Maybe you tied your zip-tie too tightly around a bunch of cables, and need to cut the tie off, but are worried you’re going to snip one of the cables. Or maybe you just want to be able to re-use your zip-ties. This $10 cable tie opener tool says it can do the job in a second:
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Here’s how it works:
As it turns out, there’s rather a lot of “how to undo a zip-tie without damaging it” videos up on YouTube.
Springing for the tool above maybe makes sense if you’re low man on the totem pole at an IT department, and you spend your days crawling around under people’s desks or maintaining a server farm. For the rest of us just looking to undo a handful of zip-ties, it’s easy enough to do with a pair of pointy tweezers:
This guy below explains the simple principle of zip-ties: A sprung flat molded inside the part where you insert the end of the tie simply catches on the little striations. Depress the flat with something thin—he uses a nail, which I wouldn’t recommend—allows you to remove the tie:
And if you’re willing to make a manicurial sacrifice, this guy does it by not cutting a particular fingernail too short:
That last one reminds me a bit of those Japanese tapestry artisans who file grooves into their fingernails for thread-working purposes.
Source: core77