The zip tie loop trick is real, but here is the part nobody talks about: it's not the cord that's cheap, it's the strain relief molding at the plug. That little rubber boot on a $25 cable is usually just for looks, and the wires inside are soldered to a board that has no give at all. A $7 cable often has the same basic guts, so when you tie the loop and make the bend happen 2 inches back on the jacket, you're basically fixing the one weak spot both cables share. I've been doing this on every HDMI in my house since my daughter's TV cable died at the 3 month mark, and I haven't lost a single one since. The price tag has almost nothing to do with it, it's all about where the stress lands.

Testing stuff like that makes you wonder what else we're overpaying for. Once you start comparing labels, you see a lot of the same junk in fancy packages everywhere.