiling still alludes me...

P.P.S. For those who learn by understanding: coiling a cable means you MUST twist the cable.  This is unavoidable. Why the over/under method works the way it does is because for every clockwise twist you introduce, you also introduce a counterclockwise twist.  Then they will cancel each other out. Arguably both the traditional & under/over method 'twist' the cable just as much, however the under/over allows for much much better cable management, especially for longer cables.

P.P.P.S. Yes I am detail oriented.  I have an insatiable curiosity to try to find ultimate truths... even for things as "boring" as coiling cables.